A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical restrictions, such as coastlines, mountains, hills or valleys. Linear settlements may have no obvious centre. In the case of settlements built along a route, the route predated the settlement, and then the settlement grew along the transport route. Often, it is only a single street with houses on either side of the road.

Mileham Mileham is a village approximately midway between East Dereham and Fakenham in Mid Norfolk with a population of 563 people in 2011. The village sits astride the B1145 Kings Lynn to Mundesley road that dissects Mid Norfolk west to east. It is ...

, Norfolk, England is an example of this pattern. Later development may add side turnings and districts away from the original main street. Places such as Southport, England developed in this way. A linear settlement is in contrast with ribbon development, which is the outward spread of an existing

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

along a main street, and with a nucleated settlement, which is a group of buildings clustered around a central point. Wieś ulicówka

Particular types of linear settlements are linear village, chain village, street village (Polish: ulicówka;"Poland Population Distribution"
/ref> German: Straßendorf, Lithuanian: gatvinis kaimas, French: village-rue), and some others. Different countries have various classifications of linear settlements. In 2022, construction began on The Line, a linear city in Saudi Arabia.

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