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Population Coverage in Civilized Lands
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 5741466" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>Historically, the average distance between settlements was a function of the prevailing technology.</p><p></p><p>If you have hamlets or thorps spaced about every two miles, it suggests that much of the traffic at the time of settlement was foot traffic. If the prevailing form of transportation is ox cart, then settlements tend to spread out to about 8 miles apart. And if your prevailing form of transportation is horse drawn carriage at the time the region is first settled, then they tend to spread out again to about 20 miles apart. Generally speaking, settlements develop in a way that is convienent for merchants and other travellers. If a road is a two day journey, someone will build an inn at the halfway point, then a farrier will set up shop to handle thrown horseshoes, and a wheelwright will set up shop to handle broken wagons, and then a carpenter to serve the others, and sooner or latter you have a village. The only time this doesn't happen is if the land isn't habitable, and that usually means that the land is not arable. In that cases, settlements are spaced according to the availability of water, but then if you have a river much the same logic applies.</p><p></p><p>Note that the road logic is going to apply even if bandits and monsters are lurking about. Settlements won't get built two days apart if there is any sort of regular commerce between the two because sooner rather than latter someone will get the bright idea to build a stockade or other fortified building halfway where caravans can stop in comparative safety on the trip. I mean, because its not actually safer to just camp in the open and hope for the best. In the extreme case, imagine this is zombie apocalypse world (and really, the average fantasy world scoffs at mere zombie apocalypses, which occur every third Tuesday). No one is going to journey anywhere on a regular basis if there isn't a safe place to hole up for the night.</p><p></p><p>The logic behind cities tends to be, "How much surplus food can be grown by the villages within a days journey of the city?" Coastal cities get a big boost here, and with enough wealth you can start trading in foodstuffs over long distance.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 5741466, member: 4937"] Historically, the average distance between settlements was a function of the prevailing technology. If you have hamlets or thorps spaced about every two miles, it suggests that much of the traffic at the time of settlement was foot traffic. If the prevailing form of transportation is ox cart, then settlements tend to spread out to about 8 miles apart. And if your prevailing form of transportation is horse drawn carriage at the time the region is first settled, then they tend to spread out again to about 20 miles apart. Generally speaking, settlements develop in a way that is convienent for merchants and other travellers. If a road is a two day journey, someone will build an inn at the halfway point, then a farrier will set up shop to handle thrown horseshoes, and a wheelwright will set up shop to handle broken wagons, and then a carpenter to serve the others, and sooner or latter you have a village. The only time this doesn't happen is if the land isn't habitable, and that usually means that the land is not arable. In that cases, settlements are spaced according to the availability of water, but then if you have a river much the same logic applies. Note that the road logic is going to apply even if bandits and monsters are lurking about. Settlements won't get built two days apart if there is any sort of regular commerce between the two because sooner rather than latter someone will get the bright idea to build a stockade or other fortified building halfway where caravans can stop in comparative safety on the trip. I mean, because its not actually safer to just camp in the open and hope for the best. In the extreme case, imagine this is zombie apocalypse world (and really, the average fantasy world scoffs at mere zombie apocalypses, which occur every third Tuesday). No one is going to journey anywhere on a regular basis if there isn't a safe place to hole up for the night. The logic behind cities tends to be, "How much surplus food can be grown by the villages within a days journey of the city?" Coastal cities get a big boost here, and with enough wealth you can start trading in foodstuffs over long distance. [/QUOTE]
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