Community Maps - To Understand our Communities

What are Community Maps?

Community Maps are ways for us to understand what is happening in our communities. Here we will demonstrate the following maps:

  1. Personal Maps - to understand how we interact with our communities
  2. Associational Maps - to understand who is doing things in our communities
  3. Physical Maps - to understand our local landscapes
  4. Action Maps - to understand how we take action in our local landscapes
  5. Community Portraits - to understand who holds your local communities together

Community Mapping is a tool which guides us in identifying the strengths, assets and resources within our Local Areas.

For us this means knowing who we are talking to, what is already happening, how to reach people, and how to be as effective as we can


1. Personal Maps

How is your community life?

Activity

Personal Map.jpg


2. The Life of a Neighborhood

A neighbourhood is made up of many associations, both formal and informal. An association is any group of people who gather to do things. It could be a chess club, a group of friends who go to the pub on a Friday night, or a local Scouts or Guides group.

Consider:

Associational Life


3. Physical Maps

Physical Maps look not at the connections between people but at the geography of the local area. The way communities interact is connected to their place. Some of our towns have lots of potential meeting spaces and promote connection whereas others have a lack of third space where groups of people can meet to talk.

Notice Boards

Notice Boards

Meeting Places

Where do people actually meet?

How do you interact with these spaces? Do your actions interact with them?

Meeting Places

Neighborhood Assets

The assets of your neighbourhood are anything that exists there which enriches the experience of being in that space. They could be as simple as having wildflowers planted on the verge for pollinators or as complex as regular Community Assemblies where the neighbourhood discusses how to spend money.

Consider the following assets:

Below is an example of the Neighbourhood Assest identified by locals on King Street, Norwich.

Asset Description Examples
Associations Any group of people coming together to do a thing - King Street Neighbourhood Association
- Wild King Street
- Book Club
- Save Wensum Lodge Adult Learning Centre Group
- Carrow House Artist Studios
- Clubs at the Wensum Sport Centre
Places Locations where people can meet - Skate Park
- Wensum Sport Centre
- St Julian’s Church
- The Last Pub Standing
- Butterfly Cafe
- St Peter’s Churchyard
People All the gifts people bring to the neighbourhood such as skills, knowledge, talents and experiences - Creative window displays in houses
- The existence of the associations
- Whatsapp Group
- Litter pickers
- People who adopt the planter boxes
- Gardeners who plant the planter boxes
- Friendly local business owners/employees
Institutions - Organisations that provide services for the neighbourhood - Kings Centre (Methodist Church)
- National Writing Centre
- St Julian’s Church
- Wensum Sport Centre
- St John’s Ambulance Training Centre
Exchanges Any time something is exchanged such as skills, ideas, objects, money or alternative currencies. (Noting that if a monetary exchange is not a local business it becomes extractive rather than a local asset) - The Last Pub Standing
- Yoga Studio
- Corner Shop
- Butterfly Cafe
- Bicycle Links (skills/training)
- Book Club
- Neighbours making Planters
- Whatsapp Group
- Noticeboards
Stories Things people say about the neighbourhood - Blue Plaques
- Built Heritage - medieval buildings
- Generational stories about Waterfront
- St Julien shrine and stories
- Marking of old rivers in pavement
- Artwork in windows
- Noticeboard

4. Action Maps

Where do local actions happen - why?

Consider:

Action Map of Cambridge


5. Community Portraits

People are the unit of Community

Are you a part of these networks?

I run an afteer school club.png


Lets Get Mapping!

🔥 Remember 🔥

The Legal System takes our community seriously. So should we!


Revision #24
Created 4 June 2025 19:16:13 by raenyah
Updated 25 June 2025 19:50:41 by raenyah