What is a Distressed Community?
The Distressed Communities layer visualizes regions identified as economically distressed. These areas often face significant economic challenges, such as high poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to essential services. A "distressed community" is defined by a combination of socio-economic factors, including income levels, job opportunities, and community infrastructure.
The distress score is a metric that reflects the severity of economic hardship in a community, calculated by aggregating factors like poverty rate, unemployment, and population change. Higher distress scores indicate greater economic challenges.
Why is the Distressed Communities Layer Important for Developers?
Understanding the boundaries of distressed communities is crucial for developers, especially those involved in projects impacted by the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This program provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and small businesses in rural areas for renewable energy projects. By identifying distressed communities, developers can prioritize projects in areas that may qualify for additional funding or incentives under programs like REAP.
How to Turn On the Distressed Communities Layer
To activate the Distressed Communities Layer, users can follow these steps:
- Log in to AcreValue: Ensure you are logged into your AcreValue account.
- Navigate to the map: Go to the map section of AcreValue.
- Map Layers menu: Locate the Map Layers menu at the top left corner of the map.
- Select Water District: Within the Map Layers menu, find the option to show or hide Distressed Communities. Toggle this option to display the Distressed Communities layer on the map.
- Explore: Pan, zoom, and explore the map to see water districts across your area of interest. The Distressed Communities layer is available to users with a Premium or Enterprise subscription or higher. Purchase a subscription here: Purchase AcreValue Premium.
Common Ways to Combine the Distressed Communities Layer with Other AcreValue Tools
Try using the Distressed Communities layer with other AcreValue tools, such as:
- Energy Infrastructure Layers: Developers targeting areas for renewable energy projects can use the energy infrastructure map layers, like transmission lines and substations, identify potential landowners in distressed regions and initiate contact.
- Soil Productivity & Land Use Maps: Developers and investors can cross-reference distressed areas with highly productive soils or specific land uses to identify opportunities for rural development, investment, or renewable energy projects.
- Absentee landowner filter: For users involved in marketing or land development, combining the Distressed Communities layer with the absentee landowner filter helps target specific landowners within communities eligible for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which can be useful for outreach efforts.