Youth-Led Community Asset Mapping
- Dec 9, 2025
- 2 min read
Youth as Experts
Who knows a community better than the residents who live there? That's the question that the Climate Impact Innovators set out to answer during the December 9th community asset mapping workshop.
The belief that community members, including youth, are experts of their own community is the foundational idea of asset mapping. A tool used by planners and community engagement practitioners, asset mapping allows residents to identify the resources that strengthen their community and challenges the deficit-based thinking that often characterizes planning processes. The spatial aspect of asset mapping also allows residents and planners alike to notice how far or how close resources are and where there may be opportunities to fill existing gaps.
The youth engaged in an extreme heat asset mapping activity with the goal of identifying places they go to cool down during extreme heat events and other community resources. The youth identified over 90 unique assets across areas such as education, recreation, community organizations, and commercial businesses. Many youth shared resources they were already familiar with and had personally used during extreme heat events.
Check out the asset map below!
Root Causes of Extreme Heat
In the workshop, the youth also explored the root causes of the disproportionate heat burden that Southwest Santa Rosa faces. The program and the Heat Plan highlight that the lack of green space and critical infrastructure in Southwest Santa Rosa did not occur by chance, but are the result of long-term disinvestment and social, economic, and planning decisions.
Knowing this history, the youth are excited to play a role in empowering their community and helping create a cooler Southwest Santa Rosa for all. The youth know that the challenges are not what define their community, but rather the incredible culture, community organizations, and social movements that have emerged to challenge the status quo. While acknowledging that Southwest Santa Rosa is on the frontlines of extreme heat in Sonoma County, the group also recognized the community’s resilience and the many existing resources already in place.
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