Using Instagram to Create a Blight Inventory

The Innovation Team in Mobile shows that sometimes innovation can be delivered through commonplace technology.

1 minute read

December 6, 2015, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


J.B. Wogan reports on the surprisingly low-cost solution developed in Mobile, Alabama: using the image and mapping capabilities of the popular social media app Instagram to make an initial survey of the city's blighted properties.

After receiving a $1.65 million grant last December as one of the Bloomberg Philanthropies "Innovation Teams," Joan Dunlap and her team in Mobile was able to implement Instagram at no cost to fill a badly needed survey need to begin to document the location and scale of the city's blighted properties:

"The city could create an account and send code enforcement officers to take photos of blighted properties. The app would automatically document the general location of the photo and its mapping function allowed the mayor’s team to see where the biggest concentrations of blight were. Unlike the 311 call data, it was easily accessible from any workers’ computer and could be updated as officers found more properties."

In effect, Instagram helped kick start the effort by gathering data that the city previously could not access. After the initial, Instagram-enabled survey, the Mobile's Geographic Information Systems department provided "a better app that allows [code enforcement] to pinpoint the exact locations of each property." In the end, the city was able to collect data and begin to build a strategy for mitigating 1,256 blighted properties, according to Wogan.

Friday, November 20, 2015 in Governing

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today