Close
Visualising Community Inequalities Public Engagement Case Study: Medell铆n, Colombia
22 May 2017
CASA researchers are working with young people in Colombia to identify and analyse the ways in which they experience their local urban environments.
During March and April 2017, five workshops were held in Medell铆n, Colombia听to identify the places that young people recognise as most important in their daily lives. The research听aims to further analyse these results in relation to听network morphologies and space syntax measurements.
The participants looked at maps of the neighbourhoods of Medell铆n - designed by researchers working on the CASA research project, 鈥榁isualizing Community Inequalities鈥� (supported by the Leverhulme Trust) -听and used a set of graphic icons to indicate their feelings and perceptions about the various landmarks of the city.听
The听icons听were used by 175 participants from 17 schools located in two districts of Medell铆n (Belen and San Javier). In order to expand upon听these descriptions, other symbols representing environmental and security threats were also provided. At the end of the workshops,听each of the participants was able to identify and describe different landmarks at a global and a local scale, and to interpret the graphic icons according to their own experiences.
Dr Jamie O鈥橞rien and Laura Garcia听are looking forward to comparing听the social and spatial inequalities among neighbourhood communities in Medellin and Liverpool and to analysing听the applicability of the prototype iconographic tool for deliberation in urban domains.
For the time being, the youth organisations and libraries (Sistema Bibliotecas P煤blicas de Medell铆n) that collaborated with us听in Medellin听are planning to use the method to map other social dynamics in the territory (e.g. the presence of social actors in each district). In a city such as Medellin, social cartography methods become important in听the听recovery of听historical memory as well as听in听improving听social and spatial equality.
Laura would like to recognise听the valuable contribution of staff from the Parque Biblioteca Preb铆stero Jos茅 Luis Arroyave San Javier and the Parque Biblioteca Bel茅n, Biblioteca P煤blica Comfenalco Centro Occidental, as well as the youth organisation Red de Personeros y L铆deres Estudiantiles de Bel茅n who听provided support in the design and validation of the maps and graphic icons, and the planning and implementation of the workshops.
In gratitude to the collaboration of these institutions, the researchers offered training to the staff of the libraries听and to the teachers of the participating schools. The training included听a brief introduction of the applications of cartography as an educational tool, and practical exercises for the visualisation and elaboration of maps using free software (Google Earth, QGIS & CARTODB).
We are hoping听to see the community adaptating听the methodology as the project develops, using GIS in their mapping activities.
听