In 2012, the Big Lottery Fund in England invested £1 million in 150 neighbourhoods for its Big Local initiative. Northfleet, Kent, was one of the first 50 to be selected. The grant aimed to equip local communities with skills and tools to identify key areas and issues where action was required in their area.
Our role
Mapping for Change used paper maps to identify all the good things that already exist in Northfleet, such as groups, clubs, societies, businesses, schools and leisure facilities. This process also enabled people to visualise places that needed to be improved using the Big Local fund. Next, MfC developed an online interactive map for community members to continue contributing their perceptions and ideas. MfC also provided a training workshop to enable volunteers to maintain and use the online map themselves.
Impact
Northfleet community mapping is an on-going process, and the online community map will continue to evolve over time to reflect changes under-way in the area. People can keep sharing their views to it and engage with other members of the Northfleet neighbourhood.
Related Projects
Ramp It Up!
‘Ramp It Up’ was a social media campaign aiming to increase awareness about the barriers people with limited mobility face on a daily basis. We called on communities to help their towns and cities become more wheelchair friendly by encouraging shops, restaurants or any building open to the public to use portable wheelchair ramps if more permanent solutions cannot be made.
WeGovNow
WeGovNow is a three year research and innovation project focusing on civic participation in local government. It aims to change the relationship between citizens and local governments, transforming the citizen’s role from customer into partner. This is to be achieved with the development of a single community engagement platform, where citizens can interact with their governments and participate in local decision-making.
Citizen Science Used to Map Community Air Quality
In 2009, Mapping for Change supported communities across London to measure and map local air quality. Use of a ‘citizen science’ approach meant local residents in seven locations were able to collect data, then see the real results of their monitoring activities, and subsequently embark on a campaign to see the serious results addressed.