UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Architecture & Urban Planning: Find Data

Searching for Data

Before you start your search consider:

What is your research question? What type of data or statistical information do you need?
Who or what organizations are also interested in your research question? Who would create or manage that information? What data sources have been used to answer topics related to the same or similar research questions (for example, those found in literature reviews)
What geographical location does your data need to cover? National, state, county, municipality, census tract, etc?
How is the data collected? What is the methodology or unit of analysis?
When was the data collected? What is the time period you want to investigate? How frequently is the data collected?

What is meant by "the built environment"?

The Built Environment includes the buildings in which we live and work, the roads that we take to get there, the structures we've built to help move electricity, water, and other resources around the globe--changes that human beings have made to the earth.

This data can be useful for answering questions like:

What buildings or utilities are present at my place of interest? What are they and what are they used for?
What roads connect point A and B? What kind of road are they? What is the fastest route?
What do we use this land for? What could I expect to find happening at my site?

These examples barely scratch the surface, but are demonstrative.

Who has this data? Where can I find it?

Built environment data is often maintained at the municipal to state government level (in the U.S.) and at similar administrative levels internationally. The level of detail required to collect this information often requires expensive surveying as part of long-term, stable programs such as county level Registers of Deeds, Land Information Offices, and Regional Planning Commissions.

In Wisconsin, this data is typically available on county land information websites or web mapping applications, from regional planing commissions, or, less often, on municipal websites. This data is also highly likely to be included in geospatial data clearinghouses such as the collection at the AGS Library at UW-Milwaukee or at the Robinson Map Library at the University of Wisconsin. Much of this data is available on Geodata@Wisconsin.

In this section

You will find tutorials for using four frequently used data portals where data related to the built environment can be found:

GeoData@Wisconsin - Developed and maintained by UW Madison Geography Department's Robinson Map Library and the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office.

Includes: Tax Parcels and Assessment Data, Streets, Land Use, Address Points, Municipalities, Zoning, Hydrography, Building Footprints, and more.

City of Milwaukee - Sites developed and maintained by the City of Milwaukee.

Includes: Housing and properties, Land Use, Streets, and more.

Milwaukee County Data Portal - Developed and maintained by Milwaukee County

Includes: Comprehensive basemap data, real estate and properties, transportation, utilities, and more.

City of Chicago Data Portal - Developed and maintained by the City of Chicago

Includes: Buildings, Facilities, Historic Preservation, Parks & Recreation, Public Safety, Sanitation, Transportation, and more.

Most commonly requested built environment data

Bike routes/paths/infrastructure
Building footprints
Bus routes and stops
Historic urban growth
Land Use
Sidewalks
Streets

Parcels
Parks
Public Buildings/Schools
Railways
Real Estate & Property
Trails
Zoning

Find Government Data and Statistics

Search or browse the USA.gov departments and agency index to determine which department or agency collects data on your topic. Look for "library", "resources", or "research" on agency websites to find published data.

Browse Census Bureau topics and subtopics to help find the information you need.

Data.gov
Data.gov provides access to federal, state and local open datasets. Search or browse non-sensitive government data and tools in a variety of formats, covering topics such as business, health, education, science, and much more.
Census Data
The U.S. Census Bureau interface for distributing the Decennial Census of Population and Housing, the Economic Census, the American Community Survey, annual economic surveys, and other upcoming major related statistical files. This site is the primary source for the Census and the current economic census reports. The site is updated regularly with new data as it becomes available to the public.

USASpending.gov
USAspending is the official open data source of federal spending information,
including information about federal awards such as contracts, grants, and loans.
My Tribal Area - US Census Bureau
Access select datasets collected from the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population from the American Community Survey (ACS).
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.
Housing and Urban Development Data Sets
Data sets provided by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administration.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Data
Master list of databases, tables, and Calulators by subject of all data collected and reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is your source of accurate and objective data about the nation's economy. BEA's economists produce some of the world's most closely watched statistics, including U.S. gross domestic product, better known as GDP, as well as state and local numbers, foreign trade and investment stats and industry data.
Data USA
Visualization tool for open U.S. Government data on geographic locations, occupations, industries, and more. Map, compare, and download data, e.g. median household income by state.
City of Milwaukee Open Data
Under the City's 2016 Open Data Policy, there is now a open data portal for City of Milwaukee data. Topics Include: Aldermanic districts, voting wards, neighborhoods, police districts, properties, parcels, streets, schools, snow removal, leaf collection, streetcar routes and stops, neighborhood strategic planning areas, and more.
Milwaukee County Open Data
This is the GIS open data portal for Milwaukee County. The Topo-Planimetric county-wide data download offers users some of the most comprehensive basemap data available for Milwaukee County, including natural and man-made features. The Cadastral county-wide data download includes basemap information about real estate and property. Each are available county-wide or for specific areas.