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44 Clearinghouse Rev. 184 (2010-2011)
Poverty's Place Revisited: Mapping for Justice and Democratizing Data to Combat Poverty

handle is hein.journals/clear44 and id is 188 raw text is: Mapping for Justice n Democratiin DatomtP e I By Maya Roy and Jason Reece Maya Roy Staff Attorney, The Race Equity Project Legal Services of Northern California 515 12th St. Sacramento, CA 95820 916.551.2150 mroy@lsnc.net Jason Reece Senior Researcher Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity Ohio State University 33 West 11th Ave. Room 204 Columbus, OH 43210 614.292.7011 reece.35@osu.edu overty and geography are intricately intertwined for many of our most vulnera- ble and marginalized populations. Communities and neighborhoods represent complex systems: housing, schools, businesses, transportation networks, the environment, and social relationships all working together, intersecting, interacting, and reinforcing each other. These systems can be positive or detrimental depend- ing on their characteristics and can create direct pathways to opportunity for some and obstacles for others. Mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) have proven to be important analytical and communications tools to understand the spa- tial and intersectional dimensions of poverty. Mapping provides the key to unlocking complex systems, helping us understand the barriers impeding community health and stability and diagnose solutions. We explored this topic in Poverty's Place, published last year by CLEARINGHOUSE RE- VIEW.' Here we look at the growth of mapping technology and its application in fight- ing poverty. We explore lessons learned in applying mapping to advocacy through case studies. We also explore the latest movement in the field, the democratization of data through online interactive mapping platforms, a technological innovation that closes the cost and technology gap in bringing mapping to the masses and empower- ing community advocates. I. Mapping Opportunity to Assist Legal Advocacy and Social Justice in Connecticut and Massachusetts Two recently completed opportunity mapping initiatives in Massachusetts and Con- necticut exemplify many of our lessons learned in using mapping to fight poverty. Opportunity mapping creates composite index maps based on numerous neighbor- hood indicators of community opportunity and vitality. Opportunity maps have been utilized in policy advocacy, litigation, applied research, community organizing, co- alition building and to inform service delivery. In oo8 the Kirwan Institute worked with the statewide legal advocacy and support center, Massachusetts Law Reform In- stitute, to complete a statewide opportunity mapping initiative for Massachusetts.2 In oo9 Kirwan completed a similar assessment for Connecticut with the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, a statewide nonprofit fair housing organization. 'See Jason Reece & Eric Schultheis, Poverty's Place: The Use of Geographic Information Systems in Poverty Advocacy, 42 CLEARINGHOUSE REVIEW 430 (Jan.-Feb. 2009). 20pportunity mapping creates an analytical framework to measure opportunity comprehensively and assess factors limiting opportunity in a community. Such mapping requires selecting variables that are indicative of high and low opportunity. E.g., high-opportunity indicators are the availability of sustainable employment, high-performing schools, a safe environment, access to high-quality health care, adequate transportation, quality child care, and safe neighborhoods. These multiple indicators of opportunity are assessed in a comprehensive manner at the same geographic scale, thus producing a comprehensive opportunity map for the region or state or both (see Jason Reece & Samir Gambhir, The Geography of Opportunity: Review of Opportunity Mapping Research Initiatives (2008), http://bit.ly/9Fylht). Clearinghouse REVIEW Journal of Poverty Law and Policy m July-August 2010 184

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