Salisbury— Mayor Jake Day is pleased to announce the success of a recent housing study conducted within the City this past summer. The City of Salisbury partnered with Salisbury University and the Eastern Shore GIS Cooperative to conduct a survey of residences within City limits. The goal of this study was to collect non-biased data relating to structures within the City in order to better determine the percentage of structures that are negligible, moderate or at severe risk of blight.
While this was the first study of its kind in the lower Eastern Shore counties, this same study was successfully conducted in 16 cities and towns throughout the Mid-Shore Region, including Denton, Cambridge, Easton, Trappe and Goldsboro.
Researchers were in the field from June to August of 2019, filling out weighted survey forms pertaining to each property. Factors taken into consideration when evaluating properties included the condition and appearance of the structure, the properties themselves and adjacent public utilities. Data was then gathered and condensed by the teams involved to provide an interactive, online map which outlines areas and properties that are at risk of blight.
This research will also be very useful in the upcoming 2020 Census count next April, in which an accurate population count is necessary, as it funds most of the state and services and programs within the regional area. This data will aid Census 2020 in establishing “count” areas and population estimates in order to achieve a complete count of our community.
“We are so pleased with the outcome of this study,” shared Mayor Jake Day. “The data are already helping us to better identify and predict houses and properties which are no longer livable, or are at risk of succumbing to blight. Armed with this information, we are able to better plan, budget, and distribute resources to both mitigate blight and reduce the probability of at-risk areas becoming blighted.”
Now that this baseline of data has been established, subsequent housing surveys can now be conducted that will provide data on how well services and programs perform when it comes to improving conditions. Additionally, the City hopes that by piloting this survey program, other counties and municipalities in the Lower Eastern Shore will follow suit and conduct their own surveys in order to benefit their communities as well.
The data and results of this study can be viewed on the City of Salisbury website under the Public GIS Services tab or following this link: https://salisbury.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1963e82189564f5b85525ab3763c74a2
