Analyzing "Pockets of Poverty" for Equitable Planning

Nationwide, infrastructure costs (water, energy, transportation) are rising faster than wages, creating an affordability burden in many communities. The pressure cooker of current federal policies and programs will broaden this gap. How can municipal service providers - water utilities or transportation departments, for example - raise sufficient revenue to invest in infrastructure without unnecessarily burdening economically vulnerable households?

An innovative tool, "Pockets of Poverty," (PoPs) maps more than 20 affordability metrics to create tailored geospatial visuals. Connecting these metrics with real-time, data-like utility bills or localized socioeconomic data (income, poverty, etc.) highlights the importance of dynamic assessment models that empower decision-makers to comprehensively assess community needs and equity.

The framework has largely been used to look at water affordability in Georgia communities and this presentation demonstrates how the tool was applied in Gwinnett County. Panelists discuss those findings and how local decision-makers have used the information.

Explore how the PoPs model can be used more broadly in holistic community planning. Mapping socioeconomic indicators and cross-sector municipal service costs (water, energy, transportation, etc.) across a community can provide depth to affordability discussions by adding spatial context to localized affordability dynamics.
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