The primary objective of the research is to exploit the analytical potential of geographic information systems (GIS) in urban social geographical inquiry dealing with neighborhoods. In so doing, the project ties into the need to investigate ways in which GIS can be made more accessible to and more reflective of residents perceptions, as opposed to current uses of GIS which are more 'top-down.' A sample of residents from selected neighborhood groups will evaluate their local environment by constructing a GIS of their neighborhood that reflects perception of neighborhood boundaries, the elements of the local environment that best characterize the neighborhood, and the perception of neighborhood problems, assets, direction of change, and desired future state. Improvements in the ability of residents to manipulate existing GIS coverages and add their own data, via multimedia linkages, will be developed. The results of the resident-constructed GIS coverages will be analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Residents will be directly involved in the construction of the GIS menu interface and in the assessment of the project's effectiveness.
A great deal of social science inquiry has focused on the importance, meaning, role and viability of neighborhoods in urban areas. This project is motivated by the need to improve upon current approaches to the evaluation of the importance of neighborhoods in peoples' lives. Current approaches consist mainly of written questionnaires in which residents are asked to rate their satisfaction with various elements of their neighborhood. This project offers a new approach to the articulation of neighborhood satisfaction by using geographic information systems (GIS) as an evaluation tool. Using GIS, residents will work directly on a computerized map consisting of layers of different kinds of neighborhood information. They will interactively query these various layers, combining them and adding neighborhood information where desired. A sample of residents will be selected to participate in the GIS-based evaluation. The project will contribute to a more effective understanding of neighborhoods as perceived by residents by helping to translate resident perceptions and preferences into a form suitable for GIS. The study will also help in the neighborhood planning process by developing of new method for exploration of neighborhood strengths and weaknesses. Thus, the project aspires to produce advances in both methodological and intellectual domains.
