The web has the potential to be a great equalizer of opportunity. It’s a chance for people who have traditionally not had equal access information customarily reserved for those with the fortune or the fortunes to access it. ReadWriteWeb has posted an article on just such an enabler of equal information, MoveSmart.org.

The website argues that “[u]ntil now, information on neighborhoods has been buried in the back of academic reports, pinned to community center bulletin boards, and locked in data sets only available to planners, inaccessible to those who would benefit from it the most: housing seekers looking for a better neighborhood.” Focusing on the Chicago area, the site seeks to use social networks, mashups, forums and other tools to allow home seekers with limited resources to access better housing resources with the goal of economic and racial integration.

Community is a big deal. It brings people together, gives them something in common and gives them a reason to be concerned for each others’ wellbeing. Hopefully, this project is a success and prompts an expansion or similar programs in other cities. Hopefully, municipalities will embrace this type of solution as a means to revitalize parts of their cities that have fallen by the wayside and utilize them to build more vibrant, integrated communities.

You can watch a video of the organization’s vision for the project below: