Overview
“It is the capacities of local people and their associations that build powerful communities.”
The Gonzaga University Neighborhood Mapping Assets and Promoting Strengths (MAPS) Project will produce an asset map of the Logan Neighborhood. Areas of adjacent neighborhoods in the Northeast quadrant of Spokane contained within the Garry and Shaw Middle Schools service area boundaries will also be mapped.
Asset maps
- Identify a neighborhood’s strengths to help guide collaborative projects and decision-making
- Collect and present resources, assets and attributes to assist with strategic planning and revitalization
- Capture the interests and priorities of residents, businesses and organizations that call the area ‘home’
- Are a key component of the Asset-Based Community Development approach to community engagement
Types of assets mapped
- Physical environment, such as parks, paths, natural habitats, housing, land & buildings
- Associations & groups, including special interest clubs, organizations and service groups
- Institutions, such as schools, universities, hospitals, libraries, social service agencies
- Economy, including businesses, non-profits, corporations, banks, credit unions
- Individuals, including people who live or work in the neighborhood and are willing to share gifts, skills, capacities, knowledge and expertise with others
The project will produce
- An interactive map of assets
- A database of profiles and individuals
- Community conversations about what has been uncovered
- Intentional connections with other collective action initiatives
- Direction on topics and areas for possible action
Gonzaga’s involvement
The MAPS Project presents the opportunity to build on the University’s successful community engagement efforts with a positive, uplifting initiative that can help meaningfully address the neighborhood’s priorities. We seek to:
- Learn, teach and apply the model. Students will continue to utilize it throughout their careers.
- Inform the University’s neighborhood and community relations work
- Facilitate collective action with other community-based programs in Spokane
Funding Support
The MAPS project has been funded through grant support of:
- The Raskob Foundation
- Gonzaga University: Office of the Academic Vice President; Division of Student Development
- City of Spokane: Division of Community & Neighborhood Services