Chicago Fair Trade Outlets Fair Trade Inc. Kathrine Angyal-Barton Mark Van Opstal Paul Ruiz Brian McCormick GEO 242 June 12, 20082 Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3 Needs Assessment………………………………………………………………………………...3 Data Acquisition………………………………………………………………………………….4 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………..6 Project Results……………………………………………………………………………………7 Summary………………………………………………………………………………………….8 Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………………………………………...11 Technical Appendices…………………………………………………………………………..123 Introduction To main objective is to create a multi-layered map illustrating the precise location of every Fair Trade organization (FT outlets) in Chicago. These will be broken down into FT stores, FT cafes and restaurants, FT faith based organizations, FT organizations. Data requirements for this project are included in our need-to-know questions: the number of fair trade outlets per ward; the number of Fair Trade outlets per community area (FT outlets density). The population per ward will also be highlighted, as well as income levels. These questions will be implemented by collecting and deriving data from each type Fair Trade outlet, (stores, café and restaurants, faith based and miscellaneous). In order to answer why Fair Trade options are available in some neighborhoods and not available in others, it is important to examine the need-to-know questions and relationship between fair trade outlet density; income level; and population density. The software requirements that will be our tools in answering these questions for our project include geocoding; digitizing; data transfer; data management; data manipulation; coordinate transformation; image georeferencing; analysis; overlay; and spatial interpolation. This information is important because not only do we want to show where fair trade options are located, but we want to know why they are located where they are. The software functions listed above will make this map informative yet still relatively easy to understand. Needs Assessment Given the near endless possibilities of GIS applications, we have agreed on our initial meeting with Colin Woodrow (our Chicago Fair Trade representative) that we will attempt to meet on a weekly basis. In doing so, Chicago Fair Trade will be regularly updated on the progress of this project and Colin Woodrow will serve as the intermediary, providing us with feedback and any additional data. Initial data gathered included three sets of data that break down in two distinctive categories: selling outlets (cafes, stores, restaurants), and serving institutions (schools, universities, congregations, CFT member organizations, hospitals, and workplaces). Combined with a set of layers of Chicago’s wards and community areas, this has provided us with a clear illustration of Fair Trade outlets in the region. It has also built a solid foundation on which to expand the project to fully suit Chicago Fair Trade needs. Ultimately, Chicago Fair Trade’s hope is that this information will spur further involvement of people in Fair Trade through these organizations, consumption of goods, and politicizing this issue. Similar to any retail business, Fair Trade establishments need a mechanism to analyze their markets as well as reach consumers. For the consumers/residents/voters who visit the Chicago Fair Trade website, GIS is the tool that will facilitate this interaction and provide solutions to questions like where can people buy Fair Trade items? Where are a majority of Fair Trade establishments located? What is the demographic in these areas? Are there areas are not being served by Fair Trade? Why is this? Political initiatives also play a role in making Fair Trade more accessible. What are some of the ways we can apply pressure to the alderman of theses wards to allow for fair trade establishments to open? The Bristol Fair Trade City campaign is an example of how fair trade4 consumption can be spatially related and why it’s crucial that the Alderman around Chicago feel pressured to be more progressive in implementing Fair Trade policies. “The campaign enlisted the jurisdictional governance of the local authority, including the introduction of the Fair Trade procurement practices. As a result, employees, residents and visitors became Fair Trade consumers, knowingly or unknowingly, when visiting the canteens and restaurants of the local authority and other significant sites and institutions in the city. The Fair Trade City campaign can therefore be seen to have deployed ideas of place, fairness and local–global relations” (Barrnett, 2007). In addition to making an argument to open more Fair Trade establishments in a particular ward or community area, we want to make people feel that Fair Trade is progressive and ethically based through our map. The vehicle to deliver this message will be through faith-based organizations, schools and community groups looking to improve the area they live in. This will further grow the amount of Fair Trade establishments and organizations within wards and communities and make people want to go there. Data Acquisition Data Set Name: Fair Trade File Name: FT outlets Description: Data collected from Chicago Fair Trade, containing information from fair trade organizations, suppliers and retailer in Cook County. The data included names and street addresses. Source of the data: From Colin Woodrow at Chicago Fair Trade Processing steps: 1) Converted excel files to dbase files. 2) Geocoded the addresses Spatial object type: point Attributes: Field name Name of FT outlets Addresses Street name, number and city Data format: shapefile Data Set Name: Census Tracts File Name: 1. Census Tracts5 2. Chicago city wards from city of Chicago GIS website 3. Chicago neighborhoods Description: Census data obtained from