The JKA Group includes James Kent Associates (a consulting firm for visioning and management); Natural Borders LLC (human geography and mapping company); and the Center for Social Ecology and Public Policy, Inc. (a non-profit arm researching the social and natural networks in communities).
Activities
“Social Ecology”—Visioning, social and economic assessment, public participation and mobilization, human geographic mapping, issue management.
Relevant Projects
- Grand Valley (CO) 2020 Vision—see Case Study
- Sierra County, NV—Heart and soul themes recur in the Comprehensive Plan created for this county, resulting from JKA’s use of the Discovery Process and other relevant methods.
- Human Geographic Mapping in Oregon – Geographic mapping of social units on multiple levels: neighborhood resource units, community resource units, human resource units, social resource units, cultural resource units, and global resource units. The mapping process recognizes that human needs and activities are not confined by political boundaries or even ecosystem boundaries, though the sometimes correlate; rather, humans form distinct groups for utilizing and providing resources.
Relevant Methodologies
The Discovery Process (see Processes) forms the base and beginning of JKA’s consulting projects. JKA attempts to characterize a community from the bottom up—relying upon typically citizens participating in their daily routines. This information can be used later in human geographic mapping or issue management.
Region
Global; focus on Rocky Mountain West.
More Information
http://www.naturalborders.com/index.html
P.O. Box 1267
Basalt, CO 81621
970-927-4424 (phone)