Create a demographic overview
Identify and document the community’s demographic trends using data from the American Community Survey and specific census tract. Include at a minimum:
- Population by race, gender, and age
- Median household income
- Percent living in poverty
- Employment status
- Educational attainment
Document current land use and zoning
Identify and document your community’s zoning by use (Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Retail, Mixed Use) using your municipality’s zoning base maps.
Map inequities
Identify and document your community’s historic and current racial inequities using the following data sources:
- Redlining: Determine if the district or neighborhood was “redlined” or graded as hazardous by the federal government’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930’s using the Mapping Inequality tool.
- Segregation: Determine the level of segregation in the district or neighborhood using the Mapping Race in America Tool.
- Disadvantaged Community: Determine if the district or neighborhood is designated as a “disadvantaged community” using the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. The tool has an interactive map and uses datasets that are indicators of burdens in eight categories: climate change, energy, health, housing, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce development.
Identify housing trends
Identify and document your community’s housing trends, using the following data sources:
- Cost Burden: What percentage households, by race, are considered cost burdened (spend 30% of their income on rent, mortgage or other housing needs) using National Eviction Map.
- Eviction Rates: What are the eviction rates over time using the National Eviction Map.
- Home Value: What is median home value over time using Zillow’s Home Value Tracker.
Identify health disparities
Identify and document your community’s health vulnerabilities, including, heart disease, poor mental health, obesity, diabetes, respiratory disease, food deserts, and bike and pedestrian injuries, using the following data sources:
- Social Determinants of Health: How has the neighborhood’s health changed over time using the Center for Disease Control’s PLACES interactive map.
- Health care coverage using data from the American Community Survey.
- Social Vulnerability: Determine if the district or neighborhood is at risk of external stresses on human health, including natural or human-caused disasters, or disease outbreaks using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI).
Identify climate vulnerabilities
Identify and document your community’s current and expected climate change related risks shocks including overall climate risk, community resilience, air quality, drought, earthquake, flooding, heat, wildfire, winter weather, storms (hurricanes / tornados / wind) using the following data source:
- Climate Risk: Determine if there areas that are at a higher risk of heat events, flooding, food scarcity, wildfire, severe storm events, and utility outages using the FEMA National Risk Index or Neighborhoods At Risk mapping tool.
Engagement
- Assign a trusted organization with the task of collecting and visualizing the data to ensure it is easy to understand.
- Engage and interview key organizational, business, and resident leaders and relevant public and elected officials to further refine and corroborate the results.
- Hold at least one community workshop to share preliminary findings and solicit feedback.
- Create a virtual platform to solicit feedback through online surveys and post results.
- Document personal stories and “lived experiences” that touch on each of the topics (i.e., housing, health, etc.) to ensure that community voice and wisdom is being captured.
Certification Templates
Certifciation Templates are only available for active APs and Certification candidates.
Social Determinants of Health
Mapping tool that measures social vulnerability using 16 U.S. census variables to help local officials identify communities that may need support before, during, or after disasters. Social vulnerability refers to the potential negative effects on communities caused by external stresses on human health. A project of the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (Census Tract Level)
Measures online tool that enables customized ranking and mapping of neighborhoods according to socioeconomic disadvantage across the full U.S., including Puerto Rico. The Area Deprivation Index (ADI) is based on a measure created by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). (Census Tract Level)
In depth comparison of park systems across the 100 most populous cities in the United States. It also includes ParkServe, a mapping platform that pinpoints needed park investments to address park need, climate, equity, and health. A project of the Trust for Public Lands (Municipal Level)
Rich data set at the county level that provides data, evidence, guidance, and examples to build awareness of the multiple factors that influence health and support leaders in growing community power to improve health equity. A project of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (Country Level)
PLACES provides health data down to the census tract to help better understand the burden and geographic distribution of health measures at the
neighborhood level and assist planning public health interventions. A project of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC
Foundation. (Census Tract Level)
Walk Score is a neighborhood-scale index that measures walkability, bike access, and transit quality. (Zip Code Level)
The AARP Livability Index captures a community’s quality of life using 61 indicators in seven critical categories and: housing, neighborhood, transportation,
environment, health, engagement, and opportunity. (Zip Code Level)
Equity
Interactive mapping tool that illustrates the level of segregation in every city, region, and neighborhood in the US. A project of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. (Census Tract Level)
A state, county and municipal level tool that brings together 32 indicators to provide a detailed report card on racial and economic equity in the US. A project of PolicyLink and USC Equity Research Institute. (Country Level)
Climate Resilience
Census tract level tool that combines various socioeconomic, demographic, biological, and exposure determinants of heat vulnerability into a single
measure. A project of the Yale Center for Climate Change and Health. (Census Tract Level)
The National Risk Index is a dataset and online tool to help illustrate the United States communities most at risk for 18 natural hazards. It was
designed and built by FEMA in close collaboration with various stakeholders and partners in academia; local, state, and federal government; and private industry.
(Census Tract Level)
The CDC Heat & Health Tracker provides local heat and health information so communities can better prepare for and respond to extreme heat
events (Country Level)
Interactive county-level monthly forecasts for heat, wildfire, and drought in the United State from the US Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. (Country Level)
Interactive data tool that provides neighborhood-level information about potentially vulnerable people and climate change. The tool allows users to filter and explore census tracts based on 13 socioeconomic and climate exposure variables. It also provides climate projections for changes in temperature and precipitation for the
selected location. Neighborhoods at Risk uses census tract-level socioeconomic data from the latest release of the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. (Census Tract Level)
