ABSTRACT
The use of GIS by community organizations working to improve conditions in US urban areas, particularly distressed inner-city neighbourhoods, has been a central focus in debates about the potential of this technology for marginalization and empowerment (Sawicki and Craig 1996; Barndt 1998; Elwood and Leitner 1998; Ramasubramanian 1998; Ghose 1999; Elwood 2000). The literature provides rich description of the ways in which these community groups experience unique needs and constraints with respect to gaining access to and using this technology. Nonetheless, the use of GIS by these organizations is proliferating rapidly. The primary purpose of this chapter is to describe the use and impacts of GIS in neighbourhood improvement efforts. This information is drawn from participant observation, archival research, and intensive interviews I conducted with a Minneapolis inner-city neighbourhood group. After a brief description of neighbourhood conditions and concerns, I describe the organization’s strategies for gaining access to GIS, outlining factors that have facilitated and limited their access to and use of GIS and digital data. Then I examine their application of these tools to critical issues, and discuss some of the impacts of these efforts on participation and power within the neighbourhood.
