Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2007-2008

Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification Guidance

Downloads available:

• 2007-2008 Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification boundaries (6 and 8 fold shapefiles)
• UR Postcode index - the look-up file which shows the geographic relationship between postcodes and the urban rural classification.
• UR Census output area index - the look-up shows the relationship between 2001 census output areas and the urban rural classification.
• UR Data zone index - the look-up shows the relationship between data zones and the urban rural classification.
• Population spreadsheet - spreadsheet contains the population of each GROS Settlement.
• Names and Codes - standard names and codes for geographies.

(A) SG urban rural classification boundaries (SGUR_2007_2008_HWM_6FOLD.shp & SGUR_2007_2008_HWM_8FOLD.shp)

Boundaries are supplied in ESRI shapefile format. Details of the process for producing the classification are included in Annex A.

(B) UR Post Code Index (SGUR_2007_2008_LookUp_PC2008r1.txt)

The SG urban rural classification index shows the geographic relationship between postcodes and the SG urban rural classification. The postcode Index is created by appending the attributes of (i) the SG urban rural classification 2007-2008 to (ii) the 2008r1 GROS postcode Index.

Fields in the index

POSTCODE Current and deleted small and large user postcode units

INT_DATE Date postcode came into use

DEL_DATE Date postcode removed from use

UR6FOLD 6-Fold Urban Rural Classification

UR8FOLD 8-Fold Urban Rural Classification

TYPE Whether the postcode is a larger user and if it is split

Current and deleted postcodes

The SG urban rural classification index includes both current and deleted postcodes to allow deleted postcodes to be classified and used in any subsequent analysis.

Large user postcodes

Large user postcodes are those postcodes that receive more than 50 mail items per day. The SG urban rural classification index includes large users postcodes and these are identified through the large user identifier field (Type). The following codes are used in the Type field:

0 = Small user postcode
A = Split small user postcode
L = Large user postcode matched with small user postcode - no split area
Z = Large user postcode matched with a split small user postcode

Split postcodes

A split postcode occurs when a postcode straddles 2 or more Local Authority boundaries, or when a postcode straddles the Scottish/English border or where an island and the mainland or another island share a postcode. The most populous part is identified by suffix A and the smaller parts by suffixes B, C etc. Split postcodes have been stripped out of the SG urban rural classification index and only the largest part (in terms of households) is included in the index.

(C) UR Output Area Index (SGUR_2007_2008_LookUp_OA2001.txt)

Output Area Index shows the relationship between the 2001 census output areas and the SG urban rural classification. The Output Area Index is created by appending the attributes of (i) the SG urban rural classification 2007-2008 to (ii) the 2001 Output Area population weighted centroids supplied by GROS.

Fields in the index

Output Area	Output area code
6Fold	6-fold Urban Rural Classification
8Fold	8-fold Urban Rural Classification

(D) UR Data zone Index (SGUR_2007_2008_LookUp_DZ2001.txt)

The data zone index shows the relationship between data zones and the SG urban rural classification. As some data zones straddle the urban rural classification only the 6-fold classification has been added to data zones. Each data zone has been assigned to the category of the classification upon the location of it's population weighted centroid.

Fields in the index

Data zone	Data zone code
6Fold	6-fold Urban Rural Classification
2Fold	2 Fold Urban Rural Classification

The 2-fold classification simply differentiates between urban and rural areas. For the 6-fold classification those with a value 1 - 4 are classed as Urban and those with a value 5 - 6 are classed as Rural.

(E) Population (SGUR_2007_2008_Settlements.xls)

This spreadsheet contains the population of each of the GROS Settlements and their 6 and 8-fold classification.

(F) Names and Codes (StandardNamesAndCodes.xls)

Standard names and codes to be used for Local Authorities, Health Boards, Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies and Settlements.