London calling: This map shows how strong London’s gravitational pull is to commuters
Every Londoner worth their salt knows the capital is the economic, cultural and social centre of the universe – but it turns out its pull to commuters is stronger than you might think.
This map, by Savills residential analyst Neal Hudson, uses data from the 2011 census to show how far and in what direction people commute, with each arrow representing a local authority (LA).
Its length indicates the number of people from each local authority who commute out of the area – so the longer the arrow, the larger the number of people who commute into neighbouring districts.
The map shows London's pull stretches into the outer reaches of East Anglia, towards Birmingham and into the westcountry, said Hudson.
"The map shows the broad reach of London. You go out quite a long way – it's only once you get over towards Bristol or up towards Birmingham that the arrows start pointing in different directions. The reach of London is far greater than anywhere else."