About the research
This research aimed to devise a list of neighbourhood types in Wales based on data about people’s experiences of the area and not on data that is more commonly used to classify them (such as census data). The hope was to identify a small number of neighbourhood types that would be used by WISERD for future quantitative and qualitative analysis.
The research was able to identify and describe five neighbourhood types: valleys, rural, deprived (non-former mining area), semi-rural hinterland and urban mobile. Detailed analysis of the types suggests that in certain geographical areas within Wales there are strongly embedded attitudes toward their neighbours and neighbourhoods. These also conform to neighbourhood typologies created using other criteria.
The research indicates that it is possible to classify geographically distinct areas based on residents’ responses to questions about their attitude to their neighbours and neighbourhoods. This could also help inform further studies on neighbourhood types. The results also now offer an alternative neighbourhood typology to those drawn off census data.
Methodology
To determine the attitude of people toward their neighbours and neighbourhoods, the answers given to eight questions in the Living in Wales Survey were used for the years 2004 to 2007. These questions used a rating scale and were identical across the four surveys.
The researcher used a cluster analysis, mapping clusters at the ‘Middle Layer Super Output Area’ level using a conventional and a population cartogram map to aid with analysis and interpretation.
Publications
Orford, S. and Jones, S. (2010) ‘Mapping Welsh neighbourhood types classified using attitudinal data from the national Living in Wales survey’, Journal of Maps, 6(1), pp. 346-353. doi: 10.4113/jom.2010.1096 Retrieved 11 September 2013 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.4113/jom.2010.1096#.UjB43H_3On4
A copy of the map created from this research is also available as a PDF.