How Our Map Supports Your Organizing

Here's what our map does to support your work, beneath the skin! 

The map facilitates the creation of a community mailing list for each lot based on people's interests in engaging with others to start a project there. People can engage by organizing a lot. Organizers also receive email notifications when other people start watching or organizing on this lot, or leave a note. When an organizer signs up, they can chose to display your contact information for others to see. 

The map also facilitates coordinated efforts to communicate with and lobby officials who have the power to grant access to vacant sites, in two distinct ways:

- ONE: For every lot, there is a place where anyone can leave notes that everyone can see about the lot, its history and their efforts to organize around it. These get sent to all the organizers. 

- TWO: All organizers get regular emails reminding them who the decision-makers are, what their contact information is and sharing some tips for a phone call to them. 

The map supports a citywide network of organizers who are working to reclaim vacant land and can support one another. An administrator who is logged in can send a message to everyone in the network who is an organizer, regardless of where they are organizing or to send only to organizers in a particular area. 

Thanks to Conspire Films you can see an older version of the map helping make real change in the world in the film below.