• Overview

Community mapping and the use of Geographic Information Systems are increasingly popular and influential tools in promoting equitable development.  This overview describes how community mapping efforts are being deployed across the country.  It guides readers to the nation's leading resources, and to the most innovative usages of these new technologies.

This paper is the first in a series adapted from the Equitable Development Toolkit.  The Toolkit features successful policies and strategies from communities around the country.  With these tools community builders can:

• Ensure that new investments benefit current residents, businesses, and cultural institutions;
• Link inner-city residents to regional economic opportunities;
• Increase the supply of new and renovated affordable housing for buyers and renters;
• Directly address gentrification to avoid the displacement of residents; and
• Foster the participation of low-income and communities of color in local and regional planning decisions.

Click on the link below to read the report.
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - available free at http://www.adobe.com )

Full Report (55 Pages - 10.7mb ... download time approx. 3 min. over 56k connection)