Over the preceding ten years, the Department for Communities and Local Government had also taken the lead in the development of much better data about small areas, and a wide range of neighbourhood indicators are available. Largely because of this work, spatial analysis is now much more common than it was, as is the recognition that it is important to know not only which actual places display certain characteristics or trajectories, but which types of places. Knowing this means that similar places can be compared against each other when performance is assessed and when decisions are being made about the need for, and likely impact of, policy interventions. 

The research investigated the current and potential uses of spatial typologies by policy analysts in DCLG and other government departments, looking at the strengths and limitation of existing commercial and public typologies. The second part of the project demonstrated the use of different techniques for the creation of typologies, such as cluster analysis, multilevel modelling and principal components analysis, by creating two policy-specific classifications. The final toolkit aimed to provide a basis for DCLG to modify existing classifications and to create novel ones to support the development, targeting and evaluation of policy.