OS Open Built Up Areas

Statistical analysis underpinning delivery of government policy

Built Up Areas are used to analyse census data to understand their characteristics and output a range of statistics, informing government policy.

GSS codes deliver value across government departments

GSS codes enable you to link statistics across government departments to Built Up Areas, improving consistency and accuracy for decision making and planning.

Monitoring change over time

Monitor your data related to Built Up Areas over time to improve your understanding of economic, social and environmental factors. You can also track changes or policy delivery to improve your planning and services.

Unique and interoperable

Built Up Areas contains three unique datasets, each linked using the GSS code and name, offering maximum flexibility to meet your needs.

Informative

Built Up Areas allow policy makers and analysts, both nationally and locally, to conduct analysis corresponding to actual urban extents such as those of towns, cities and villages. They allow economic, social and environmental issues to be understood on the basis of the actual settlements that most people in Great Britain live in and in doing so aide in the design and implementation of policy areas such as levelling-up and net-zero.

Accessible

The product is available from the OS Data Hub, meaning that it's available to anyone interested in Built Up Areas, maximising accessibility and delivering huge value. The data will be maintained and updated every two years and you can link your data using the GSS codes which are recognised and widely used across government.