Assessing Neighbourhood Deprivation: Understanding Local Spatial Context

This thesis uses a spatial analytical approach to explore the impact of neighbourhood spatial context on the measurement of deprivation. Using different conceptualisations to define neighbourhood spatial context, modified versions of the 2015 English Index of Multiple Deprivation were produced to examine the effect of differences in neighbourhood spatial structure, spatial scale and spatial relations on the indices.
The findings of the research show that experiences of deprivation in an area can be influenced by the spatial context of the neighbourhood. Accounting for neighbourhood spatial context within the measurement of deprivation significantly altered the IMD2015 rankings and decile classifications. The research also demonstrates that incorporating neighbourhood spatial attributes in assessing relative deprivation can highlight areas that are deprived in terms of both within neighbourhood socioeconomic characteristics and the characteristics of the wider local environment that forms part of its spatial opportunity structure.