The research project Platforms and Passageways explores the informational walls that inhibit resettlement and reconstruction in the aftermath of war and disaster. It draws on research in post-conflict zones in Colombia to develop methods and tools for gathering, displaying, and sharing the information needed to support long-term reconstruction planning.

More than five million Colombians are still internally displaced after three decades of conflict, but a steady decrease of fighting in the municipality of San Carlos in Eastern Antioquia—the project’s focal area—has resulted in large-scale voluntary return. The situation has created unprecedented alliances of municipal, departmental, and national government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private sector. As these groups undertake the enormous project of return and reconstruction, the coordination of information is a persistent problem.

The class project builds upon a collaborative security initiative that produced a set of color-coded maps showing the security status of 76 San Carlos villages. The maps presented important information in a way that all involved parties could understand. This security-assessment methodology was then adapted for use in village development plans, through an effort that brought course co-instructor Erin Parish and undergraduates in Duke’s BorderWork(s) Lab into collaboration with the municipal government of San Carlos and the International Organization of Migration. Their work drew on knowledge assembled by the municipal government after two years of creating participatory budgets at the village and neighborhood level.

Platforms and Passageways builds upon these earlier efforts. Using a variety of cartographic techniques, students in the project are helping to develop methods and data visualization tools to illustrate the status of a wide range of community resources, such as education, infrastructure, community organization, and the environment.

Research for this project takes place not only in the lab but in the field, in Colombia, where students consult with municipal officials and community members to test and refine their work. The hope is to develop tools that can be scaled up for national or international policy making and scaled down for village level planning, monitoring, and evaluation.