[Talk-GB] place=village/town/city

[Colin Smale]

According to Wikipedia, it is country-dependent. As it is an English
word, we should only discuss about its meaning in an English-speaking
context. There is no such thing as a hamlet in Germany for example; they
have different words with different semantics, which may or may not map
onto English concepts. 

The common theme indicated by the Wikipedia article is that a hamlet is
in some way dependent or subordinate to a larger settlement. For example
it may not have its own church. That in itself does not define an
absolute cut-off point in terms of population; it is dependent on the
settlement's context with respect to its surroundings.

In the UK of course it is a matter of status to be called a City, and
there is an unambiguous list of cities. This list can only be changed by
the Crown through parliament. The smallest city is St Davids in Wales,
with a population of 1841 (2011 figure). Any attempt to retag it in OSM
to place=village will probably be reverted within 0.1 nanoseconds.... 

A smaller incorporated settlement (civil parish) can decide unilaterally
to call itself a town. Changes don't happen very often of course, but it
is a point of civic pride for the inhabitants as the council becomes a
Town Council and they can have a Town Mayor. This is also independent of
the population, but the status is carried by the council whose area may
include a substantial rural element, which would also become part of the
"town". If you ask an inhabitant of that area whether X is a town or a
village, they will tell you, and it has nothing to do with
population.... 

In other countries a rule based on population may be appropriate, but in
the UK it is definitely a question of status. 

//colin 

On 2016-02-12 13:39, Paul Berry wrote:

> Hi Michael, 
> 
> Going the other way, what's the cutoff between a hamlet and a village? Population 50? 100? I'd say that with these categories there's some fuzziness so go with what feels right. On the ground experience over armchair mapping wins out here I think (as it does for most things OSM). More complexity: a place that would be a hamlet or village near a town or city can find itself a neighbourhood or suburb over time. Again the distinction can be a fine one. 
> 
> Also, and a more important point than all the above, welcome! 
> 
> Regards, 
> _Paul_
> 
> On 12 February 2016 at 12:04, Tom Hughes <tom at compton.nu> wrote:
> On 12/02/16 11:51, Ian Caldwell wrote:
> 
> On 11 February 2016 at 21:32, Michael Booth <boothym at gmail.com
> <mailto:boothym at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
> So my question is, how are we defining villages, towns and cities?
> Only by population, or do we also take into account their generally
> accepted status (whilst trying to be consistent across the country)?
> 
> In England towns will normally have a town council. Villages
> will normally have a parish council. Only really a name difference see
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_council#England_and_Wales .
> 
> Normally is a very strong word... There are many, many towns and villages without any town or parish council.
> 
> Tom
> 
> -- 
> Tom Hughes (tom at compton.nu)
> http://compton.nu/ 
> 
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