DNRP Equity Assessment Description

Background

In support of the King County Equity and Social Justice Initiative (http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity), DNRP recently carried out an equity assessment for its major lines of business. The assessment utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map how selected services and facilities relate to basic demographic conditions.

This comparison helps identify and address the relative fairness in distribution of benefits and burdens across our service areas, with the goal of reducing racial or income-based inequity associated with facilities and programs.

Having this basic, screening-level understanding of how our service portfolio impacts residents of various demographic backgrounds provides a useful perspective for more detailed assessments, if needed. When considering capital improvements, outreach or planning decisions, these maps help assess the potential impacts of new actions as they relate to current service levels and spatial demographics.

Using GIS maps, DNRP has identified relationships between basic demographic characteristics and selected outcomes, including:

• The proximity of residents of various race and income levels to potentially undesirable facilities (e.g. transfer stations, pump stations);
• The proximity of residents of various race and income levels to desirable facilities (e.g. regional trails) or services; and
• The degree that residents of various race and income levels utilize services and/or are impacted by community conditions

Approach

DNRP's method for assessing the equity of facility and service distribution includes these steps:

1. Map King County census block groups using six categories of race and income
2. Plot selected DNRP facilities, service levels, and/or impact areas
3. Create facility or program "catchment areas" by buffering appropriate distance from the facility or program location to include the affected areas
4. Identify resident demographics in catchment areas
5. Benefit assessment — Determine demographics of block groups living closer to selected desirable facilities or those receiving higher DNRP services levels
6. Burden assessment — Determine demographics of block groups living closer to selected facilities or receiving lower levels of DNRP services
7. Compare demographics of those in "catchment areas" with countywide averages
8. Summarize and map the findings
9. Identify if degree of disproportionality is significant enough to warrant a program response

Scope of Initial Assessment

The following topics have been mapped or are proposed for mapping in early '08:

1. Parks and Recreation Division—regional trail access, open space and park distribution.
2. Wastewater Treatment Division—location of wastewater conveyance facilities and treatment plants.
3. Solid Waste Division—locations of transfer stations, WasteMobile stops, Take-It-Back Network participants
4. Water and Land Resources Division—locations of drainage complaints and technical assist visits

Below are maps and charts that help present the findings from this effort. Please contact richard.gelb@kingcounty.gov with follow-up questions on methods or results.