1. Seraphim Alvanides Social Geography, Daysh Building s.alvanides@newcastle.ac.uk School of Geography, Politics and Sociology

2. Why do we need area profiling? The first “area” profiling attempt? Why? Because we can! Issues on public understanding Beyond the “local trap” Do we need area profiling?

3. Charles Booth 1889-91: Poverty map of London British Library Maps C.21.a.18.(295) SE sheet © The British Library Board

5. Obesity prevalence Geographical variations in GB

6. Geographical clusters of low educational aspiration 3: Communities matter Social Exclusion Task Force, 2008 MOSAIC UK Types G41 Families on Benefits G42 Low Horizons G43 Ex-industrial legacy The geographical spread of neighbourhoods with lower than expected attainment is shown in red. There are clear overlaps with clusters of neighbourhoods in which young people tend to have low aspirations. Identifying clusters of the types of neighbourhood in which young people tend to have low educational aspirations could help target support more effectively. There are clusters of neighbourhoods where attainment is lower than expected; this is visible in East Anglia and the West Country. These areas share some of the characteristics of communities with an ‘aspirations gap.’ Many are rural areas with close knit social networks, stable populations and poor transport links. The geographical spread of the three types of neighbourhood with the lowest educational aspirations, ‘low horizons’, ‘families on benefits’ and ‘ex-industrial legacy’ is shown below left. The map on the right depicts the 40% most deprived neighbourhoods (Lower Super Output Areas) in which young people achieve significantly lower at Key Stage Four than would be expected given their level of area deprivation. A range of factors influence young people’s educational attainment. However, we can see a clear pattern between the types of neighbourhood in which young people have low aspirations and those in which they under achieve.

7. Participation in Higher Education (Hefce 2005)

8. IMD 2007 for SOAs in Newcastle

9. The colourful Tyne! ONS Output Area classification, 2001

11. Beyond UpMyStreet: Just facts? Acorn geodemographic profile of “NE6 5JA”

12. Does your postcode “define” who you are?

14. Critical perspectives: Neighbourhoods on the net? Examines the increasing use and sophistication of internet-based neighbourhood information systems (IBNIS) and considers their potential impact on how places are viewed. “How a neighbourhood is viewed can affect the lives of those who live there and the attitudes and behaviour of others towards them.” Burrows, Ellison & Woods, 2005

15. Can we improve area profiling? Context (i.e. area effects) matters, but… …we need more than “UpMyStreet”  Move away from bland “descriptors”  Combine datasets and variables  User-defined geographies  Beyond the “local trap”?

16. Beyond the “local trap” The complexity of daily lives After: Kwan, Mei-Po and Ding, Guoxiang(2008) 'Geo-Narrative: Extending Geographic Information Systems for Narrative Analysis in Qualitative and Mixed-Method Research', The Professional Geographer 60 p.454

17. Home Midnight 23:00 22:00 21:00 20:00 19:00 18:00 17:00 16:00 15:00 14:00 13:00 Noon 11:00 10:00 09:00 08:00 07:00 06:00 05:00 04:00 03:00 02:00 01:00 Midnight Mrs Tango School Home SchoolPart-time activity Mrs WelshMr Welsh Workplace Beyond the “local trap” Space-Time Geography?

18. After: Kwan, Mei-Po and Ding, Guoxiang(2008) 'Geo-Narrative: Extending Geographic Information Systems for Narrative Analysis in Qualitative and Mixed-Method Research', The Professional Geographer 60 p.455

19. Home to School: Actual (blue) and Optimal (red)

20. Why do we need area profiling? Because “contextual effects” matter Because we cannot afford not to profile:  Assessing impact of interventions  Ensuring “spatial representation”  Reaching all sections of society

21. Seraphim Alvanides Social Geography, Daysh Building s.alvanides@newcastle.ac.uk Thank you School of Geography, Politics and Sociology