THE NEIGHBORHOOD ATLAS PROJECT

About the Neighborhood Atlas Project

The Neighborhood Atlas Project (NAP) integrates research, pedagogy and action to examine young people's use, experience and perspectives about their local environment. The NAP is a model program in geography and environmental education that informs neighborhood planning and community development projects. The NAP has three interrelated objectives:

1. Research
   1. to understand how young people perceive and use their local environment and what factors contribute to these perceptions and behaviors
   2. to analyze correlations between urban form, community relations and young people's use of their local environment
   3. to understand the relationship between informal and formal geography learning
2. Pedagogy
   1. to train youth/program leaders and educators in participatory action research methods
   2. to co-develop a youth friendly action research curriculum that is appropriate for out of school/after school programs and adaptable to the formal school curriculum
   3. to integrate geo-spatial technologies into out of school/after school program development
3. Action
   1. to develop community projects important to young people based on research findings and the participatory process
   2. to involve young people in local planning initiatives
   3. to disseminate best practices from the project to other youth programs in the United States and internationally

In the NAP, young people are asked to critically examine their personal use of the local environment, and through a series of activities (including photography, mapping, neighborhood walks, and group dialogues), to arrive at themes and issues important to young people in their community. These themes then serve as the basis for the neighborhood atlas and are ultimately used to create maps, and to brainstorm physical design solutions or social/educational interventions to enhance and improve upon the local environment for young people. In addition, the NAP has an explicit research focus for an academic interested in understanding how young people develop geographic competencies in relation to their personal environmental experiences.

The NAP is based on the notion that young people's everyday experiences in their local community constitute an important informal learning environment. Through their interactions with people and places in the community, young people acquire knowledge important to their development in geography education. Young people can and do form conceptions about their world from a spatial, cultural, economic and political perspective. Although not considered traditional geography content, this knowledge may take the form of the geography of cool places or the geography of places to socialize, places to avoid, and places to shop. Understanding young people's local geographical perspectives is a necessary step in their education of more distant places.

Although primarily designed for middle school students, the atlas project could easily be adapted for younger children and older youth. The NAP is designed as a 4-6 week module, but can be adapted to suit the needs of your program. Upon completion of the NAP, the atlas can be uploaded to our website or printed for students, serving as a resource to:

1. develop research projects with young people to improve their community;
2. share with city planners and other public officials what young people think of their neighborhood, what they like and dislike about it, and what suggestions they have for making it better;
3. share with other young people living in different parts of the United States and the world what it is like to grow up in a particular city or town; and
4. provide parents, teachers and community members with an understanding of how young people think about the place they live.

The classroom activities described in this website were field tested with two groups of students in New York City during the 1999-2000 school year. The project was greatly assisted by the veteran knowledge of two geography teachers who are members of the New York Geographic Alliance. The initial pilot of the NAP was generously supported by the Geography Education National Implementation Project (GENIP).

We are currently seeking community partners interested in piloting the NAP in their organization. We are also actively seeking funding for the continued implementation of the NAP in the United States and internationally. If you or your organization is interested in participating in the NAP, please contact Pamela Wridt.

Samples of Student Work from New York City

Contact Information

Project Team

Dr. Pamela Wridt
Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design
College of Architecture and Planning
University of Colorado
1060 18th Street, Campus Box 314
Boulder, CO 80309-0314
Phone: (303) 315-2193
Fax: (303) 492-6163
pamela.wridt@colorado.edu
Curriculum vitae


Dr. Willem Van Vliet
Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design
College of Architecture and Planning
University of Colorado
willem@coloardo.edu


Dr. Brian Muller
College of Architecture and Planning
University of Colorado
brian.muller@cudenver.edu