Brülisau in the context of "Appenzell Innerrhoden"

A dispersed settlement, also known as a scattered settlement, is one of the main types of settlement patterns used by landscape historians to classify rural settlements found in England and other parts of the world. Typically, there are a number of separate farmsteads scattered throughout the area. A dispersed settlement contrasts with a nucleated village.

The French term bocage is sometimes used to describe the type of landscape found where dispersed settlements are common.