An Assessment of the Potential of the TWINSPAN Program of Multi-variate Analysis to Contribute to the Classification and Management of Village Landscapes,with Reference to Historical Features

The potential of Village Design Statements and other initiatives to achieve their stated objectives without a comparison between several villages is questioned. The basic premise is, therefore, that local decision making should be informed by analyses which show which features are common and which are confined to particular areas. The TWINSPAN (two-way in dicator species analysis) program is used to identify a number of village types within part of north-west England and these classes are shown to have historical and environmental meaning. It is, however, recognized that such analyses do not assign value, that such a step remains for the local community or the professional.