Coastal settlement typology - Scotland 2016 - Level 1

This data layer shows the different types of coastal town on the basis of their census based socio-economic and demographic characteristics. This is based on a two-stage cluster analysis of coastal localities (defined as within 2 kilometres of the coast) with populations of greater than 1000 (for reasons of confidentiality).

The Level 1 Typology was created using data drawn from 15 variables of the demographic, socio-economic, health and mobility indicators of the 2011 Scottish Census (e.g. age, household composition, self-rated health, industry, deprivation indicator, distance to work).

This yielded five different groups:

1. Military families
2. Peripheral fishing and port towns
3. Industrial roots
4. Historic university
5. Linked later-life localities

146 of 149 identified localities are made up of the three main groups:  “Peripheral Port and Fishing Towns,” “Industrial roots,” and “Linked Later‐life localities". The two outlying groups “Military Families” and “Historic University Town” together account for the remaining three localities.

The labels given to these groups are data driven descriptions which coincide predominantly with economic narratives explaining Scotland's coastal population.  

The West Highlands, the North Coast, and Islands communities feature prominently within Peripheral Fishing and Port towns; the high concentration of Industrial Roots around the central belt; and the Linked Later‐life Localities coalesce around Scotland's four main cities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.