Are your asset data as good as you think? Conducting a comprehensive census of built assets to improve urban population health

Abstract

Secondary data sources are widely used to measure the built asset environment, although their validity for this purpose is not well-established. Using community-engaged research methodology, this study conducted a census of public-facing, built assets via direct observation and then tested the performance of these data against widely used secondary datasets. After engaging community organizations, a community education campaign was implemented. Using web-enabled cell phones and a web-based application prepopulated with the secondary data, census workers verified, modified, and/or added assets using street-level observation, supplementing data with web searches and telephone calls. Data were uploaded to http://www.SouthSideHealth.org . Using direct observation as the criterion standard, the sensitivity of secondary datasets was calculated. Of 5,773 assets on the prepopulated list, direct observation of public-facing assets verified 1,612 as operating; another 653 operating assets were newly identified. Sensitivity of the commercial list for nonresidential, operating assets was 61 %. Using the asset census as the criterion standard, secondary datasets were incomplete and inaccurate. Comprehensive, accurate built asset data are needed to advance urban health research, inform policy, and improve individuals' access to assets.

Figure 1.

Timeline and key milestones for asset census project; Chicago, IL; 2008–2009.

Figure 2.

Final disposition of all assets; Chicago, IL; 2009. Each asset was indexed as one of the following dispositions: operating (observed in the field and operating), unknown (observed in the field but operating status unknown), or defunct (not operating, not observed in the field, or not eligible base on definition of an asset). Operating and unknown assets were also categorized as nonresidential (physically located in a building primarily used as a commercial space) or residential (physically located in a building used primarily as a private residence). It was not possible to determine if defunct assets were residential or nonresidential.