Village definition
A village is a human settlement of a small size which is typically situated in a rural location. Broadly, a village tends to have a population of between 500 and 2,500, making it larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town. Historically, in the UK, villages tended to be classified as such when a church was built.
During the Industrial Revolution, people were drawn in greater numbers away from villages to towns and cities, or villages grew into towns themselves.
Traditionally, many villages developed as a form of community that was based around some form of amenity or trade, such as subsistence farming or fishing. In some cases, a village would be a form of ‘linear settlement’, i.e. one that was built in a line such as a along a railway line, road, river or coastline. Alternatively, they could be clustered around a central point, such as a church, market, or public space such as a ‘village green’. This is referred to as a ‘nucleated settlement’.
Planned villages are those which do not develop naturally around a central point or linear settlement but are instead created by urban planners.
In January 2017, the government announced the development of the 14 garden villages across England, with the potential to deliver more than 48,000 new homes. These may range in size from 1,500 to 10,000 homes, and will be distinct new places with their own community facilities, rather than extensions of existing urban areas. For more information, see Garden village.
The term ‘village’ can also be used to refer to particular neighbourhoods within a larger area, such as Greenwich Village in Manhattan, Chorlton Village in Greater Manchester, and the Olympic Village in London. These are often seen as being desirable areas and are sometimes part of a process of gentrification.
NB The GEN Glossary, published by the Global Ecovillage Network, [accessed 24/20/2022], defines a village as: ‘A clustered human settlement, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town, with a population ranging from a few tens to a few thousand. Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to urban neighborhoods.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
A call for prevention and sensitive re-use.
Risks to the long-term effectiveness of the BNG scheme
National Audit Office publish review of Biodiversity Net Gain.
The CIAT principal designer register
Providing assurance and verification of the capability and competence of registered ATs.
Building Safety recommendations and Northern Ireland
The NI roadmap to improving safety in high rise residential.
BSA residential sector competence standards guidance
BSAS 01:2024 Organisational Capability Management System Standard - Competence Assurance.
Specifying rendered external wall insulation for fire safety
How to interrogate the evidence provided to the specifier.
The benefits of writing articles for your organisation
How to create a profile for your organisation and publish for free.
No Falls Week. The importance of safe working at height
What to expect and what is on offer to avoid accidents.
Scottish Government action to reach net-zero targets
Retrofit expert group highlight critical actions needed.
A forward thinking, inclusive global community of members.
From engineered product life-spans, to their extension.
Circular economy in the built environment
A brief description from 2021. Where are we now?
CLC publishes domestic retrofit competency framework
Roadmap of Skills for net zero.
Understanding is key to conservation.
Open industry engagement survey seeks responses
Institutions and the importance of engagement.