Using composite indicators and city dashboards to promote place-based policy interventions
Patrick Ballantyne; Alex Singleton (2024). Cities, 154, 105329. DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2024.105329
Abstract
Spatial inequality is a common urban phenomena in cities around the world, where stark contrasts in a variety of different social and economic outcomes paint a vivid picture of compound inequalities. Tackling these influences from a policy perspective remains challenging, as political economies often span multiple actors and municipal bodies, lacking effective policy instruments to challenge multiple forms of inequality at once. This paper provides a new data-driven perspective, which seeks to improve how policy is developed when trying to mitigate the impacts of compound inequality. Utilising a place-based approach, we present an evidence base which has been co-produced with policymakers, comprising composite spatial indicators and a city dashboard for Liverpool City Region. The assembled evidence base highlights clear patterns of compound inequality across the region, identifying places in greatest need of support. In the paper we discuss how this evidence base is now being used to distribute investment from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, generating positive outcomes for people and places across the region. Finally, we conclude by reflecting on the benefits of building collaborative relationships between academics and policymakers, and the utility of our approach, which uses urban indicators and city dashboards, which we argue can secure a more equitable future for cities globally.
Extended Summary
This research investigates how composite indicators and city dashboards can be used to develop place-based policy interventions to address compound inequality in Liverpool City Region. The study emerged from a collaboration between academic researchers and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) to create an evidence base for targeting investment from the £710 million City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS). The research employed a five-part co-production process involving regular dialogue between academics and policymakers. This included consultation phases to design a conceptual framework, prototyping sessions, and workshops to establish domains where policymakers have strategic powers. Four key domains were identified: transport accessibility, economic development, housing opportunities, and deprivation/socioeconomic status. Data was collected from multiple sources including transport APIs, census data, business registers, and datasets provided by LCRCA. Individual indicators were developed for each domain at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level, which were then combined into domain-level indices using linear normalisation. The analysis revealed clear patterns of compound inequality across Liverpool City Region. Areas experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage included parts of Knowsley, St Helens, west Wirral, Speke, and North Liverpool. Transport accessibility was particularly poor in outer areas, whilst deprivation concentrated in inner city neighbourhoods. Economic opportunities clustered along the waterfront, with future housing developments planned in areas lacking transport infrastructure. A final ‘Intervention Index’ was created by weighting and combining the four domain indices, with transport receiving 40% weighting reflecting CRSTS priorities. This index identified priority areas for intervention across the entire city region. The research developed an interactive city dashboard to present the indicators and facilitate policymaker engagement. Workshops enabled policymakers to manually identify areas of concern, building trust and ownership in the evidence base. The dashboard used decile classifications and modified LSOA boundaries to improve visualisation and interpretation. The evidence base is now being used to allocate CRSTS investment, with Local Authorities required to align project proposals with identified priority areas. This represents a significant shift towards evidence-based policymaking in the region. The collaborative approach enabled the creation of bespoke indicators tailored to LCRCA’s strategic remits whilst maintaining empirical rigour. The research demonstrates that composite indicators and city dashboards can effectively support place-based policy interventions when co-designed with stakeholders, providing a replicable framework for addressing urban inequalities globally.
Key Findings
- Compound inequality exists across Liverpool City Region, with multiple disadvantages intersecting spatially in specific neighbourhoods
- Co-production with policymakers enabled development of actionable indicators tailored to devolved authority powers and priorities
- Interactive city dashboard successfully facilitated policymaker engagement and built trust in evidence-based decision making processes
- Evidence base is now being used to allocate £710 million transport investment to priority areas identified through spatial analysis
- Place-based approach combining composite indicators with stakeholder collaboration provides replicable framework for addressing urban inequalities
Citation
@article{ballantyne2024using,
author = {Patrick Ballantyne; Alex Singleton},
title = {Using composite indicators and city dashboards to promote place-based policy interventions},
journal = {Cities},
year = {2024},
volume = {154},
pages = {105329},
doi = {10.1016/j.cities.2024.105329}
}