Dumped on the Market: Visualizing Waste and Value Using Location Analytics

Urban infrastructure decisions, particularly those related to waste management, have long-term spatial, economic, and social consequences, yet they are frequently made with limited visibility into their distributional effects. This study asks how proximity to landfill sites influences residential property values and how can spatial and information systems guide more equitable policy decisions. Focusing on the Middle Tennessee region, we integrate Zillow Home Value Index data (2000–2025) with spatial analytics in ArcGIS Pro to assess the impact of both active and closed landfills. Buffer-zone analyses reveal a stark distance-decay pattern: properties within one mile of an active landfill experience a 30–50% decline in market value compared to homes five miles away. These losses persist for the landfill’s operation, with only partial recovery following closure. This research contributes to the IS field by demonstrating the critical role of spatial decision support systems (SDSS) in complex, high-stakes policy environments. Drawing from theories of decision support (Arnott & Pervan, 2005; Shim et al., 2002) and sociotechnical systems (Sarker et al., 2019), we show that fragmented data infrastructures, institutional silos, and low inter-jurisdictional coordination, not technical limitations, hinder the adoption of more sustainable alternatives like waste-to-energy (WtE) in rural communities. By integrating spatial analytics with administrative and economic data, SDSS enable a multi-dimensional view of public infrastructure decisions, making visible who benefits, who bears the cost, and where inequities concentrate. Rather than viewing urban infrastructure as a purely environmental or urban planning concern, we position this issue as a systems problem of information asymmetry, data fragmentation, and limited analytical capacity. The study advances the IS discipline by illustrating how digital and spatial information systems can reshape public sector decision-making. It calls for a broader view of IS as foundational to designing inclusive civic infrastructures.