Spatial Pattern of Rural Settlements Spacing in Jhargram District, West Bengal : A Comparative Study

Most of the area (about 99.25%) and population (about 94.07%) of the Jhargram district belongs to rural settlements. Therefore the development of this district needs to know about rural settlements, especially the spacing of settlements. The main focus of this study is to determine the spacing between the rural settlements at the C.D block level in the Jhargram district and to highlight their spatial pattern. And also, to compare the average rural settlements spacing of the Jhargram district with other districts of West Bengal. This study has also revealed some other important settlement characteristics such as rural population density, the average population per village, the average area per village, etc. The regional socio-economic developmental issue such as associated with the provision of social, economic, and other services are determined in the above rural settlement characteristics especially settlements spacing. The infrastructural and installation arrangements required for the socio-economic development of the region are cheaper, easier, and more efficient in the case of closely packed settlements. This study has found that the rural settlement of the Jhargram is the most compact type in West Bengal after Paschim Medinipur, so it is possible to adopt an appropriate development plan and implement it easily in this backward district