Census data could be used to improve city neighbourhoods

A new analysis of the 2011 census has revealed that social differences among city populations significantly influence how neighbourhoods take shape. Researchers hope that their insights could help councils to make better planning decisions. Dr Thilo Gross and Dr Edmund Barter in the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol, used a new algorithm to gain insight into city neighbourhood characteristics, starting with Bristol. As reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A , their study suggests that in order to improve city life, an understanding of where social differences come from and how different neighbourhoods acquire their distinct characteristics is essential. The two mathematicians analysed the census with an algorithm called "diffusion maps". Rather than focusing on any specific characteristic, they asked which neighbourhoods answer the census questions in a similar way. Thereby they can identify the main underlying properties of neighbourhoods from the entirety of the census, rather than focussing on specific census questions.