Data Sources

Spaces for drama, dance or musical theatre.

The dataset contains a list of drama and dance theatres across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates

Drama and dance theatres are the spaces in which drama, dance or musical theatre performances occur

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces where artists perform music to an audience, which is usually seated.

The dataset contains a list of concert halls across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Concert halls are the spaces serving as music performance venue, where the audience is usually seated.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces where the main purpose is for musicians (including DJs) to provide music for audiences to watch or dance to. Also includes venues where artists perform in advertised events but it’s not the main purpose of the venue – for example, a singer in a restaurant.

The dataset contains a list of live music venues across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

How data was compiled: Birmingham Live Music Project Programme

Credit for use: Birmingham Live Music Project Map

Data compiled June 2020

Flexible spaces for large cultural and popular events.

The dataset contains a list of large entertainment venues across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Large entertainment venues are large flexible spaces which can host large cultural and popular events and can accommodate many visitors.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces where artists perform or display different art forms.

The dataset contains a list of multi-purpose and arts centres across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Multi-purpose & arts centres are the spaces which often hosts multiple performance and exhibition spaces, exhibiting, generating and making accessible multiple art forms.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA.

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces that display items of artistic, cultural, historical or scientific interest.

The dataset contains a list of museums and galleries across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Museums & galleries are the spaces suitable and primarily used for public exhibition of artifacts and objects of artistic, cultural, historical or scientific interest.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces that show films on fixed screens.

The dataset contains a list of cinemas across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Cinemas are the spaces hosting one or more fixed screen, primarily used for public screening of films.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces that host cultural activities and other community events.

The dataset contains a list of community-focused spaces across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Community-focused spaces are the spaces that enable participation in culture alongside other community functions. This category includes some village halls and community centres.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces for creative or community organisations to host a variety of interactive events.

The dataset contains a list of creative-led hubs across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Creative-led hubs are multi-purpose spaces that are led and curated by artistic, creative or community organisations. They constitute the infrastructure that underpins both the self-directed and interactive participation of professionals or individuals in culture or creative practice across the range of creative disciplines.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Public and community-based spaces where people can access or borrow books, music, and artistic and other reference materials.

The dataset contains a list of libraries and archives across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Libraries & archives are the spaces in which literary, musical, artistic or reference materials are kept for use but not for sale. The list includes public as well as community-based libraries.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces with specialist facilities for visual artists and craft practitioners.

The dataset contains a list of artist’s studios across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Artist’s studios are the workspaces tailored specifically to the needs of visual arts and crafts practitioners.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces for makers and artists to use technical equipment like large, heavy, dangerous or expensive machinery.

The dataset contains a list of makerspaces across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Makerspaces are the workspaces which provide technical facilities, including large, heavy, dangerous or expensive machinery for collective use by makers and artists.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces for creative individuals or businesses that need specific environments.

The dataset contains a list of workspaces with creative facilities across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Workspaces with creative facilities are the spaces catering for individuals or businesses with specific spatial or locational requirements that go beyond the offer of a traditional office workspace, including in the media or design professions.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

(Incubators, Accelerators, Co-working spaces)

Spaces where individual creative professionals, start-ups and creative SMEs can get flexible desk space and other business support services.

The dataset contains a list of creative incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Creative IACs are the workspaces providing flexible desk space and other business support services to individual creative professionals, start-ups, and creative SMEs.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces where performing arts or creative professionals use specialist facilities to rehearse or produce their art.

The dataset contains a list of specialist production and rehearsal facilities across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Specialist production & rehearsal facilities are the spaces used for production purposes by performing arts or creative professionals, including dedicated rehearsal, recording or photography studios.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Places with environmental, historic or aesthetic value that people visit.

The dataset contains a list of heritage and environmental attractions across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Heritage & environmental attractions are the places which are a common tourist or visitor destinations due to their environmental, historic or aesthetic value.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Spaces regularly used for large outdoor events.

The dataset contains a list of outdoor event spaces across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Outdoor event spaces are the large outdoor spaces regularly used for events and festivals.

How data was compiled: WMCA commissioned research. Led by We Made That and Hatch Regeneris.

Credit for use: WMCA

Data compiled March 2021

Listed buildings on Historic England’s ‘National Heritage List for England’.

The dataset contains a list of Listed buildings across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Listed buildings form part of the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) maintained by Historic England.

How data was compiled: Historic England.

Credit for use: Historic England

Data updated March 2021

Places listed on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk Register’.

The dataset contains a list of heritage at risk across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

The Heritage at Risk Register is published annually by Historic England.

How data was compiled: Historic England data.

Credit for use: Historic England

Data updated March 2021

Scheduled monuments on Historic England’s ‘National Heritage List for England’.

The dataset contains a list of Scheduled monuments across the 19 local authorities that make up the wider West Midlands Combined Authority area, with additional information including spatial coordinates.

Scheduled monuments form part of the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) maintained by Historic England.

How data was compiled: Historic England data.

Credit for use: Historic England

Data updated March 2021

This information has been provided by the WMCA Office for Data Analytics and includes data held by the WMCA as well as some external sources. External data sources include:

• Population data from Annual Small Area Population Estimates, Office of National Statistics (ONS). This data was released on 9 September 2020
• The Indices of Multiple Deprivation data is from English Indices of Deprivation 2019, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
• Data on ethnicity is based on the 2011 census data by Office of National Statistics (ONS)

Credit for use: Office of National Statistics, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

Data compiled September 2020

The dataset is based on the Active Lives data collected in 2015 – 2017. For more information about Active Lives Survey, please visit the Arts Council England website.

The data on the infrastructure map includes two Active Lives Survey categories:

1. Attended an arts event OR spent time doing an arts activity
2. Attended an arts event OR museum or gallery OR spent time doing an arts activity

The data is only available at local authority level. On the map, the data is presented in the form of ‘buttons’ that indicate the level of engagement within each West Midlands local authority, when compared with other areas in England. For this purpose, the WMCA Office for Data Analytics analysed the data in England to divide into four categories:

• Low levels of engagement – within the lowest quartile in England (e.g. 0 – 25%)
• Medium low levels of engagement – within the medium low quartile in England
• Medium high levels of engagement – within the medium high quartile in England
• High levels of engagement – within highest quartile in England

Based on the results, each West Midlands local authority was then allocated a category.

We have also provided each West Midlands local authority a ranking based on how they compare within the 326 local authorities in England. We used low engagement as the determinant for a higher ranking. For example, if the local authority ranking is two (2), this means the local authority is the second lowest for cultural engagement in England for the selected Active Lives category.

Credit for use: Sport England, WMCA (quartile analysis)

Data analysed May 2021

The West Midlands Cultural Engagement Score was created by Baker Richards and Indigo in 2021 based on the relative engagement with cultural organisations within the region. The score is available at MSOA level and is only available for the West Midlands. The measure has been derived by analysing multiple sources of cultural engagement to identify key demographic predictors and indexing the results to show the most engaged MSOA at 100 and the least engaged at 1.

Credit for use: Indigo-Ltd and Baker Richards
Data compiled May 2021

All transport related data such a railway stations, railway lines, bus stops, bus lines, cycling hire and cycling routes has been provided by Transport for West Midlands.

Credit for use: Transport for West Midlands

Data compiled March 2021