How would you define the boundaries of a town or city in England and Wales in 2016?

Maybe your definition would be based on its population size, geographic extent or where the industry and services are located. This was a question the ONS had to consider when creating a new statistical geography called Towns and Cities.

In reality, the ability to delimit the boundaries of a city or town is difficult!

Major Towns and Cities

The new statistical geography, Towns and Cities has been created based on population size and the extent of the built environment. It contains 112 towns and cities in England and Wales, where the residential and/or workday population > 75,000 people at the 2011 Census. It has been constructed using the existing Built-Up Area boundary set produced by Ordnance Survey in 2011.

This swipe map shows where the towns and cities and built-up areas are different. Just swipe the bar from left to right.

The blue polygons are the towns and cities and the purple polygons are the built-up areas.

The Access Network Map of England is a national composite dataset of Access layers, showing analysis of extent of Access provision for each Lower Super Output Area (LSOA), as a percentage or area coverage of access in England. The ‘Access Network Map’ was developed by Natural England to inform its work to improve opportunities for people to enjoy the natural environment. This map shows, across England, the relative abundance of accessible land in relation to where people live. Due to issues explained below, the map does not, and cannot, provide a definitive statement of where intervention is necessary. Rather, it should be used to identify areas of interest which require further exploration. Natural England believes that places where people can enjoy the natural environment should be improved and created where they are most wanted. Access Network Maps help support this work by providing means to assess the amount of accessible land available in relation to where people live. They combine all the available good quality data on access provision into a single dataset and relate this to population. This provides a common foundation for regional and national teams to use when targeting resources to improve public access to greenspace, or projects that rely on this resource. The Access Network Maps are compiled from the datasets available to Natural England which contain robust, nationally consistent data on land and routes that are normally available to the public and are free of charge. Datasets contained in the aggregated data:•
Agri-environment scheme permissive access (routes and open access)•
CROW access land (including registered common land and Section 16)•
Country Parks•
Cycleways (Sustrans Routes) including Local/Regional/National and Link Routes•
Doorstep Greens•
Local Nature Reserves•
Millennium Greens•
National Nature Reserves (accessible sites only)•
National Trails•
Public Rights of Way•
Forestry Commission ‘Woods for People’ data•
Village Greens – point data only Due to the quantity and complexity of data used, it is not possible to display clearly on a single map the precise boundary of accessible land for all areas. We therefore selected a unit which would be clearly visible at a variety of scales and calculated the total area (in hectares) of accessible land in each. The units we selected are ‘Lower Super Output Areas’ (LSOAs), which represent where approximately 1,500 people live based on postcode. To calculate the total area of accessible land for each we gave the linear routes a notional width of 3 metres so they could be measured in hectares. We then combined together all the datasets and calculated the total hectares of accessible land in each LSOA. For further information about this data see the following links:Access Network Mapping GuidanceAccess Network Mapping Metadata Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

Georeferenced map of 'A plan of the city and suburbs of Edinburgh' By Alexander Kincaid (1784) as part of the Visualising Urban Geographies project- view other versions of the map at http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist/resources_maps.html. Scanned map. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-05-31 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

This spatial dataset is an output of the Natural England County & City Natural Capital Atlas project (July 2020). It shows variation in ecosystem service flow for habitats across England, based on indicators identified by NE in the 2018 Natural Capital Indicators project. The dataset comprises a hexagonal grid which summarises indicator values across the country (each unit = 5km²).

Natural Capital is an important aspect of current environmental policy and management. This dataset, in combination with the other project outputs, will support understanding of Natural Capital in England and serve as a valuable engagement tool to communicate concepts of the Natural Capital approach to a wide variety of stakeholders.

For full methodology and user guide see documents ‘NCAtlas_Devon’ and ‘NC-Mapping-User-Guidance’ at http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6672365834731520.

For full metadata documentation see the data package download below.

Copyright statement: LCM2015 © NERC (CEH) 2011. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright 2007. © Defra. Contains Defra information © Defra - Project MB0102. © Environment Agency. © Forestry Commission. © Historic England [year]. © Joint Nature Conservation Committee. © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year]. Contains data supplied by © NERC - Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. © Natural England copyright. Natural England Licence No. 2011/052 British Geological Survey © NERC, all rights reserved, © NSRI Cranfield University. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right [year]. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year]. Contains Rural Payments Agency. © Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. © Bath & North East Somerset Council. © Bedford Borough Council. © London Borough of Bexley. © Birmingham City Council. © Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. © Blackpool Council. © Bolton Council. © BCP Council. © Bracknell Forest Council. © City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. © Brighton & Hove City Council. © Bristol City Council. © London Borough of Bromley. © Buckinghamshire County Council. © Bury Council. © Calderdale Council. © Cambridgeshire County Council. © Central Bedfordshire Council. © Cheshire East Council. © Cheshire West and Chester Council. © Cornwall Council. © Cumbria County Council. © Derbyshire County Council. © Devon County Council. © Doncaster Council. © Dorset Council. © Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. © Durham County Council. © East Riding of Yorkshire Council. © East Sussex County Council. © Essex County Council. © Gateshead Council. © Gloucestershire County Council. © Hampshire County Council. © Herefordshire Council. © Hertfordshire County Council. © Hull City Council. © Isle of Anglesey County Council. © Isle of Wight Council. © Kent County Council. © Kirklees Council. © Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. © Lake District National Park. © Lancashire County Council. © Leicester City Council. © Leicestershire County Council. © Lincolnshire County Council. © Manchester City Council. © Medway Council. © Norfolk County Council. © North Lincolnshire Council. © North Somerset Council. © North Yorkshire County Council. © Northamptonshire County Council. © Northumberland County Council. © Nottingham City Council. © Nottinghamshire County Council. © Oldham Council. © Oxfordshire County Council. © Peterborough City Council. © Plymouth City Council. © Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. © Portsmouth City Council. © Reading Borough Council. © Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. © Rochdale Borough Council. © Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. © Rutland County Council. © Salford City Council. © Sefton Council. © Sheffield City Council. © Shropshire Council. © Slough Borough Council. © Somerset County Council. © South Gloucestershire Council. © Southampton City Council. © St Helens Council. © Staffordshire County Council. © Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. © Stockton Council. © Suffolk County Council. © Surrey County Council. © Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. © Thurrock Council. © Torbay Council. © Trafford Council. © Wakefield Council. © Walsall Council. © Warrington Borough Council. © Warwickshire County Council. © West Berkshire Council. © West Sussex County Council. © Wigan Council. © Wiltshire Council. © Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council. © Wirral Council. © Wokingham Borough Council. © Worcestershire County Council. © City of York Council.

A PDF map that shows the counties and unitary authorities in the United Kingdom as at 1 April 2023. (File Size - 583 KB)

Georeferenced map of 'Plan of the City of Edinburgh, including all the latest and intended improvements' By John Wood (1831) as part of the Visualising Urban Geographies project- view other versions of the map at http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist/resources_maps.html. Scanned map. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-05-30 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

This report was released in September 2010. However, recent demographic data is available on the datastore - you may find other datasets on the Datastore useful such as: GLA Population Projections, National Insurance Number Registrations of Overseas Nationals, Births by Birthplace of Mother, Births and Fertility Rates, Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population Estimates

FOCUSONLONDON2010:POPULATIONANDMIGRATION

London is the United Kingdom’s only city region. Its population of 7.75 million is 12.5 per cent of the UK population living on just 0.6 per cent of the land area. London’s average population density is over 4,900 persons per square kilometre, this is ten times that of the second most densely populated region.

Between 2001 and 2009 London’s population grew by over 430 thousand, more than any other region, accounting for over 16 per cent of the UK increase.

This report discusses in detail the population of London including Population Age Structure, Fertility and Mortality, Internal Migration, International Migration, Population Turnover and Churn, and Demographic Projections.

Population and Migration report is the first release of the Focus on London 2010-12 series. Reports on themes such as Income, Poverty, Labour Market, Skills, Health, and Housing are also available.

REPORT:

Read the full report in PDF format.

https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/fol/FocusOnLondonCoverweb.jpg" alt=""/>

PRESENTATION:

To access an interactive presentation about population changes in London click the link to see it on Prezi.com

DATA:

To access a spreadsheet with all the data from the Population and Migration report click on the image below.

Report data

MAP:

To enter an interactive map showing a number of indicators discussed in the Population and Migration report click on the image below.

Interactive Maps

FACTS:

● Top five boroughs for babies born per 10,000 population in 2008-09:

1. Newham – 244.4
2. Barking and Dagenham – 209.3
3. Hackney – 205.7
4. Waltham Forest – 202.7
5. Greenwich – 196.2

-32. Havering – 116.8

-33. City of London – 47.0

● In 2009, Barnet overtook Croydon as the most populous London borough. Prior to this Croydon had been the largest since 1966

● Population per hectare of land used for Domestic building and gardens is highest in Tower Hamlets

● In 2008-09, natural change (births minus deaths) led to 78,000 more Londoners compared with only 8,000 due to migration. read more about this or click play on the chart below to reveal how regional components of populations change have altered over time.

Living England is a multi-year project which delivers a broad habitat map for the whole of England, created using satellite imagery, field data records and other geospatial data in a machine learning framework. The Living England habitat map shows the extent and distribution of broad habitats across England aligned to the UKBAP classification, providing a valuable insight into our natural capital assets and helping to inform land management decisions. Living England is a project within Natural England, funded by and supports the Defra Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Programme and Environmental Land Management (ELM) Schemes to provide an openly available national map of broad habitats across England.This dataset includes very complex geometry with a large number of features so it has a default viewing distance set to 1:80,000 (City in the map viewer).Process Description:A number of data layers are used to develop a ground dataset of habitat reference data, which are then used to inform a machine-learning model and spatial analyses to generate a map of the likely locations and distributions of habitats across England. The main source data layers underpinning the spatial framework and models are Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 satellite data from the ESA Copernicus programme, Lidar from the EA's national Lidar Programme and collected data through the project's national survey programme. Additional datasets informing the approach as detailed below and outlined in the accompanying technical user guide.Datasets used:OS MasterMap® Topography Layer; Geology aka BGS Bedrock Mapping 1:50k; Long Term Monitoring Network; Uplands Inventory; Coastal Dune Geomatics Mapping Ground Truthing; Crop Map of England (RPA) CROME; Lowland Heathland Survey; National Grassland Survey; National Plant Monitoring Scheme; NE field Unit Surveys; Northumberland Border Mires Survey; Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery; Sentinel-1 backscatter imagery; Sentinel-1 single look complex (SLC) imagery; National forest inventory (NFI); Cranfield NATMAP; Agri-Environment HLS Monitoring; Living England desktop validation; Priority Habitat Inventory; Space2 Eye Lens: Ainsdale NNR, State of the Bog Bowland Survey, State of the Bog Dark Peak Condition Survey, State of the Bog Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Mountain Hare Habitat Survey Dark Peak, State of the Bog; Moors for the Future Dark Peak Survey; West Pennines Designation NVC Survey; Wetland Annex 1 inventory; Soils-BGS Soil Parent Material; Met Office HadUK gridded climate product; Saltmarsh Extent and Zonation; EA LiDAR DSM & DTM; New Forest Mires Wetland Survey; New Forest Mires Wetland Survey; West Cumbria Mires Survey; England Peat Map Vegetation Surveys; NE protected sites monitoring; ERA5; OS Open Built-up Areas; OS Boundaries dataset; EA IHM (Integrated height model) DTM; OS VectorMap District; EA Coastal Flood Boundary: Extreme Sea Levels; AIMS Spatial Sea Defences; LIDAR Sand Dunes 2022; EA Coastal saltmarsh species surveys; Aerial Photography GB (APGB); NASA SRT (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) M30; Provisional Agricultural Land Classification; Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD); Open Street Map 2024.Attribute descriptions: Column Heading Full Name Format Description

SegID SegID Character (100) Unique Living England segment identifier. Format is LEZZZZ_BGZXX_YYYYYYY where Z = release year (2223 for this version), X = BGZ and Y = Unique 7-digit number

Prmry_H Primary_Habitat Date Primary Living England Habitat

Relblty Reliability
Character (12) Reliability Metric Score

Mdl_Hbs Model_Habs Interger List of likely habitats output by the Random Forest model.

Mdl_Prb Model_Probs Double (6,2) List of probabilities for habitats listed in ‘Model_Habs’, calculated by the Random Forest model.

Mixd_Sg Mixed_Segment Character (50) Indication of the likelihood a segment contains a mixture of dominant habitats. Either Unlikely or Probable.

Source Source

Description of how the habitat classification was derived. Options are: Random Forest; Vector OSMM Urban; Vector Classified OS Water; Vector EA saltmarsh; LE saltmarsh & QA; Vector RPA Crome, ALC grades 1-4; Vector LE Bare Ground Analysis; LE QA Adjusted

SorcRsn Source_Reason

Reasoning for habitat class adjustment if ‘Source’ equals ‘LE QA Adjusted’

Shap_Ar Shape_Area

Segment area (m2) Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

Georeferenced map of 'City and Castle of Edinburgh' by William Edgar (1765), as part of the Visualising Urban Geographies project - view other versions of map at: http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist/resources_maps.html. Scanned map. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-05-30 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

This is a city map of London, England, shown at a 1:63,360 scale. This city map was created by the Director General of the Ordnance Survey.

Digital data from VG07-5 Springston, G. and De Simone, D., 2007,�Surficial geologic map of the town of Williston, Vermont: Vermont Geological Survey Open-File Report VG07-5, 1 color plate, scale 1:24,000.� Data may include surficial geologic contacts, isopach contours lines, bedrock outcrop polygons, bedrock geologic contacts, hydrogeologic units and more. The surficial geologic materials data at a scale of 1:24,000 depict types of unconsolidated surficial and glacial materials overlying bedrock in Vermont. Data is created by mapping on the ground using standard geologic pace and compass techniques and/or GPS on a USGS 1:24000 topographic base map. The materials data is selected from the Vermont Geological Survey Open File Report (OFR) publication (https://dec.vermont.gov/geological-survey/publication-gis/ofr). The OFR contains more complete descriptions of map units, cross-sections, isopach maps and other information that may not be included in this digital data set.

Spatial Data layers referenced in City Development Plan Policy and Proposals & Supplementary Guidance Maps. Third party data displayed in the above mentioned maps are not included herein.

Georeferenced map of 'Plan City and Castle of Edinburgh ' By William Edgar (1765) as part of the Visualising Urban Geographies project- view other versions of the map at http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist/resources_maps.html. Scanned from original paper map and georeferenced by The National Library Of Scotland. Scanned map. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-09-01 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

Background maps for the pollutant PM10 for the year 2030. Geography used in the background maps is based on a 1x1km grid file of Glasgow. Coordinates given are for the centre of centre of each 1x1Km grid. Further information regarding pollutant and emissions modelling can be found at http://laqm.defra.gov.uk/review-and-assessment/tools/background-maps.html accessed on 2014-04-25T14:26:00.

Aryandoust, A., van Vliet, O. & Patt, A. City-scale car traffic and parking density maps from Uber Movement travel time data. Scientific Data 6, 158 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0159-6

1:1,000,000 raster map of Northern Ireland with place names. A raster map is a static image displayed on screen which is suitable as background mapping. 1:1 000,000 Raster is smallest scale OSNI raster product giving an excellent overview of Northern Ireland. Published here for OpenData. By download or use of this dataset you agree to abide by the Open Government Data Licence.Please Note for Open Data NI Users: Esri Rest API is not Broken, it will not open on its own in a Web Browser but can be copied and used in Desktop and Webmaps

Georeferenced map of 'Old and New Town of Edinburgh and Leith with the proposed docks' By John Ainslie (1804) as part of the Visualising Urban Geographies project- view other versions of the map at http://geo.nls.uk/urbhist/resources_maps.html. Scanned map. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-05-31 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

The map is designed to be used as a basemap by marine GIS professionals and as a reference map by anyone interested in ocean data. The basemap focuses on bathymetry. It also includes inland waters and roads, overlaid on land cover and shaded relief imagery.The Ocean Base map currently provides coverage for the world down to a scale of ~1:577k; coverage down to ~1:72k in United States coastal areas and various other areas; and coverage down to ~1:9k in limited regional areas.The World Ocean Reference is designed to be drawn on top of this map and provides selected city labels throughout the world. This web map lets you view the World Ocean Base with the Reference service drawn on top. Article in the Fall 2011 ArcUser about this basemap: "A Foundation for Ocean GIS".The map was compiled from a variety of best available sources from several data providers, including General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans GEBCO_08 Grid version 20100927 and IHO-IOC GEBCO Gazetteer of Undersea Feature Names August 2010 version (https://www.gebco.net), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Geographic for the oceans; and Garmin, HERE, and Esri for topographic content. You can contribute your bathymetric data to this service and have it served by Esri for the benefit of the Ocean GIS community. For details on the users who contributed bathymetric data for this map via the Community Maps Program, view the list of Contributors for the Ocean Basemap. The basemap was designed and developed by Esri. The GEBCO_08 Grid is largely based on a database of ship-track soundings with interpolation between soundings guided by satellite-derived gravity data. In some areas, data from existing grids are included. The GEBCO_08 Grid does not contain detailed information in shallower water areas, information concerning the generation of the grid can be found on GEBCO's website: https://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gridded_bathymetry_data/. The GEBCO_08 Grid is accompanied by a Source Identifier (SID) Grid which indicates which cells in the GEBCO_08 Grid are based on soundings or existing grids and which have been interpolated. The latest version of both grids and accompanying documentation is available to download, on behalf of GEBCO, from the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/online_delivery/gebco/.The names of the IHO (International Hydrographic Organization), IOC (intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission), GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) or BODC (British Oceanographic Data Centre) may not be used in any way to imply, directly or otherwise, endorsement or support of either the Licensee or their mapping system.Tip: Here are some famous oceanic locations as they appear this map. Each URL launches this map at a particular location via parameters specified in the URL: Challenger Deep, Galapagos Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Maldive Islands, Mariana Trench, Tahiti, Queen Charlotte Sound, Notre Dame Bay, Labrador Trough, New York Bight, Massachusetts Bay, Mississippi Sound

Urban sound has a huge influence over how we perceive places. Yet, city planning is concerned mainly with noise, simply because annoying sounds come to the attention of city officials in the form of complaints, whereas general urban sounds do not come to the attention as they cannot be easily captured at city scale. To capture both unpleasant and pleasant sounds, we applied a new methodology that relies on tagging information of georeferenced pictures to the cities of London and Barcelona. To begin with, we compiled the first urban sound dictionary and compared it with the one produced by collating insights from the literature: ours was experimentally more valid (if correlated with official noise pollution levels) and offered a wider geographical coverage. From picture tags, we then studied the relationship between soundscapes and emotions. We learned that streets with music sounds were associated with strong emotions of joy or sadness, whereas those with human sounds were associated with joy or surprise. Finally, we studied the relationship between soundscapes and people's perceptions and, in so doing, we were able to map which areas are chaotic, monotonous, calm and exciting. Those insights promise to inform the creation of restorative experiences in our increasingly urbanized world.

FOCUSON**LONDON**2011: HOUSING:A**GROWING**CITY

With the highest average incomes in the country but the least space to grow, demand for housing in London has long outstripped supply, resulting in higher housing costs and rising levels of overcrowding. The pressures of housing demand in London have grown in recent years, in part due to fewer people leaving London to buy homes in other regions. But while new supply during the recession held up better in London than in other regions, it needs to increase significantly in order to meet housing needs and reduce housing costs to more affordable levels.

This edition of Focus on London authored by James Gleeson in the Housing Unit looks at housing trends in London, from the demand/supply imbalance to the consequences for affordability and housing need.

REPORT:

Read the report in PDF format.

https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/fol/fol11-housing-cover-thumb.jpg" alt="">

PRESENTATION:

How much pressure is London’s popularity putting on housing provision in the capital? This interactive presentation looks at the effect on housing pressure of demographic changes, and recent new housing supply, shown by trends in overcrowding and house prices. Click on the start button at the bottom of the slide to access.

View Focus on London - Housing: A Growing City on Prezi

HISTOGRAM:

This histogram shows a selection of borough data and helps show areas that are similar to one another by each indicator.

Histogram

MOTION CHART:

This motion chart shows how the relationship, between key housing related indicators at borough level, changes over time.

Motion Chart

MAP:

These interactive borough maps help to geographically present a range of housing data within London, as well as presenting trend data where available.

MAP

DATA:

All the data contained within the Housing: A Growing City report as well as the data used to create the charts and maps can be accessed in this spreadsheet.

FACTS:

Some interesting facts from the data…

● Five boroughs with the highest proportion of households that have lived at their address for less than 12 months in 2009/10:

1. Westminster – 19 per cent
2. Wandsworth – 17 per cent
3. Camden – 16 per cent
4. Lambeth – 14 per cent
5. Southwark – 13 per cent

-31. Harrow – 6 per cent

-32. Havering – 5 per cent

● Five boroughs with the highest percentage point increase between 2004 and 2009 of households in the ‘private rented’ sector:

1. Newham – 17 per cent
2. Greenwich – 11 per cent
3. Enfield – 10 per cent
4. Camden – 9 per cent
5. Harrow – 8 per cent

-32. Islington – 1 per cent

-33. Bexley – 1 per cent

● Five boroughs with the highest percentage difference in median house prices between 2007 Q4 and 2010 Q4:

1. Kensington & Chelsea – 29 per cent
2. Westminster – 19 per cent
3. Camden – 15 per cent
4. Islington – 14 per cent
5. Southwark – 10 per cent

-31. Newham – down 9 per cent

-32. Barking & D’ham – down 9 per cent