SETTLEMENT PATTERN IN

KERALA
• Narrow
rectangular strip
of land.
• Length: 500 km
• Width: 30-120 km
• Area: 38864 sqkm
• Divided into 3
zones
– Low land
– Mid land
– High land
Evolution of domestic architecture

Features of traditional housing

History of settlement

Current settlement pattern

Quantitative and qualitative analysis

 Evolution of domestic architecture
• Erumadom or houses constructed on tree tops
is the first seen evidence of housing.
• Later bricks and tiles were introduced in
northern parts of Kerala.
• Even then wood was used in south.
• Later shortage of wood give way to bricks and
tiles.
 Features of traditional housing
Generally rectangular in plan.
Placed in 45* to the predominant wind direction.
Usually low and had a double roof so that inner roof
is protected from the sun and the intervening space
is cooled by air circulation.
Large overhanging eaves and low slung roof provides
protection from rain and solar radiation.
Walls were made of wood and laterite, thus low
thermal conductivity.
 Features of traditional housing
High plinth to prevent surface rain water from
flooding in.
Wide verandah around the building protect the wall
from direct sun and rain.
Vegetation all around the building cooled the air
which passes through it.
Height of the building and width of central courtyard
is related in such a way that there is very less
sunlight falling directly into the courtyard.
 A TYPICAL "NAALUKETTU" -
PLAN OF ATRASSERY MANA,
PATTAMBI, PALAKKAD.
 History of settlement
Namboothiri’s established in Kerala by the
course of the 8th century.
The major upper class housing types that
formed settlement of Kerala
– Kovilakom, housing of the ruling class.
– Illam and mana, housing for Brahmins and
Namboothiri’s.
– Tharavadu, housing for Nair community.
 History of settlement
Brahmin settlement:
– Namboothiri dominated areas are called uru.
– Central point of focus is the temple, controlled by
a committee called devaswam.
– Small colony of 10-20 families established with
their houses round the village temple.
 History of settlement
Nair settlement:
– Houses are associated with a temple with
surrounding called Thara.
– The traditional building types of Tharavadu are
• Nalukettu
• Ettukettu
• Pathinarukettu
• Basic multiples of chathursala
– But the various Acts fundamentally affected the
structure of Nair Tharavadu.
 History of settlement
By 2nd half of the 20th century, the joint family
system collapsed in Kerala.
Nuclear family became dominant type.
Upper class not used to farming by
themselves sold their properties.
Today migration of work forced inhabitants of
Kerala to all parts of the world.
 Current settlement pattern
 Unique with dwellings made in individual
plots.
 Uniformly distributed all over the habitable
area.
 Consequence of the existing social, climatic
and geographical conditions.
 Current settlement pattern
 Social infrastructure
– Population is more or less evenly distributed.
– Better distribution of basic facilities which are
normally provided in the urban areas is available
in the rural areas as well.
– Only marginal migration trends.
– Comparatively low rate of population growth in
urban centers.
 Current settlement pattern
 Urbanization trends
– No town is said to have developed fully on an
industrial base.
– Increase in rate of urbanization is not due to any
large scale migration.
 Current settlement pattern
 Rural-urban continuum
– Internationally famous for the pattern.
– Corridor type development along the
communication routes.
– Contrast between town and village are not so
serious.
• Household
• Urban area
• Rural area
• Slum
• Housing need
• Housing demand
• Pucca houses
• Semi-pucca houses
• Kutcha houses
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
• According to the Census statistics, in 2001
while 51.8 per cent of households lived in
permanent houses and 30 per cent in semi
permanent houses at the all India level, the
corresponding figures in Kerala were 68 per
cent and 21.6 per cent respectively.
• The Housing Census of 2001 indicates that on
an average a house in Kerala had three rooms
as against the all India average of two rooms.
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
In 2001 more than 8 per cent of the
households lived in extremely poor quality or
dilapidated houses (as against only 5.6 % at
the all India level).
It is estimated that numerical shortage of
housing in 2001 was only 63 thousand units.
But the number of dilapidated houses was
5.38 lakhs.
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
• Nearly 4.6 lakh houses are needed for the very
poor under EWS in urban and rural areas, 1.4
lakhs for EWS above poverty line, 2 lakhs for
low income group,1.5 lakhs for middle income
group and 0.5 lakhs for high income group
families.
HOUSING CONDITION IN INDIA
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
The National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) has
released the first report of a nationwide household survey
carried out by it during July 2002-December 2002 on
housing conditions in India.
A sample of 97,882 households spread over 4,769 villages
and 3,538 urban blocks in the country had been surveyed
to obtain information regarding the conditions of the
dwellings in which the rural and urban population of the
country live and the number, size, structure, cost and
financing of residential constructions undertaken by the
households.
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
Out of every 100 households in rural areas, 36 lived
in pucca structures, 43 lived in semi pucca structures,
and the remaining 21 in kutcha structures.
In urban areas, 77 in every 100 households lived
in pucca structures, 20 in semi-pucca structures and
only 3 in katcha structures.
In urban slum areas, 67% of the dwellings were pucca.
The floor area available to the average rural household
was 38 square metres while the average urban
household had 37 square metres.
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
92% of rural households and 60% of urban households
owned the dwelling units.
As for the facilities of drinking water, latrine and
electricity for lighting, about 15% of the dwellings in
urban slums and squatter settlements, 63% of dwelling
units in other urban areas, and 11% of the units in rural
areas had all the three facilities within their premises.
About 97% of rural and 99% of urban dwellings had
drinking water within half a kilometre of their premises.
 Quantitative and qualitative
analysis
On an average, a rural household spent about Rs.
1.13 lakhs to construct a new pucca house, which had
an average floor area of 42 sq.m.
In urban areas other than the slums, on an average,
spent about Rs.2.63 lakhs to build a
new pucca dwelling unit, which had an average floor
area of 53 sq.m.
In urban slums, it cost about Rs. 80,000 to build a
new pucca house, and the average floor area
was 24 sq.m.