Bristol lies at the intersection of the M4 and M5 national motorways. It is a relatively prosperous city in UK terms which lies at the end of the high tech M4 corridor which stretches west from London. It has excellent road and rail communications.

There has been considerable growth to the north and east in recent years with warehousing, office and retailing being located at the around the M4 and M5 interchanges. Bristol acts as the gateway to Wales across the Severn Estuary. Suburban growth is typical of southern Britain with small single family homes dominating. Large houses on big land parcels are the exception rather than the rule and the nature of sprawl is compact. There is little concern within the region for problems of sprawl although there is concern about mobility and sustainability as car ownership rates have continued to raise and congestion has become a permanent feature of the metropolitan area.

We deal with population and employment analysis over the last 30 years next.