The Classification of Multidimensional Open Data of Urban Morphology (MODUM) is a national classification for England and Wales at the Output Area level (2011 Census Geography). It describes the typology of neighbourhoods based on a number of built environment and urban morphology attributes, such as street & railway network, green spaces, retail access and historic buildings, calculated from open data sources.

Content

The data is available for download from the bottom of this page. The clustering methodology is Self-Organising Maps (SOM). Additional information about the cluster profiles is available for download below, as well as in the open access academic paper linked below. For detailed descriptions of the columns contained within the data, see the Variable Dictionary; and for an overview of the characteristics of the data, see the Data Summary. These files can also be downloaded from the bottom of this page.

Quality, Representation and Bias

Full details of the quality, representation and bias can be found in the publication accompanying this data product. The methodology effectively integrates built environment and socioeconomic data into a multidimensional classification system. However, representation and data issues—such as the constraints of spatial units, open data limitations, and methodological sensitivity—highlight the importance of careful variable selection, aggregation practices, and validation processes.

The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2015. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from https://www.historicengland.org.uk/.