1. ARC – Facing Race 2010 National Conference
Chicago, IL
September 24th 2010
Presented by:
Jason Reece
Senior Researcher
Samir Gambhir
Senior GIS Associate
The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity
The Ohio State University
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2. Today’s Workshop (3 Parts)
 Introduction
 Learning from you…
 What use Mapping
 Opportunity Mapping and Advocacy
 What is it?
 What can it be used for?
 Outcomes?
 The Future – Democratizing Data
 Web Based & Interactive Opportunity Maps
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3. Introduction
More about us….
Learning from you….
Why use mapping?
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4. More about us…
 Multidisciplinary applied research
institute
 Our mission is to expand opportunity
for all, especially for our most
marginalized communities
 Founded in 2003 by john powell
(executive director)
 Opportunity Communities Program
○ Opening pathways to opportunity for
marginalized communities through
investments in people, places and
supporting linkages
○ Disrupting systems of disadvantage
○ Opportunity mapping, Regional Equity,
Neighborhood Revitalization,
Opportunity Based Housing
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5. Learning from you…
 Why are you interested in mapping?
 What do you hope to learn in this workshop?
 Have you tried using mapping in your
organizing and advocacy?
 Why did you use it?
 How was it helpful?
 What were the challenges?
 Are you interested in using mapping – but
haven’t tried it yet?
 Why not? What are the impediments & obstacles?
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6. Using Mapping For Advocacy:
Space and Regional Equity
 Why are maps particularly effective in
dealing with issues of equity?
 Regional, racial and social inequity often
manifest as spatial inequity
 Maps are naturally the best tools to display this
spatial phenomena
 Other disciplines and sectors are using
multivariate mapping to problem solve
 Private industry
 Public sector
○ NSP
○ Recent interest in mapping by HUD for supporting
sustainable communities
 See recent Urban Institute report
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7. So Why Mapping?
 Mapping visually represents
the cumulative effects of
opportunity segregation
 Also a strong analytical tool to
look at disparate impact
(especially those impacts
which are spatial and racial in
nature)
• One map may contain tens of
thousands of pieces of information
than can be understood in seconds
A good map can enable you to
tell a story or solve a problem
• Research has shown that people can
solve problems faster with map based
information, than by looking at charts,
tables or graphs

8. Think of Mapping as a Tool:
It ban be used for positive or negative purposes.
E.g. Mapping for Inequity – Redlining to support
institutionalized disinvestment
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9. Opportunity
Mapping & Advocacy
What is it?
What can it be used for?
Outcomes?
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10. Opportunity Matters: Space, Place, and Life
Outcomes
 “Opportunity” is a situation or condition that places individuals in a position
to be more likely to succeed or excel.
 Opportunity structures are critical to opening pathways to success:
 High-quality education
 Healthy and safe environment
 Stable housing
 Sustainable employment
 Political empowerment
 Outlets for wealth-building
 Positive social networks
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11. Systems Thinking: We are all situated within
“opportunity structures”
Physical
Social Cultural
Outcomes
&
Behaviors
These structures interact in ways that produce racialized outcomes for different groups, but also
in ways that influence identity
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12. Place and Opportunity Structures:
Neighborhoods & Access to Opportunity
 Five decades of research
indicate that your environment
has a profound impact on your
access to opportunity and
likelihood of success
 High poverty areas with poor
employment, underperforming
schools, distressed housing
and public health/safety risks
depress life outcomes
 A system of disadvantage
 Many manifestations
○ Urban, rural, suburban
 People of color are far more
likely to live in opportunity
deprived neighborhoods and
communities
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13. Our understanding of opportunity has shifted with
time….from a one- dimensional understanding…
• One variable can explain
why differential
outcomes.
…to a multi-dimensional understanding….
• Structural Inequality
– Example: a Bird in a cage.
Examining one bar cannot
explain why a bird cannot fly.
But multiple bars, arranged in
specific ways, reinforce each
other and trap the bird.
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14. Neighborhoods and Systemic
Disadvantage: Interactive
Source: Barbara Reskin. http://faculty.uwashington.edu/reskin/
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15. Systems are dynamic and create feedback
loops: E.g. the cycle of school segregation
School Lower Educational
Segregation Outcomes for Urban
(Economic) School Districts
Increased Flight
Neighborhood
of Affluent
(Housing)
Families from
Segregation
Urban Areas
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16. Access to Opportunity &
Marginalized Groups
Some people ride the “Up” Others have to run up
escalator to reach the “Down” escalator
opportunity to get there
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17. The Communities of Opportunity Model
and Fair Housing
 Everyone should have fair access to the
critical opportunity structures needed to
succeed in life.
 Low Opportunity neighborhoods limit the
development of human capital
 A Community of Opportunity approach
can develop pathways that result in
increased social and economic health,
benefiting everyone
 Looking at people, places and linkages
○ Linkages = building connections to areas of
opportunity
○ Example: Opportunity based fair housing
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18. Forming a New Narrative:
The Opportunity Framework
 Deliberate, coordinated, and
regional investments in people,
places, and linkages
 Two-pronged approach:
○ Targeted in-place, urban
revitalization strategies
○ Mobility-based investments
for marginalized residents to
access high opportunity
communities’
These are Not opposing strategies! A sustainable,
transformative development strategy requires both
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19. Mapping Opportunity: Why and How
 The Kirwan Institute has conducted
“opportunity mapping” for states and
metropolitan regions across the US
 Projects in at least a dozen states
○ Full State Analysis: MA, CT, OH, FL
○ Regions: Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta,
Baltimore, Washington D.C., Detroit, Austin,
Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, New
Orleans
 Why identify the “State of Opportunity”
 How are low-income groups situated in the State?
 How are racial and ethnic groups situated?
 How does housing intersect with race, class and
opportunity
 What can be done to improve the opportunity
landscape?
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20. Mapping Communities of Opportunity:
Methods and Indicators
 How do you map opportunity?
 Data representing community conditions was gathered for
neighborhood (census tracts) across the state or region
○ Data for all indicators of community conditions was aggregated
to the Census Tract level and analyzed to create a
comprehensive opportunity index for the census tracts
(neighborhoods) throughout the state or region
 The opportunity index is then mapped and census tracts are
broken into quintiles based on their opportunity score
○ Very Low, Low, Moderate, High, Very High
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21. Sample Indicators: From Recent King
County Opportunity Mapping Analysis
Education
Housing & Neighborhood
 Student poverty rates Health
 Reading/Math test scores  Home ownership rates
 Adult educational attainment  Crime incidence
 Teacher qualifications  Vacancy rates
 Graduation rate  Home value appreciation
 Neighborhood poverty rates
 Population change
ECONOMIC HEALTH  Proximity to parks/open space
 Proximity to employment  Proximity to toxic waste release sites
 Commute times
 Job growth trends
 Business start trends
 Unemployment rate All indicators grounded in social science research
 Public assistance rate literature, also indicators can be more narrowly
tailored to meet the needs of particular populations
(e.g. public housing residents).
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22. Creating the Composite Opportunity Map
Final
Education Economic Housing &
Opportunity
Opportunity Opportunity Neighborhood
Score Score
Score Score
(Map)
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23. Example of an Opportunity Map:
Detroit MI
(Dark Areas = Most Opportunity
Rich Communities)
(Light Areas = Most Opportunity
Deprived Areas)
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24. MA Legal Services and
Opportunity Communities
 Background on this project
 Originated from effort to incorporate
mapping analysis into legal services
 Partners
 Massachusetts Law Reform Institute,
MA Legal Assistance Corp (foundation)
and other Legal Services Entities
 Year long process of meeting with
stakeholders to understand mapping
needs and issues
 Training with service providers &
agencies (using mapping for
programming)
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25. Comprehensive Opportunity Map: Greater Boston
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29. Applications and Impact
 Program design and use within legal services
 New programming – proposed “Adopt A Zip Code”
program
 Use in exploring client concerns/challenges
 State level program design (public sector)
 New $5 million state affordable housing program,
targeted to high opportunity communities (see press
release)
 Targeting of $21 million in NSP funds to low opportunity
communities by the MA Department of Housing and
Community Development
 Implementation still unfolding
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31. Other Project Impacts: CT
 Connecticut
 “The mapping is guiding our next round of
fair housing testing…our mapping report has
been identified by the CT Department of
Economic and Community Development as
one of the three central principles that will
guide its planning over the next five years.”
○ Erin Boggs, CT Fair Housing Center
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32. Other Projects Impacts &
Activities
 Baltimore
 Remedial proposal in Thompson v. HUD
 Chicago (Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities)
 Use in advising voucher holders in neighborhood selection
 Austin
 Use in evaluating city’s affordable housing investments
 Related Project: Washington County, OR
 Advised on opportunity map created by the County included in recent
consolidated plan for County
○ Exploring application in planning activities for the broader Portland region
 Child Development
 Jacksonville, FL & the Duvall County children’s commission
 Evaluation of stimulus/NSP activities
 Florida
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33. Moving Forward - Strategies
 What is this information/approach useful for?
 Diagnostics and targeted investments
 Identifying areas of opportunity and challenges
○ Opportunities
 Opportunities for investment
- Targeting services better, targeting programs
○ Challenges
 E.g. foreclosure patterns – interconnections between foreclosure
and children in need
 Looking at broader policy issues and concern
 Communications – using maps to illustrate areas of concern, areas
of opportunity, broader community discussions
 A powerful tool to help produce a collaborative process
around opportunity isolation among diverse constituencies

34. Moving Forward - Strategies
 Spend time identifying areas of concern/need prior to
mapping
 Targeted inquiries and analysis (areas of concern, areas of
opportunities for progress)
 Diagnostics (programs, investments etc.)
 Consider mapping to help address broader challenges
 Planning and strategy, communications, public discourse,
advocacy – outreach, stakeholder, informing program design
○ Comprehensive opportunity maps more useful in this role
 Be aware of data challenges
 Access to data sometimes a limiting factor

35. Want to Learn More?
Resources & Reference Materials
 Mapping for Social Justice
 The Kirwan Institute Study:
○ Utilizing GIS to Support Advocacy and
Social Justice
 More on Opportunity Mapping
 The Kirwan Institute Reports
○ Communities of Opportunity: A
Framework for an Equitable &
Sustainable Future
○ The Geography of Opportunity: A Review
of Opportunity Mapping Research
Initiatives
 All Available on-line at: kirwaninstitute.org
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36. Want to Learn More?
Resources & Reference Materials
 Mapping & Advocacy – Two recent
articles from Clearinghouse Review
 Jason Reece and Eric Schultheis. Poverty’s Place:
The Use of Geographic Information Systems in
Poverty Advocacy. Clearinghouse Review Journal of
Poverty Law and Policy. January-February 2009.
 Maya Roy and Jason Reece. Poverty’s Place
Revisited: Mapping for Justice & Democratizing Data
to Combat Poverty. Clearinghouse Review Journal of
Poverty Law and Policy. July/August 2010.
 To access, visit Clearinghouse
Review at:
 www.povertylaw.org/clearinghouse-review
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37. Web Based and Interactive Opportunity Maps
http://www.kirwaninstitute.org/connect/king-county-wa-opportunity-mapping.html
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38. www.KirwanInstitute.org
www.race-talk.org
KirwanInstitute
on:
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