See: S. Koopman (2024). Will the real people’s geography please stand up? Community, public, and participatory geographies in conversation. Geography Compass, e12745. https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12745
J. Shannon et al. (2020). Community geography: Toward a disciplinary framework. Progress in Human Geography, 45(5), 1147-1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132520961468
See lit on small area estimates e.g. A.J. Tatem et al., Advances in small area population estimation in the absence of national census data, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (35) e2413993123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2413993123 (2026).
Park Serve. Trust for Public Land. https://parkserve.tpl.org/mapping/
J. Herries 2022. Supermarket Access Map. ESRI. https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=f7ad35029b94407ea45fae3e17773d0a#overview
Chen, S., Bento, A.I. County, district and community-level measles transmission in the United States in 2013−2025. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04561-w
Also see this tool: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2025/measles-vaccine-schools-outbreaks-public-health/
New ideas in election mapping, e.g. K. Field 2021. Dasymetric dot density poster of the 2020 US Presidential election. https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2d739563a49f4fa3998549f6d87e0937#overview
Detailed Election 2024 Map: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/elections/2024-election-map-precinct-results.html
Detailed Election Open Data: https://github.com/nytimes/presidential-precinct-map-2024
For methodology, see: S. Baltz et al. American election results at the precinct level. Sci Data 9, 651 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01745-0
J. Mapes. 2024. Using big data to study small places: Small‐ town voting patterns in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Growth and Change, e12730. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12730
J. Mapes. 2023. Maps of precinct-level election results reveal Portage County voting patterns. The Portager. Nov. 13. https://theportager.com/maps-of-precinct-level-election-results-reveal-portage-county-voting-patterns
J. Mapes. 2024. Analysis: Precinct-level election results reflect the county’s political differences.” Maps and election analysis in The Portager. Dec. 6. https://theportager.com/analysis-precinct-level-election-results-reflect-the-countys-political-differences/
J. Mapes. 2025. A critical assessment of the role of mapping in Ohio Safe Routes to School travel plans. Applied Geography. 180: 103670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103670
More than half of U.S. kids are now driven to school in private vehicles.
See: K. Hurley. 2024. How School Drop-off Became a Nightmare. The Atlantic.
Towards Safer Routes to School StoryMap: https://arcg.is/1mKXy92
Renewing Inequality: https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/renewal/
“A True Neighborhood”: Urban Renewal in The Flats, Warren StoryMap: https://arcg.is/19H10y1
Full count census data is available (through 1950)! But restricted. https://usa.ipums.org/usa/full_count/restricted_full_count.shtml
J. Mapes, N. Abdoo*, M. Chapman*, L. Forrest*, B. Foutty*, D. Gullatte*, E. May*, R. Prizzi*, M. Radachy*, D. Sherry*, and J. Swanberg.* Mapping The Flats: Enriching urban renewal history through community geography. In review.
AAG support for public and engaged scholarship, including rubric for tenure, promotion, dissertations & thesis https://www.aag.org/program/public-and-engaged-scholarship-in-geography