Community indicators
Encyclopedia
Community indicators are "measurements that provide information about past and current trends and assist planners and community leaders in making decisions that affect future outcomes". They provide insight into the overall direction of a community: whether it is improving, declining, or staying the same, or is some mix of all three.
In essence, indicators are measurements that reflect the interplay between social, environmental,and economic factors affecting a region’s or community’s well-being
. Community indicators projects typically are conducted by nonprofit organizations
within a community, although in some cases they are initiated by the public sector.
initiated the development of local surveys for measuring industrial, educational, recreational, and other factors. The processes used by the Sage Foundation are similar to those that reemerged during the 1990s. But the difference today is the use of indicators to consider the full spectrum of a community’s well-being, not just isolated factors. Nowadays, indicators are used by many constituencies within a community
. After a decade of renewed attention to community indicators, they now represent a valuable mechanism to improve monitoring and evaluation in planning.
Russell Sage Foundation employed “over two thousand local surveys taken on education, recreation, public health
, crime, and general social conditions” to assess social conditions. The first survey was conducted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. (Interestingly,in the late 1990s, Pittsburgh has again embraced indicators, with its Sustainable Pittsburgh Goals and Indicators Project.) Many of the surveys used
by the Sage Foundation were conducted by nonprofit organizations, such as chambers of commerce
and citizen committees. These surveys yielded social trends indicators and were popular until the Great Depression
and World War II, when economic measures such as the gross domestic product
or gross national product
indicators took greater precedence.
, economic and environmental
data and information around objectives:
14–18.
In essence, indicators are measurements that reflect the interplay between social, environmental,and economic factors affecting a region’s or community’s well-being
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
. Community indicators projects typically are conducted by nonprofit organizations
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
within a community, although in some cases they are initiated by the public sector.
History of community indicators
Community indicators are not a new concept; they have been in introduced since 1910, when the Russell Sage FoundationRussell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation is the principal American foundation devoted exclusively to research in the social sciences. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in New York City, the foundation is a research center, a funding source for studies by scholars at other institutions, and a key member of the...
initiated the development of local surveys for measuring industrial, educational, recreational, and other factors. The processes used by the Sage Foundation are similar to those that reemerged during the 1990s. But the difference today is the use of indicators to consider the full spectrum of a community’s well-being, not just isolated factors. Nowadays, indicators are used by many constituencies within a community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
. After a decade of renewed attention to community indicators, they now represent a valuable mechanism to improve monitoring and evaluation in planning.
Russell Sage Foundation employed “over two thousand local surveys taken on education, recreation, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, crime, and general social conditions” to assess social conditions. The first survey was conducted in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. (Interestingly,in the late 1990s, Pittsburgh has again embraced indicators, with its Sustainable Pittsburgh Goals and Indicators Project.) Many of the surveys used
by the Sage Foundation were conducted by nonprofit organizations, such as chambers of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and citizen committees. These surveys yielded social trends indicators and were popular until the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II, when economic measures such as the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
or gross national product
Measures of national income and output
A variety of measures of national income and output are used in economics to estimate total economic activity in a country or region, including gross domestic product , gross national product , and net national income . All are specially concerned with counting the total amount of goods and...
indicators took greater precedence.
Community Information Systems Objectives
Community Information Systems (CIS) bring together a wide range of community indicators - socialSocial
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
, economic and environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
data and information around objectives:
- Monitoring the health, social well-being and sustainability of communities through the management of Quality of Life indicators;
- Bringing together government performance indicators and community targeted indicators into a single solution;
- Widening the use of data by citizens and public officials to support decision-making, improve policy and target resources;
- Providing a wider local intelligence context to key performance indicatorsKey performance indicatorsA performance indicator or key performance indicator is an industry jargon for a type of performance measurement.. KPIs are commonly used by an organization to evaluate its success or the success of a particular activity in which it is engaged...
for government officials; - Communicating outcome measures to citizens, stimulating public debate and building confidence in progress towards societal goals.
Further reading
- Ammons, D. N. 1996. Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community StandardsCommunity standardsCommunity standards are local norms bounding acceptable conduct. Sometimes these standards can be itemized in a list that states the community's values and sets guidelines for participation in the community...
. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage PublicationsSAGE PublicationsSAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
. - Andrews, J. H. 1996. “Planning Practice: Going by the Numbers.” Planning, September,
14–18.
- Besleme, Kate, and Megan Mullin. 1997. “Community Indicators and Healthy Communities.” National Civic Review 86, no. 1: 43–52.
External links
- Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network
- Community Indicators Consortium
- Community Indicators Initiative Of Spokane
- Community indicator Victoria
- Bournemouth Council UK, levels of social deprivation
- Community Indicator Blog by Ben Warner
- Community Information Systems & InstantAtlas
- DataHaven, New Haven Community Indicators Website
- South Australia's Strategic Plan
- Santa Cruz County Community Assessment Project Website
- Jacksonville County Council Inc. - Community Snapshot Project
- Pinellas Community Indicators - Pinellas County, Florida, USA