Composite image by Rhiannon Newman for the Urban Institute

Data@Urban’s Top 5 Posts of 2020

Data@Urban
2 min readDec 23, 2020
  1. Applying racial equity awareness in data visualization

Applying an equity lens to data visualization requires critically examining default thinking around language, ordering, color choice, and who is excluded and why. As we update our data visualization style guide, we’re centering the experiences of those we study, our audiences, and those we hope to reach.

2. Pivoting community engagement during COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed how organizations interact with the communities they work with, and innovative community engagement approaches should accurately reflect these residents’ priorities, needs, and preferences. Three key strategies can guide organizations working with those needing support during the pandemic.

3. Choosing a geocoder for the Urban Institute

At Urban, geocoding is critical to shaping research. Finding a cost-efficient, fast, accurate geocoding service — whose terms of use allow us to analyze and use data for our research — required some accounting, some experimenting, and some legal consulting.

4. How can human-centered design uncover policy solutions?

After hosting our first-ever design challenge at the Foundations for the Future of Housing conference, we compiled some reflections and recommendations for using design thinking challenges in future conferences.

5. Introducing a Spatial Equity Data Tool

Urban’s Spatial Equity Data Tool allows government officials, community advocates, and nonprofit organizations to upload their own city-level data so they can quickly assess spatial and demographic disparities to inform decisionmaking around more equitable resource distribution.

The Data@Urban team:

-Graham MacDonald

-Jon Schwabish

-Ben Chartoff

-Jessica Kelly

-Jamila Patterson

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Data@Urban

Data@Urban is a place to explore the code, data, products, and processes that bring Urban Institute research to life.