Philadelphia

The Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project (MPIP) provides access to public data sets across a set of geographic scales for the use of community members and public interest organizations seeking quality information to address the needs of the communities of the greater Philadelphia area. MPIP collects and coordinates demographic, housing, economic, household, and public services data at the tract, municipality, zip code, school district, and legislative district levels. It also provides an interactive mapping platform, MetroPhilaMapper, that allows our users to develop custom maps and graphics that display the information needed to affect policy discussions and explore issues faced by their communities.

MPIP’s goal is to provide a source of dependable, usable data that the neighborhoods and communities of the greater Philadelphia region can access and use as they develop programs and policies that contribute to the well-being of its residents. Its information has been used to spark debates over tax policy, land use, transportation and educational success. Most recently, it has been a partner in identifying and strengthening the contributions of key sectors of the region’s base, especially “eds and meds”, cultural organizations, school reforms, and community based anti-crime programs. MPIP also continues to document the uneven impacts of housing foreclosures, poverty levels, employment opportunities, and health care provision. It updates its data sets on a regular basis, and has added several geographic layers to its data sets. It also generates both policy briefs and some technical assistance documents, especially regarding best use of data sets with complex methodologies, e.g. the American Community Survey.

MPIP provides a major source of data and on-line mapping for the communities of the region. It continues to work with one of the original Philadelphia partner organizations of NNIP, The Reinvestment Fund (TRF). While MPIP is now the primary liaison with NNIP, it recognizes the contributions and efforts that TRF’s Policy Solutions provide to the communities of this and several other regions, including PolicyMap, found at www.trfund.com/policysolutions/index.html.

MPIP is a collaborative effort that involves several Temple faulty members, a project coordinator, a graduate assistant and several interns. The key staff members are liste below, with photos and brief bios.

Carolyn Adams, a faculty member in Geography and Urban Studies, is a political scientist who studies urban and metropolitan governance and policy. Her publications include a study of the impact of municipal investments on neighborhood housing values, as well as other books and articles about Philadelphia communities, both urban and suburban.  She works with non-profit organizations on issues ranging from education and services for children to community economic development.

David Elesh is a faculty member of the Department of Sociology whose work largely concentrates on the effects of industrial change on inequality. His publications include two collaboratively authored books on the development of the Philadelphia metropolitan since the end of World War II and a variety of articles of technological change and inequality. A major current project, in collaboration with colleagues in Criminal Justice, is an effort to predict crime rates and changes in crime rates for the municipalities of the Philadelphia metropolitan region.

Jason Martin is a research assistant at MPIP. He is a doctoral candidate in the Sociology Department at Temple University. His primary areas of study are urban sociology, the sociology of organizations, and the sociology of race. His dissertation research is on the role of arts and culture organizations in metropolitan areas.