Common communities of interest in NSW (to 2036): A cluster factor analysis of NSW – The Independent Local Government Review Panel NSW
NIEIR prepared a report that:
- identified the common communities of interest and drivers within existing local government areas and New South Wales as a whole;
- clusters of communities of interest within New South Wales that take current and future social, economic and environmental factors into account; and
- identified a range of spatial breakdowns of types of communities of interest within New South Wales.
NIEIR’s work was underpinned by a strong cross-disciplinary approach, having regard to economic, social, and environmental factors. The work also relied heavily on NIEIR’s intellectual property regarding future factors and forecasts based on underlying trends in NSW. NIEIR’s methodology incorporated innovative approaches, methods applied included principal components analysis, community structure algorithms and cluster analysis.
Benefit to client
The Panel had been tasked with developing options for boundary changes for local government in NSW, along with identifying barriers and incentives for change. The research and analysis conducted by NIEIR was to assist the Panel to develop options for new boundaries for NSW local government by identifying common and unique characteristics of places that are relevant for decisions about local service delivery, funding and governance.
