Leaf: Populated Areas and Settlements
Dataset: OpenStreetMap — settlement entities via place=*
OSM models settlements directly using place tags. This is suitable for settlement hierarchy mapping and nearest-settlement analysis.
osmnx access
import osmnx as ox
ox.settings.cache_folder = ".cache/"
settlements = ox.features_from_place(
"Denmark",
tags={"place": ["city", "town", "village", "hamlet", "suburb"]},
)Geofabrik layer
gis_osm_places_free_1.shp — place points with optional attributes such as population.
Key OSM tags
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
place=city | Major settlement |
place=town | Town |
place=village | Village |
place=hamlet | Hamlet |
place=suburb | Suburb/neighborhood |
population=* | Optional settlement population estimate |