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CGISC uses a variety of strategies, including demographic analysis of population characteristics and change; participant
observation; economic analysis of government land policies and impact on land and housing value; spatial analysis using Geographic
Information Systems (GIS); and content analysis of the minutes of public meetings,.
Demographic Analysis
Demographic analysis examines population characteristics and how they change. Understanding local demography - age patterns,
income, housing, and racial and ethnic composition - is the foundation on which our community studies are based. Our use and
knowledge of local, state and federal data (such as Census 2000) is key to building these analyses.
Investigative Studies
Context is provided by analysis of official minutes of public meetings for city councils, state agency committees, county
commissions, etc., as well as community impact studies and similar documents. Published news articles and interviews with
public officials provide background and can answer questions.
Housing and Economic Analysis
Our expertise in land policies and values means that we can use public records to analyze the impact of
government policies, actions and programs on home and land values.
Both Census data and local property tax files provide
detailed property information, including home values.
Geographic Information Systems
GIS is a computer-based mapping method capable of identifying latent spatial relationships in geo-coded
data. That is, the maps take geo-coded information of different types and on different subjects and put them into one map
to discover how they relate to one another. The resulting "big picture" is usually enlightening. Currently we are mapping
patterns of government services of zoning, highway routing, and water and sewer distribution in relationship to race of those
affected by these location decisions.
Data for GIS analysis come from several public sources. Demographic data are from Census 2000, as are the boundaries for the
underlying census geographic units used to map the data. Cities, counties, state agencies and regional Councils of Government
provide spatial data on town boundaries, ETJ boundaries, critical watershed areas, zoning designations, and location of sewer
and water lines. Property tax files show lot lines and locations of houses. State departments of transportation provide existing
and proposed highway route information.
GIS maps are valuable for several reasons:
1. As maps describe specific places, they engage people far more than can mere words or tables of numbers. People can find
their own home on a map of their community.
2. Maps come from official public data, so they are "just the facts."
3. Maps can illustrate situations that are not readily-apparent. They provide a more complete view of a community because
they include invisible boundaries such as city limits, land-use, infrastructure and zoning. For example, maps can show disparities
in city services; thus, they can provide insight into existing community investment and priorities, answering the questions:
Who is participating? and Who is excluded from the full life and benefits of the municipality? It is critical to get down
to this foundation of reality in order to understand the nature of community problems, including public health, loss of
land value, and lack of particpation in the democratic process.
When governments use their regulatory powers of annexation, extra- territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) or zoning to build a larger
tax base at the expense of building all segments of the community, concerns over voting rights and accountability are raised.
4. While our maps are based on public data, the information conveyed is not otherwise accessible to many people because
of its technical nature and format. We are able to use this data as a springboard to train citizens in how to access and use
public data. An appreciation of public data also increases understanding of how local government create goeals, take actions
and keep records of these actions. Many of these activites have been cloaked - if not in secrecy, than in a language and
format that keeps people from knowing what is happening and how decisions are made. As more and more data becomes available
in digital format, we are able to use it to enhance civic engagement and increase accountability.
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