Communities Speak is a collaboration between the Urban and Social Policy Program at the School of International and Public Affairs with city governments and city-wide networks of community organizations and not-for-profit partners.

We aim to expand community data collection in cities in order to increase the government's capacity to develop policy in response to unanticipated economic and social shocks. In turn, our goal is to improve the government’s responsiveness to the needs of low-income and minority populations as well as small businesses, who tend to experience the greatest adverse impacts from these shocks.

What is Communities Speak?

Communities Speak aims to increase the diversity and influence of community voices in policy-making by developing data-driven dialogue between community leaders, constituents, and governments. With the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Communities Speak was founded by Columbia University to provide training to cities to help identify resident needs and shape policy, using powerful data tools that strategically integrate participation from a network of community partners. It is the mission of Communities Speak to offer a capacity-building framework to understand and elevate the needs of local communities to policy-makers through stakeholder-driven data analysis. By equipping city officials with the tools to collect and analyze real-time economic and social data on community needs, cities can more effectively deliver results for residents. The Communities Speak model for data collection with community partners was developed and piloted in New York City.

The Framework

Our framework for data collection and analysis empowers cities to develop evidence-based policy that reflects community needs during crises, as well as normal periods of governance.

Micro-level Data Collection

Collecting targeted individual-level microdata through surveys of individuals and small businesses at regular intervals and during crises, allowing for an in-depth and differentiated understanding of socioeconomic issues affecting diverse demographic groups and small business types.

Strategic Partnerships

Building strong strategic partnerships with community organizations, not-for-profits, and government agencies allows us to develop a survey which better reflects the issues that impact these communities and to ensure, through their outreach efforts, that our sample is representative of all communities in the city.

Data Sharing & Policy Recommendations

Data will be readily available on digital platforms, such as the Communities Speak website, to aid government agencies, local organizations, and researchers to develop targeted, community-based programs and  evidence-based policy. Survey data analysis and ongoing engagement with community organizations will enable city government officials and local community leaders to propose programs and formulate policies that can target needs and evaluate the impact of those interventions.

Creating a Toolkit for Cities

Communities Speak has developed a framework and practical tool for city governments and policy-makers to collect, analyze,  and share policy-relevant micro-level data. The data collection and analysis framework can be adapted by any city, enabling local governments to develop evidence-based policy in partnership with its residents.