Smart Suburbs: Using GIS to Measure Community Perceptions

Author: Grant L McMurran
Organization: Claremont Graduate University

250 W First Street, Suite 254
Claremont, CA 91711
USA

Phone: 909/399-5650 x
Fax: 909/399-5658
grant.mcmurran@cgu.edu

Working on a grant related to the federal Smart Growth initiative, we will be using GIS to obtain and evaluate citizens' attitudes toward their city. Using an older Southern California suburb, we will survey a large random sample of residents on a number of social, economic, and transportation issues. Survey responses will be geocoded into ArcView GIS. These results will be calculated to create composite maps featuring areas of perceived assets and liabilities. In addition, frequently traveled areas and neighborhood cohesion can be mapped with GIS.