Map of the West Midlands conurbation in 2011, with Travel to Work Areas overlaid. The five most populous are highlighted with Birmingham and Wolverhampton sub-divisions in orange and the Dudley, Walsall and Solihull sub-divisions in green.
With the West Midlands also being a region and county, the conurbation is sometimes known as Birmingham-Wolverhampton.[2][3][4][5][6] though it is the term Birmingham & The Black Country that has gained the widest traction as an alternative to the conurbation's official name: an example of this is the tagline used by BBC Radio WM - "The sound of Birmingham & The Black Country".[7][8]
Constituent parts
The West Midlands Urban Area as at the 2001 Census
Although the exact boundaries of any conurbation are open to debate, dependent on what criteria are used to determine where an urban area ceases, the Office for National Statistics defines the West Midlands Built Up Area as including the urban areas of Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Solihull, West Bromwich, Dudley, and Walsall amongst others. These settlements are not coterminous with the Metropolitan Boroughs of the same name.[citation needed]
Coventry is separated from the West Midlands conurbation by the Meriden Gap, and other urban areas, such as Cannock and Codsall remain separate from the conurbation. Coventry is 19 miles east of Birmingham.
Two Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) cover the majority of the conurbation area: Black Country LEP comprises the local authorities of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton while the Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP includes those two authorities and a number of satellite boroughs, many remote from the conurbation and not traditionally associated with it (Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Tamworth and Wyre Forest).
Settlements
2011 Census
The West Midlands Built Up Area consists of the below subdivisions. Due to the change in methodology between the 2001 and 2011 Census, and the amount of change between 2011 Census and previous census data, it is impossible to compare the data directly between 2011 and earlier Censuses.
Wednesbury and Tipton removed from 2001. Town split in two by Sandwell Valley and the two parts are now considered separately. The four BUASDs combined total 153,366. Gained Yew Tree from 2001.
In the 2011 Census, Coleshill and Water Orton are two separate built-up areas with populations of 6,341 and 3,444 respectively. Prior to 2011, they were considered part of the West Midlands Urban Area.
Prior censuses
Prior to the 2011 census, the conurbation was known by the ONS as the West Midlands Urban Area, which contained the following Urban Sub-Divisions:
Knowle and Bentley Heath are considered as one settlement in 2001, but are considered separately in 1991 and 1981. Bentley Heath was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981.
Coleshill and Water Orton were not considered to be part of the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981, but a separate Coleshill/Water Orton Urban Area with a total population of 9,554; made up of Coleshill (6,113) and Water Orton (3,441).
Yew Tree is only considered part of the West Midlands Urban Area in the 2001 census.
Cheswick Green was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981.
Shelly Green was not considered to be a settlement within the West Midlands Urban Area in 1981 or 1991.
^Wise, M.J. (1972), "The Birmingham-Black Country Conurbation in its Regional Setting", Geography Vol 57, number 2, vol. 57, Geographical Association, pp. 89–104, JSTOR40568059
^"1981 Key Statistics for Urban Areas: The Midlands Table 1". Office for National Statistics. 1981. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
External links
Office for National Statistics (2004), Key Statistics for urban areas in the Midlands(PDF), London: TSO Laid before Parliament pursuant to Section 4(1) Census Act 1920 Census 2001, retrieved 10 April 2013