A Neighborhood
Information System within Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sandra L. Arlinghaus
Lloyd R. Phillips
The University of Michigan
Adjunct Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment and
College of Architecture and Urban Planning;
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
The power of the internet is with us on a daily basis; however, what
we see is (obviously?) only the tip of the iceberg. How can we make
better use of it, and the various software package available for mapping
and data analysis, in helping people to learn more about their own local
settings? The City of Ann Arbor maintains a clickable map site of
self-identified neighborhoods (R. Scaff, W. Rampson, C. Hurd, and the first
author); http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us;
see the Planning Department portion of that website).
There have been a number of recent efforts to create Neighborhood Information
Systems
One approach to considering Management Information Systems, at the country
or regional level, has involved: "assessment," "analysis," "action,"
and "feedback" (Community Systems Foundation, http://www.csfnet.org/).
We employ that strategy here to look at a small section of Ann Arbor, Michigan
as a pilot project in developing Neighborhood Information Systems in southeastern
Michigan. Please move now to that site.