Case Summary

Neighborhood Knowledge California (NKCA) is a statewide, interactive website that assembles and maps a variety of databases that can be used in neighborhood research. NKCA plots real-time information on electronic city maps to reflect instances of housing code violations, tax problems, tenant complaints, fire violations, and more. The site also functions as a geographic repository for users to map their own communities by uploading their own datasets.

Business Challenge

UCLA's Center for Neighborhood Knowledge aimed to promote greater equity in housing and banking policy by documenting and analyzing a variety of trends.

Approach Taken

Neighborhood Knowledge California (NKCA) is a statewide, interactive website that assembles and maps a variety of databases that can be used in neighborhood research. NKCA plots real-time information on electronic city maps to reflect instances of housing code violations, tax problems, tenant complaints, fire violations, and more. The site also functions as a geographic repository for users to map their own communities by uploading their own datasets.

Results Achieved (metrics)

A variety of user comments reveal that Neighborhood Knowledge California is easy to use, and provides clear and relevant information that has been used in both professional and academic settings.

Lessons Learned

Neighborhood Knowledge California is working on the following new features: a Library, to allow users to share content in the form of articles and reports; a Forum feature that would allow users to request and share information directly with other users; and a Calendar tool, to inform users of upcoming training events and presentations.