Mapping Equity and Exclusion in Neighborhood Associations in Bloomington, Indiana

Deborah L. Myerson
Myerson Consulting
Mark Stosberg

Local governments often encourage neighborhood organizing efforts to support citizen participation and bridge a gap between public and private interests, yet the growth of neighborhoods in the United States also has had a long history of exclusion. A grassroots mapping initiative illustrates how private, voluntary neighborhood associations in Bloomington, Indiana, commonly exclude residents of multifamily housing. The visual evidence of those disparities creates important opportunities to pursue more equitable channels to engage residents in local decisionmaking.