Our Data and Collection
To ensure our work reflected the realities of life in Renca, we designed a data collection process grounded in community experience. Throughout our fieldwork, we gathered insights through street interviews, pop-up engagements, surveys, and a formal community workshop. Residents shared their memories, current experiences, and visions for the future, many of which were mapped in real time to capture the spatial dimension of daily life. This blend of qualitative and geographic data formed the backbone of our analysis, allowing us to humanize our findings and connect our recommendations directly to what we heard and saw on the ground.
Understanding the past through the memories of residents.
For our “Past” engagement activity, residents shared memories tied to specific places. They wrote their memories and location on a slip of paper, then pinned it to a large map of Renca. This data was then digitized and spatialized, forming the “Past” layer of our interactive map.
Through this engagement, we gained valuable insight into emotionally significant locations, where people grew up, gathered with family, or experienced key moments in their lives. These memories offered a deeper understanding of Renca’s social fabric, revealing how spaces hold meaning beyond their physical use. Helping us recognize and preserve the places that matter most to the community.
Viewing the present through the eyes of residents.
For our “Present” engagement activity, we asked residents to color a map of Renca. Shading in areas with different colors for different meanings. Green meant areas residents like, Red for areas they don’t like, and Blue for significant areas. This formed the “Present” Layer of our Interactive map.
Our “Present” activity helped us understand how residents experience Renca today. Through this engagement, community members identified places where they enjoy spending time, areas they consider unsafe, and spaces that hold personal or cultural significance. These insights revealed not only patterns of movement and use but also how perceptions of safety and belonging shape daily life.
Planning for the future, for the wants and needs of residents.
For our “Future” engagement activity, we invited residents to share their hopes and visions for what Renca could become. They identified areas where they would like to see more green space, safety infrastructure, and schools. After being digitized, this formed the “Future” layer of our interactive map.
These forward-looking contributions offered a glimpse into the aspirations of Renca’s residents and helped us understand what they want prioritized in future development. This helped us understand what we should be prioritizing in our project to ensure the community’s voice is being heard.
Renca through our eyes.
Throughout our time there, we tracked our observations in a shared Google Earth project. We were able to keep track of photos and notes with locations as we made our way through Renca.
To ensure transparency about what we did and saw while there, we wanted to include our own observations in our interactive map. This data was used to create the “Team Observations” layer of our map.
