Using Data Mapping to Plan for Opportunity in Five US Cities

A report by NCSG faculty entitled “Equity, Opportunity and the Regional Planning Process: Data and Mapping in Five U.S. Metropolitan Areas” was recently released by NCSG and Enterprise. The authors make the case that data mapping can be used as a tool to stimulate meaningful conversations about opportunity and equity within a region. This report was created through interviews with key stakeholders in the regions studied. It offers key takeaways for community organizers, activists, planners, and policy makers who want to use publicly-available data to spread opportunity in their own regions.

All authors are affiliated with the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) at the University of Maryland, College Park. They include: Nicholas Finio, a Ph.D. candidate; Willow Lung-Amam, an assistant professor; Gerrit Knaap, a professor of Urban Studies and Planning and director of NCSG; Casey Dawkins, a professor and the director of Urban Studies and Planning; and Brittany Wong, a Ph.D. student.