Planning for climate justice: digital mapping as an interdisciplinary tool for alleviating inequalities

Planning for a future within the climate emergency context is increasingly drawing on the use of spatially analysed data and mapping the outputs to convey evidence in important decision making. In order to address the climate change emergency, we make the case for a mapping system that encompasses the triple bottom line of sustainability: environmental, economic and social value. While the environmental and economic maps can be formulated reasonably well out of existing data, the ‘missing map’ is the map of social value which should be co-created with communities on an ongoing basis. This chapter explores the advent of digital mapping in England, with a focus on social value. This has been explored primarily through a series of interviews with ‘PropTech’ experts in social value and planning, with desk research and industry feedback to sense check. Social value is being collated in a variety of different ways but what is lacking is a standardised framework, and associated symbology, for capturing social value datasets and including them on maps. Social issues are at the core of policies in many countries and the EU, but it is impossible to improve without knowing what is there at the start. We argue that interdisciplinary working between professionals is necessary to make resourceful, robust and inclusive use of data mapping, necessary to ensure climate justice.