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Research & Projects

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Research

At the Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities, we employ a community-based participatory approach, combining academic research with real-world applications. 

Our focus areas include:

  • Housing Affordability: Addressing affordable housing in rural areas and small cities.
  • Effective Community Collaboration: Exploring factors for successful collective action.
  • Capacity Building: Assisting local governments and nonprofits to increase organizational and community capacity to address large-scale problems.
  • Rural Response to Economic Development: Analyzing social impacts of rapid economic development, like the Hyundai Metaplant, on rural communities.
  • Health and Community Wellbeing: Investigating the links between social factors and overall rural community wellbeing.

Community-Engaged Projects

At the Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities, our projects are rooted in partnership, data-informed decision-making and meaningful community engagement. From facilitating affordable housing surveys to hosting data-driven public events, IVEC works alongside local organizations and residents to identify needs, inspire dialogue and support sustainable solutions. Explore our ongoing and recent initiatives below to see how we’re helping build stronger, more resilient communities across Georgia.

The Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities collaborated with Housing Savannah to develop an affordable housing needs assessment survey, which was then facilitated at the February 2024 Housing Savannah Summit. Following the summit, the institute continued its partnership by surveying subsequent focus groups hosted by Housing Savannah. This collaborative effort aimed to gather community informed data on affordable housing needs within the community to inform future housing policies and initiatives.

United Way and the Institute for Vibrant and Engaged Communities partnered to host three successful ALICE Data Walk events. These events aimed to engage community members in discussions about local challenges and inspire positive change. Participants were grouped and able to view the data at each station and discuss various aspects of the community such as Health, Affordable Housing, Affordable Childcare, Adult Literacy, 3rd Grade Reading, and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). At the end, all participants came together to discuss what they learned and how they thought they could work together to improve the community. The data collected from these discussions at the data walk events aims to discover the community needs for the 10 United Waymini-grants.

The event featured an engaging discussion about the role of trusted news media in promoting transparency and accountability in local government. The panelists explored the importance of ensuring that citizens could access accurate information, which allowed them to be informed and engaged in local government decision-making. The audience asked questions and engaged with the panelists in a lively conversation. The event provided an insightful and interactive opportunity to delve into news media’s vital role in local governance.

Graduate Assistants Edie and Ebow presented a poster at the GS4 Student Scholars Symposium with their initial findings from the Housing Savannah Affordable Housing Survey.