How to identify areas of population or dwelling growth in Placemaker

Use this guide to find where population or dwelling growth is forecast, before you choose a location and build a catchment. It helps you scan broadly, spot areas worth a closer look, then analyse them in detail.

Before You Begin

• You need an active Placemaker account. See How to log in to Placemaker.
• Your subscription determines which forecast datasets you can see. See Understanding your data access in Placemaker.

Steps

1. Open the Layers panel: on the left toolbar, click the Layers icon. The panel opens on the Data tab. 
2. Theme the map by forecast change:
   • Theme: choose 'Population' for people, or 'Dwellings' for housing.
   • Sub-theme: choose 'Total'.
   • Year: choose 'Year range' and set a start and end year, for example 2026 to 2046. This shades each area by its forecast change over the period.
   • Boundary: choose a geography level, then click 'Apply'.
3. Find areas of interest: scan the map for areas with the strongest forecast change. 
4. Check what's driving housing growth: theme by 'Dwellings' then 'Net dwellings per site' to see forecast dwellings from major residential development sites. See What are Residential Development Forecasts?.
5. Build a catchment: once you've found a location worth a closer look, click 'Create catchment' (the + on the left toolbar), set a location, choose a drive time or radius, then save. See How to create a catchment in Placemaker.
6. Review the insights: open the catchment and click 'View insights' to see population size, forecast growth, age structure and dwelling trends. See How to generate insights for a catchment in Placemaker.
7. Compare locations: repeat for other areas to compare growth and demographics before you commit.

What to Expect

You'll have one or more saved catchments with population and dwelling forecast data for each area of interest. From there you can export insights for a report or move to a detailed site assessment.

Troubleshooting

• 'Net dwellings per site' isn't available: residential development data depends on your subscription. Contact your .id account manager to confirm access.
• Data isn't at the geography I need: change the Boundary in the Layers panel. See How to view population forecast data by geography in Placemaker.

Related Articles

• How to view population forecast data by geography in Placemaker
• How to create a catchment in Placemaker
• How to generate insights for a catchment in Placemaker
• What are Residential Development Forecasts?