Mapping the whole of Southwark

[pros]

Some of you may be aware that, for a while now, we've been trying to get the data for all properties in Southwark, to help local residents and community groups get a better understanding of planning and related issues. We now have the full inventory and will need your help to make sure the data is as accurate and up-to-date as possible.

Please have a read and let us know what you think

http://www.peoplesrepublicofsouthwark.co.uk/hold-news/news/2542-imagining-all-of-southwark

[the-e-dealer]

Isn't this just the Census?

[pros]

hi, no, census counts people in all our shapes and sizes. what we've got is everything else (buildings and some land)

back in 2010, a group of us got together to get our heads round the core strategy, to try and read the document, collectively, work on our own comments and prepare for the examination in public where the govt's planning inspector goes through everything with a very fine comb. the group continues to operate as 'southwark planning network', a loose network of local residents and community groups who have an interest in planning, mainly strategic. one of the ongoing issues has been lack of data, which in turn made it very difficult for people to be able to meaningfully respond to strategic and other planning issues. street-by-street level of detail makes it easier to 'connect' to planning if you like, as planning is about so much more than shape/size of buildings, it's about the length of time you may need to get to your local gp or kids' school, it's about finding the space to create alternatives/improve your area (through reclaiming amenity spaces for safe play for children or for communal fruit & veg growing etc)

in an ideal world (and we will see if this is possible) we would be able to match the 'property' street-by-street data against the street-by-street census stuff (the census data does not got beyond ward level) - we've played around with the london-level census data when they released it earlier this year & things are quite interesting when you look at age groups for example). this would also show the density and any trends/changes over time etc.