Who We Are – Neighborhood Data for Social Change

Who We Are

Neighborhood Data for Social Change (NDSC) is a project within the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate focused on using data to help local civic actors track measurable change, improve local policies and programs, and ultimately advocate for a better quality of life within their communities.

EXPLORE THE MAP

What We Do

Explore Your Neighborhood

View data on the NDSC map across ten different policy areas in LA County neighborhoods, cities and census tracts.

NDSC provides thought partnership and data support services to local community partners, allowing them to use the resources available on NDSC to plan and implement programs, fundraise and communicate the impact of their work.

About the Data

Download and learn more about every dataset on the NDSC platform including the original data sources, available years, and why each variable is important to measure.

Mission

We give you the data and tools you need to make your neighborhood better for your neighbors.

Through novel methodologies, original analysis, and intuitive tools, we make hyperlocal data about neighborhoods and the people who live there discoverable, easily understandable, and actionable. We connect changemakers to the data they need to make changes. In association with USC, the Lusk Center, and the Price School, our goal is to provide services to anyone who wants to improve local policies and ultimately advocate for a better quality of life within their communities.

Vision

Local problems get solved faster.

Data can be used by anyone; it is not gatekept. Policymakers, advocates, and local groups will know how their communities have evolved, what their current situation is, and where they are going – with precise, customizable detail.

History & Guiding Principles

NDSC was conceptualized through a series of stakeholder convenings hosted by the southern California branch of the Federal Reserve over a five year period. Local nonprofits, government agencies, academic institutions, and banks gathered to discuss how a neighborhood data portal could contribute to the policy and advocacy landscape in Los Angeles County. This planning committee uplifted a set of principles that guided the development of NDSC, including accessibility, storytelling, and community.

At the end of the planning process, Dr. Gary Painter and Caroline Bhalla of the USC Price Center for Social Innovation volunteered to build NDSC, and the platform was officially launched in October 2017. The project is guided by a Steering Committee of community-based organizations, government agencies, banks, university/research centers, and private sector partners. Learn more about our partners here.