Posts Tagged ‘Community Districts’

Community Districts and NYC.gov

September 1st, 2012 by Jack

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

  1. NYC.gov is going to be a (if not the) primary research source for your Community District.
  2. Like almost all government web sites, the bulk of “the good stuff” is buried deep within NYC.gov.  Never think the home page of a government web site is going to be intuitive.  You need to dig.
  3. Do you necessarily trust every piece of information released by the government?

Along with NYC.gov, the following resources may also help you compile information for your beat memo:

My colleague Barbara Gray also has also compiled a CD resource guide that will help with your beat memo (CUNY WordPress login required).

Community Districts and NYC.gov

August 29th, 2011 by Jack

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

  1. NYC.gov is going to be a (if not the) primary research source for your Community District.
  2. Like almost all government web sites, the bulk of “the good stuff” is buried deep within NYC.gov.  Never think the home page of a government web site is going to be intuitive.  You need to dig.
  3. Do you necessarily trust every piece of information released by the government?

Along with NYC.gov, the following resources may also help you compile information for your beat memo:

My colleague Barbara Gray also has also compiled a CD resource guide that will help with your beat memo (CUNY WordPress login required).

Community Districts part 2: the beat memo

September 20th, 2010 by Jack

Along with NYC.gov, the following resources may also help you compile information for your beat memo:

Community Districts part 1: NYC.gov

August 30th, 2010 by Jack

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

  1. NYC.gov is going to be a (if not the) primary research source for your Community District.
  2. Like almost all government web sites, the bulk of “the good stuff” is buried deep within NYC.gov.  Never think the home page of a government web site is going to be intuitive.  You need to dig.
  3. Do you necessarily trust every piece of information released by the government?

Community Districts part 2: the beat memo

September 21st, 2009 by Jack

Along with NYC.gov, the following resources may also help you compile information for your beat memo:

Community Districts part 1: NYC.gov

September 7th, 2009 by Jack

Points of emphasis for critical thinking:

  1. NYC.gov is going to be a (if not the) primary research source for your Community District.
  2. Like almost all government web sites, the bulk of “the good stuff” is buried deep within NYC.gov.  Never think the home page of a government web site is going to be intuitive.  You need to dig.
  3. Do you necessarily trust every piece of information released by the government?

The CD beat memo recap

November 2nd, 2008 by Jack

So I’m finally done reviewing all 22 beat memos in both sections.  Phew!  I spent at least an hour on each one.  You do the math.

First of all, special congratulations to the 7 who merited a check-plus.  For those who didn’t, take heart that this will be your least significant research grade.

Kudos also to those who had the tenacity to navigate the user-UNfriendly Census Bureau Factfinder to get any 2007 ACS PUMA data.  I was perfectly willing to accept the equivalent 2006 data available on the more easily-navigable NYC.gov, so that was impressive.

It was actually one of a handful of things that impressed me.

A few of you discovered good sources that I hadn’t listed on the blog or in handouts.  One was the 2007 Community Snapshots in the Children’s Services section of NYC.gov.  Mind you, these snapshots weren’t great in all the cases people cited, but they were particularly good for CD income and unemployment data (although there may be some issues with unemployment…more on that later).  Another was the Association of Religion Data Archives site, a perfectly acceptable alternative to Social Explorer for 2000 religion breakdowns by county.

What else stood out? (more…)

Advice on the CD beat memo

October 1st, 2008 by Jack

I’ve been getting the same questions from several of you about where to find religious and voter breakdowns by CD.  Most of you seem to be having no trouble finding the information by county, which I assume you’re locating via the resources listed on my blog post of September 20th.  That’s good.

Anyway, the short answer is, I don’t think there is a place where you can find the information you’re seeking online, so you’re going to have to dig a little deeper.   Calls to the board of elections or maybe even the Community Boards may shed some light on where you can get the voter info.  I would think someone is keeping track of it at the CD level…you’re just going to have to go beyond the computer.  You might want to split up the task of making calls among classmates and sharing what you learn, rather than everybody flooding the state and local boards of elections with calls asking the same question.  Regarding the religious info, I have a feeling you may not find that at all.  I know I mentioned this in Tim’s class, if not Steve’s.  The latest county info on Social Explorer isn’t even that recent (2000), and it’s not compiled by a government entity that would likely have any interest in breaking it down by CD.  However, you might try contacting the organizations that do the compilations (listed on Social Explorer) to see if they can provide any help.  But again, I’d recommend designating a class rep. 

The bottom line is, sometimes you just have to contact people.  That’s why “people finding” was the first research lesson of this course.

As you continue working on your CD beat memo, also know that your research grade will be based primarily on your sourcing of answers.  I’m especially concerned with your displaying a command of the resources that have been reviewed in class, listed on the handouts and posted on the blog.  As such, I’m expecting either direct links to your answers or a detailed description of how you found them.  A general citation such as “ReferenceUSA,” “Nexis,” or “nyc.gov” is NOT acceptable, regardless of whether or not your answer is correct.  Detailed sourcing takes priority.  Bonus points for solid sourcing not taught in class or noted on handouts or the blog.  You’re always welcome to teach me something (such as where to find religious and voter info by CD online, if it exists, for example).  Aim to impress.

More “must see” sites for NYC research

September 20th, 2008 by Jack

In addition to the sites already posted, here are some more to check out as you start working your beat…

The number one source for demographics and population statistics will always be the Census Bureau, but as we know, government sites are rarely easy to navigate.  Although typically complicated, the Bureau’s annual American Community Survey page is the place to get the most up-to-date estimates for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more.  The area designation most akin to a Community District would be something the Bureau refers to as a Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA), but as you can see by this map, the two are not completely coterminous.  Some are closer than others.  If you don’t feel comfortable using the more difficult ACS page to get the latest PUMA stats, the Department of City Planning has posted some recent reports.  Or if your CD is really not close to being coterminous with a PUMA, you can use the old 2000 Census figures available here or in the district profiles.  However, if you only need ACS or decennial Census data for a city, county, zip code or state, the Bureau’s American FactFinder site is pretty simple to use.

Social Explorer has historical Census data back to 1790, but even more useful are the reports on the religious population dating back to 1980.  Get decennial numbers by county, state and the entire nation.

Another great source for demographics and statistics, including immigration and crime, is Infoshare Online.  Find information for numerous geographic designations, such as Community Districts, zip codes, school districts and police precincts.  We have access to this database via CUNY, but individuals can also apply for free accounts at Infoshare.org.

Also available to us via CUNY is RAND New York, which features more than 60 databases, including crime statistics by county.

Baruch College’s NYCdata is a terrific site for all sorts of NYC stats and info.

Need street maps?  The CUNY Graduate Center’s OASIS site rivals the NYC.gov CityMap for quality and features, plus it can be set to display CD boundaries.

Speaking of maps, Neighborhood Link will generate them by zip code and list various other information about the neighborhood, although you should verify anything you find here.  Don’t use it as a primary research source.

Lastly, the annual New York State Statistical Yearbook has some good local information, such as the voter registration and political party enrollment numbers by county listed in the elections section (update: more recent voter registration and party enrollment numbers by county are here).

Looking for the latest dirt in your CD?

September 17th, 2008 by Jack

Consuella Askew recommends EveryBlock New York.  Enter any New York City address for fresh updates of nearby restaurant inspections, property sales, news coverage and more.  Browse info citywide.  Explore by community board, neighborhood or police precinct.

You might also try outside.in New York, recently cited in a New York Times article.  It’s an aggregator that also features a great list of local news sources and blogs, such as Brooklynian.com, which includes links to even more blogs in the borough of Kings (scroll down the page a bit).

Speaking of blogs, another resource noted in that same Times story is Placeblogger.  This directory could use a little better organization, as you can see by looking at the New York page, but you may still unearth some nuggets here.