Mapping Community-Relevant Critical Infrastructure in Ramsey County

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. Ramsey County knows little about social vulnerabilities to emergencies among many demographic groups in the community, or community assets that could potentially increase their resiliency in the face of natural and human-created disasters. Ramsey County project lead Karma Kumlin-Diers worked with a team of students in GEOG 5564: Urban Geographic Information Science and Analysis, taught by Dr. Ying Song, to Identify and map access to critical community infrastructure—those systems and facilities that, in a natural disaster or other emergency situation, are critical to helping the community endure and recover, and if inoperative or inaccessible, would make vulnerable populations more vulnerable. This included systems such as power, water, and sewer, as well as facilities such as hospitals and medical clinics, schools, places of worship, shelters, community centers, minority-owned small businesses, markets, community organizations, and other neighborhood gathering places. The students' final report, presentation, and a poster summarizing the project are available.