Mapping upward mobility for residents of a mixed-income housing project in Salishan, WA

Abstract

Income-based public housing projects have typically resulted in concentrations of poverty which have left the most disadvantaged populations anchored to their homes with little to no upward mobility. In response, housing policies have shifted toward Mixed-Income designs that work to integrate populations of different social and financial class in effort to help those in the lowest socioeconomic status move up and out of poverty. One such housing project named Salishan lies south of Seattle, Washington in the city of Tacoma. This research employs GIS, participatory mapping, and other qualitative research methods to examine how Salishan residents are experiencing the services and programs that are targeted toward them. The data yielded in this study contradict those theorized benefits of greater social interaction and access to resources via Mixed-Income housing. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the value of participatory methods for getting new kinds of data and informing policy.