Examining Spatial Justice in Los Angeles' Cultural Planning: Insights from Open-Source and Crowdsourced Data

This research used crowdsourced and open-source data to evaluate spatial justice in arts and cultural planning in Los Angeles, guided by Lefebvre’s spatial triad and Giddens’ structuration theory. We examined the distribution of murals in relation to income levels. We used data from the Los Angeles County Open Data Portal, census data, and user-generated platforms, such as Mural Map LA and Kobe Murals. Using GIS and urban network analyses, we visualized and examined art as infrastructure. The findings revealed discrepancies between crowdsourced and open-source data. There were several challenges which include measurement issues, incomplete data, issues of reductionism, and construct validity concerns. Our proposed solutions include enhancing civic engagement, improving representativeness in crowdsourced data, and using more metrics such as race and ethnicity to examine spatial justice.

Abdelgawad, N.* & Misra, S. (2024). Examining Spatial Justice in Los Angeles' Cultural Planning: Insights from Open-Source and Crowdsourced Data. Environmental Design Research Association Conference (EDRA55), June 2024, Portland, OR.