Rateable Assessment as a Data Source for Status Area Analysis: the Example of Edinburgh 1855–1962

Research has revealed spatial segregation of status groups to be characteristic feature of many urban settlements. Sjoberg has identified such areas in pre-industrial cities although many have argued that marked spatial segregation primarily occurred in post-Industrial Revolution cities. Much interest has surrounded detailed analysis of settlements, or parts thereof, within particular historical eras, e.g. Victorian studies, but the study of the status areas of a settlement over a longer time period has received less attention. This article resulted from a study of status areas in Edinburgh at three points in time: 1855, 1914 and 1962.