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Community Mapping in Environmental Justice Initiatives

Discover the power of community mapping for environmental justice! Learn how to collect data, set priorities, and empower communities using varying scales of technology and sophistication. Examples from Port Arthur and Houston included.

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Community Mapping in Environmental Justice Initiatives

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  1. Community Mapping in Environmental Justice Communities: From Paper to the Web John Prochaska UTMB Center to Eliminate Health Disparities Galveston, Texas

  2. Community Mapping Overview • Purpose • Information & Evidence Collection • Informed Priority Setting • Advocacy • Community Empowerment

  3. Approaches • Varying scales of sophistication and technology • Sketches • Pre-developed paper maps, markers & stickers • Online freeware • Full-blown GIS development

  4. Examples

  5. Port Arthur Work • Developed Maps on • Assets/Strengths • Threats • History • Goals / Future

  6. Group Activity • Manchester or Galena Park, Houston, Texas • Laredo Port of Entry • Port of Brownsville • Dona Park, Corpus Christi

  7. Overall Process • Find a common landmark or three • Orient everyone to the map • Look first for positives • Places to eat - E • Places to worship/gather - T • Places to play - P • Places to learn - L • Places to heal – H • Places to earn – M • Keep tract of the labels in a legend • Look for threats • Environment • Air / Soil / Water - A • Noise & Vibration - N • Injury - I • Social Threats • Known areas of drug or other illegal activity - D • Areas of concentrated violence – V • Think broad to capture as much information as possible

  8. Final Maps • What did this map look like in the past? • What should this area look like? • What should be here? • What shouldn’t be here? • 3-4 maps total coming out of the process

  9. Now What? • Helps to plan a common vision • Set goals for concrete next steps • Provides a visual that can be interpreted by most policy makers and potential partners • Can be edited as plans & activities progress

  10. Where can I get a large map? • Local city planning department • Central appraisal district • Area Council of Governments (COG) • Housing Authority • County Road/Bridge Department • Others (think about who uses maps) • May only provide a .pdf • Can cost about $80 to print at Kinkos

  11. How to do it - Web • Google Maps: maps.google.com • Batchgeo: www.batchgeo.com • GPS visualizer: www.gpsvisualizer.com/draw • Great for combining multiple maps • Even iPhone and Android apps can do mapping • Many are free

  12. Lessons Learned on Our End • Must be a community-engaged process • Local knowledge essential for data collection, interpretation, and movement towards action • They will be the ones using it for their community’s benefit! • Have some structure, but realize this is a free-flowing process • Reimburse participants for their time, if possible • Intensive process • Requires time/energy

  13. Us Moving Forward • Advocacy • Using data collected to create change in Port Arthur • Technology • Wii-Table • Broadening Scope of Services offered • Training & Dissemination of Methods

  14. Questions?

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