2000115-Strengthening-Communities-with-Neighborhood-Data

Using Data for City and Regional Strategies 237
DMN is committed to keeping the city government accountable for
progress in reducing disparities. They continue to use data and information
to drive work in the editorial and news rooms. For example, the
editorial staff has a monthly feature, 10 Drops in the Bucket, which spotlights
specific persistent problems in South Dallas (such as a dangerous
vacant property with code violations or traffic safety issues). The writers
call attention to these problems in a very public way and monitor them
for signs of progress.
Urged on by the continued DMN coverage and ongoing research from
the Institute of Urban Policy and Research, elected leaders carry on efforts
to revitalize South Dallas. Mayor Mike Rawlings, elected in 2011, launched
Grow South in April 2012. This city-led initiative aims to bring attention
to the many assets and civic pride in Southern Dallas communities. The
10 goals for the initiative range from engaging residents in these neighborhoods
to strengthening schools, educating the public about assets in
South Dallas, and investing in economic development. The Grow South
program is building public–private partnerships to bring resources and
economic development to the city’s southern neighborhoods. 18 Although
still early in the initiative, the city appears to be leveraging neighborhood
indicators to hold themselves accountable for making progress. The program’s
first-year report included profiles of eight focus areas, reporting
on measures of commitment, resilience, and amenities for 2011 and 2012
(City of Dallas 2013).
In May 2013, the City of Dallas and Grow South joined with Dallas
Area Habitat for Humanity, Safer Dallas Better Dallas, and Communities
Foundation of Texas to create EPIC (Economic Partners Investing in
Communities) Dallas (Bush 2013). 19 The organizations share common
goals of increasing public safety, access to homeownership opportunities,
and economic development. EPIC Dallas has created a board that
will study the work of the member organizations and identify areas of
overlap that could be strengthened by better coordination and joint
fundraising. EPIC Dallas has identified a set of neighborhood indicators to
track the initiative’s progress, including property values, violent and property
crime rates, employment rates, educational attainment, voter registration,
homeownership rates, and the number of neighborhood associations
and crime watch groups. Its first activities have raised $650,000 to support
targeting crime hotspots in five neighborhoods (Hallman 2013).
The Dallas community faces continuing challenges in overcoming
decades of disinvestment in its southern neighborhoods. With the