From Informal Addresses to Reliable Places: Participatory Data Governance of Civic Addressing in Puerto Rico

TL;DR

This paper explores participatory data governance for civic addressing in Puerto Rico, introducing Reliable Places as transitional artifacts to improve geolocation-based services amid address gaps.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach using Reliable Places to facilitate civic addressing and service delivery in areas lacking formal addresses, supported by a project with FEMA and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Findings

Reliable Places enable effective geolocation in absence of formal addresses.

Participatory governance improves civic addressing reliability.

The approach supports transition toward formal civic address assignment.

Abstract

This paper examines civic addressing as a problem of participatory data governance. Drawing on a project developed through the U.S. Census Bureau's The Opportunity Project with engagement from FEMA, we describe the use of actionable geolocations to support services where formal addresses are absent. We introduce Reliable Places as transitional governance artifacts through which place reliability emerges via use, enabling services while supporting pathways toward formal civic address assignment.