Assessing the Evolution of Human Settlements with ‘Energy’ as a Determinant

Human settlements have evolved from caves in the Paleolithic Age to high rise buildings and cities in the modern era. Energy is one of the major driving forces in shaping the settlements of today. It is a fundamental of our everyday life and will continue to influence the future generations. It is also responsible for the many major looming threats faced by the world today, like climate change, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and global warming. Hence it is essential to investigate the influence of energy in shaping the settlements of the past, to understand the present, and to develop a vision for the future settlements. This paper is an attempt to study the evolution of human settlements based on the ‘urban form determinants’ framework developed by A.E.J. Morris with ‘energy’ as an additional determinant. The investigation proposes how energy has influenced in shaping the settlements of the past, and the correlation between energy and other urban form determinants. This study will help various stakeholders in developing an understanding on how energy can play a role in shaping a sustainable future, and also in identifying the parameters which influence them.