topic How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area? in Spatial Statistics Questions

How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

ParisaBozorgi2 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 03:01:07 GMT

I am just curious that how I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area? Because census block is identified by the US Census Bureau as belonging to an urbanized area (multiple census blocks with combined populations ≥50,000), urban cluster (multiple census blocks with combined populations of 2,500–49,999), or rural area (all remaining census blocks). I actually couldn't find any classification based on Block Group. It would be so helpful if you help how I can generate UA/ UC boundary for Block Group.

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

AdrianWelsh — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 03:58:25 GMT

Hi Parisa,

What software are you using? (Like ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, or ArcGIS Online)?

I guess I am not fully understanding what you are trying to do. Do the census blocks have attributes that indicate the data you are looking for? Or is it missing these attributes?

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

BrianHovis — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 09:07:42 GMT

Hi, perhaps you have downloaded the boundary shapefile from TIGER/Line shapefiles without demographic information joined. TIGER does have some economic and demographic tables pre-joined to the boundary shapefiles (see below.) I believe population is a common pre-joined attribute. For most data, you join tables to the boundary shapefile in ArcGIS Map or ARCGis Pro. Join on the GEOID field as I recall.

Afterwards, you could select based on the population attribute for any block over 50,000 people and then create a separate shapefile.

Best of luck.

TIGER/Line® with Selected Demographic and Economic Data - Geography - U.S. Census Bureau

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

ParisaBozorgi2 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 14:52:09 GMT

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your reply! I have downloaded Block Group Population 2015 and shapefiles from the IPUMS and am going to define Urbanized Area/ Urban Cluster based on Block Group Population 2015. The Census Bureau Classifies based on 2010 census Block. As you can see in the image a single Block Group (Black Boundary) Contains both Urban blocks (Yellow) and Rural Blocks (Green). So I am looking for a way to classify a single Block Group as Urban or Rural.

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

ParisaBozorgi2 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 14:55:18 GMT

Hi Adrian,

I am using ArcMap 10.4. I attached an image below and hope it explains what I am looking for better.

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

AdrianWelsh — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 21:05:50 GMT

Parisa,

If you are looking at how the blocks were classified, you can right click on the layer, go to Properties, and then click on the Symbology tab to see how the classification was set up.

If your 2015 block groups have attribute data that define urban and rural, then you can sometimes just Import that symbology from the 2010 block groups or you can symbolize them yourself through the same symbology tab.

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

ParisaBozorgi2 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 21:52:08 GMT

Adrian,

The problem is that there is no urban/ rural lable for block group. I am not sure that it is possible to define urban/rural areas at block group level or not.

Re: How I can classify Block Group into the urbanized/urban cluster area?

BrianHovis — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 09:30:15 GMT

Thanks, I think I see the problem now. It seems that you have two different shapefiles (Census Block and Urban/Rural.) The geographical boundaries for the block and U/R areas are not the same. I assume you want to find out how whether Census Blocks with populations of 50,000 are all urban or some similar geoinquiry. This is a subject about which I am beginning to learn, but am not fully knowledgeable.

In the Spatial Analysis MOOC, the instructors introduced the concept of MAUP error. It kind of means that you need to be careful when analyzing geographical areas that have dissimilar boundaries. In the MOOC, the instructors taught us a little about using the weighting tools to overcome potential MAUP error. I am incompetent to be able to give you much advice here except maybe to look in Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR)—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop, and depending on how you have tagged this Geonet question, you might tag some other forums like Spatial Analysis to see if they will offer help. Sorry, if I have misunderstood your question.

And I hope you solve your geoinquiry.