Sustainable Community Indicators from AIA

Smart Growth Online has a quick heads-up about a new publication from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Center for Communities by Design. They've produced a first draft of a selection of prominent sustainability practices (DOC).

The official description: The information outlined in this document offers a general overview of how-to guidelines, community indicators/benchmarks, and other similar sources as a reference starting point to understand the very broad and wide-ranging field of community sustainability. In particular, this selection is an approach to facilitate Benchmarking Models to Evaluate the Sustainability of a Community in their relationship to the AIA's 10 Principles for Livable Communities Including Benchmarking Models equipping both architects and their communities implementing sustainable practices.

What I find interesting is the discussion of urban amenity indicators and urban design indicators, and the recognition that no single standard set of indicators would accurately reflect the changing circumstances and preferences of every urban situation. Instead, they provide examples and case studies that help conceptualize how you might build an indicator set that would describe whether your community is sustainable.

Take a look, then check out the other publications from AIA.

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More Maps and Mapping Tools

As a follow-up to the earlier post on mapping, I thought I'd share a couple of interesting websites.

The first is called simply strange maps. It's a collection of maps, some very old, some remarkably new, that get you to think about the world a little differently. The United States of Florida hits pretty close to home, but it's an interesting way to take data and display it in a way that the audience sits up and takes notice. And, reminding me of an earlier map we saw of soft-drink naming conventions, here's a map that divides the country by fans of professional baseball teams.

The second site I'd like to direct your attention to is a blog called Google Maps Mania. The blog keeps you up-to-date on mapping tools and mashups, as well as instructional pieces on how to create and search user-created content in Google maps, examples of interesting maps people have made, games involving maps, and other mapping-related blogs.

Now take the time to check out one last mapping site -- Matt Jones' Wikimapia blog. It's what you need to know to use Wikimapia, especially if you want to get beyond the official Wikimapia blog. (If you haven't peeked at Wikimapia, do so! Google doesn't own everything .... yet.)

What other mapping sites do you recommend for those interested in different ways to display community indicators?

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Interrelatedness of QOL Indicators

Wayne Seville has an excellent post at his blog, Greetings from Route 50. His piece on Quality of Life demonstrates clearly how arts and culture is linked with medical care and community health which is linked to economic development which is linked to higher education and so forth. But he says it much better, and he has pictures, so I'd like to send you over there to take a look.

These conversations are happening across the world. In Harlingen, Texas, folks are wrestling (rasslin'?) with what quality of life means for their community. Erie, Pennsylvania is looking at national quality of life rankings (PDF) as a key piece to economic revitalization. The City of North Las Vegas, Nevada is asking its residents to take a quality of life survey as part of its efforts to see if they are meeting their strategic plan.

And it's not just in the U.S. Just this week, Hong Kong is paying attention to measures of the quality of life, and Toronto is looking at quality-of-life impacts related to budget cuts while Montreal gloats.

You have new urbanists looking at quality of life factors to encourage sustainable neighborhoods, and environmentalists calling on quality-of-life reasons to stop drilling in neighborhoods.

All in all, it's a great time to be reaching out and pulling together and building networks of people interested in measuring the quality of life in communities. It's that important, and the time is now.

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Indicators on Two Wheels: Measuring Bicycles?

Some time back, I had run across a MySpace page arguing that bicyclists are social indicators.

I had thought this interesting, and began an article about it, but once you got past the first sentence or two, there wasn't much more to be said -- I thought.

For the record, here's the first couple sentences of the MySpace article: "Bicyclists are social indicators. The number of people riding and commuting by bicycle can tell us something about the communities in which we live in." While I suspected that was true, I wasn't quite sure what that "something" was.

After all, in one part of the area I live in, we have an extraordinarily high number of accidents involving bicyclists. Anecdotally, I've been told by someone working in the field that the number of bicycle accidents are proportional to DUI's resulting in suspended licenses, leading to a rise of "bicycling while intoxicated" that can be more deadly than being back behind the wheel, though less of a threat to others. But I don't think that's the "something" that the number-of-bicyclists indicator would tell us.

Then I ran across Richard Layman's blog. He references a Sacramento Bee article called Cycle City? in which Peter Jacobsen "points to a key 'indicator species,' the female cyclist. Their numbers on the road, he argues, are a direct measure of the perceived safety of cycling and its likelihood to catch on with the general population."

Bicyclists as a measure of the popularity of bicycling doesn't seem like such an exciting indicator. But bicyclists as a measure of perceptions of safety and of urban renewal and the development of neighborhoods? That's a lot more interesting.

Richard Layman continues:

And midtown is a logical incubator for cycling. It's where trips tend to be shorter and more easily manageable on two wheels. Midtown is packed with destinations for younger folks, with lots of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. In my own informal survey of these young cruisers, cycling was cited as a great way to avoid DUIs when you're enjoying midtown's nightlife.

They also mention greater ease of parking. And of course midtown's numerous bike lanes -- with more on the way -- contribute a sense of safety. But I think the key element is the compactness of midtown.

Now we're getting somewhere. (And the DUI's got thrown in too!) But cycling as an indicator of responsible, compact development patterns and smart growth management is intriguing. And cyclists as a measure of how well a community is attracting the creative class is another. And I'm sure there are community health implications in a rise in cyclists as well.

One more point: Layman suggests that it isn't just bicyclists, but female bicyclists, that serve as a good leading indicator.

This is analogous to the point I make that since women conduct upwards of 80% of all retail transactions, commercial districts that are unsafe and dirty don't stand a chance. See "The presence of women as indicators of revitalization success."

Gender equity. Economic vitality. Safety. Health. Growth management. What an opportunity for a simple measurement to tell lots of stories!

What do you think? Do you use measures of cyclists as part of a community indicators set? Is it a good idea?

Update: Be sure to check out this post on further uses of bicycles as a community indicator!

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Exciting News from Redefining Progress

Here's an update from the amazing folks at Redefining Progress:

We have a new website! Our new look features fresh content, better navigation, and in-depth information about Redefining Progress and how we find solutions that balance economic well-being, environmental preservation, and social justice.

I’m also excited about The 11th Hour, a film in which Michel Gelobter, Redefining Progress’ President, appears. The 11th Hour, produced by Leonardo DeCaprio, features some of the world's most prominent thinkers and activists as they offer hope and solutions for a planet in crisis.

Before you leave the website, be sure to browse our research and publications, sign up to receive the RP newsletter or make a generous donation toward creating a sustainable economy.

Please let me know what you think!

PS. Our new website is the result of a generous Service Grant from the Taproot Foundation, a pro-bono service that matches skilled professionals with nonprofit organizations. Thanks, Taproot!

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Redefining Progress.

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Indicators of Energy Consumption

I was playing around with an interesting data source this week I thought I'd share. The Energy Information Administration of the U.S. government has a series of tables, charts, and graphs tracking energy and energy production.

Some of the data sets I found interesting were:

• Greenhouse gas emissions, by state
• Electricity production, including the source of electricity produced (and how much of the energy was produced through renewable sources)
• State energy profiles

And there's a lot more information to explore. Take a look and let me know what you find useful.

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Mapping Made Easy

Community indicators are often more powerful when mapped. And interesting data, when mapped, can often tell us something more than any table or graph might.

Now it's getting easier and easier to make maps happen. Lyle at his new PublicValue blog pointed me to a news article about how widespread and easy mapping tools have become.

The New York Times ran an article called With Tools on Web, Amateurs Reshape Mapmaking 27 July 2007. the article begins this way:

On the Web, anyone can be a mapmaker. With the help of simple tools introduced by Internet companies recently, millions of people are trying their hand at cartography, drawing on digital maps and annotating them with text, images, sound and videos.

In the process, they are reshaping the world of mapmaking and collectively creating a new kind of atlas that is likely to be both richer and messier than any other.

They are also turning the Web into a medium where maps will play a more central role in how information is organized and found.

Here are a set of resources that can turn anyone into a mapmaker:

Google Maps: My Maps
Google Earth (download)
Microsoft maps (for Virtual Earth download, click on "3D")
Microsoft Collections
Platial
MotionBased

What can you do with maps? Check these links out!

MAPS
Graffiti in Federal Way, Wash.
Hydrofoils Around the World
Cheap Eats in New York City
Illinois Yarn Stores
Biodiesel Stations in New England
Trace Tribute Endurance Horse Ride by April Johnson
Geotagged Photos From Flickr Users
Favorite Places to Eat In Seattle While Boating
Tour de France Stages
Top 10 Oregon Vineyards

Do you have a favorite map to share?

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Urban Markets Initiative Conference

Here's a great opportunity to learn more about how to move action forward and drive community change using data.

Urban Markets Initiative Forum 2007

October 18, 3:00pm to October 19, 2007
The Brookings Institution
Washington, DC
Register today

Join us at the second Urban Markets Initiative Forum entitled "Connecting Communities: Using Information to Drive Change."

The UMI Forum 2007 will focus on how information drives changes to facilitate connections and community change.

Confirmed Keynotes:

Anthony D. Williams, co-author of Wikinomics

Eugene "Gus" Newport, long-time community activist and former Mayor of Berkeley CA

• Connect with peers to trade insights on common information challenges and barriers.
• Discover new datasets & tools that will help you better understand and react to change.
• Learn about innovative and effective uses of information to drive markets in local urban neighborhoods, cities, and regions.
• Understand how others have created cultures of collaboration, innovation, vision, and success to increase effectiveness.
• Recharge with the information, connections and tools you need to achieve change in your community.

Register now to take advantage of the Early Bird Special
REGISTER TODAY

The Urban Markets Initiative (UMI) at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program aims to improve he quality of the information available on urban communities and use it to unleash the full power of those markets while connecting them to the economic mainstream. http://www.brookings.edu/metro/umi.htm

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Defining "Community Indicators"

I thought it might be useful to discuss what this blog means by "community indicators", since the blogosphere is tagging two separate-but-related items with community_indicators tags.

This blog is generally concerned with indicators of geography-based communities -- neighborhoods, municipalities, counties, regions, states, nations, groups of nations, etc. -- and their characteristics. I went to MetaGlossary for their definitions, and was struck by the one used in the Tasmania Together initial report, since adopted in community indicator projects throughout Australia, such as here in the Waverley Community Indicators and Local Democracy Project:

Indicators developed through a community-based process in which local citizens determine the key areas of concern and set standards for improvements in their community over time. Community indicators don’t just measure conditions; they are designed to monitor progress in achieving community goals. The indicators can be measures of the progress of social, environmental or economic well being.

Our Canadian friends have a simpler definition used by the First Nations Community Planning Group:

Measures created and used by communities for understanding and drawing attention to important issues and trends. Useful for building awareness and taking action.

These are the kinds of definitions used by the good folks at the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) or the Community Indicators Consortium.

But out here on the internet, a new kind of community has been growing -- the online community. And leading the charge to develop indicators of the online community has been Nancy White. She started this discussion two years ago this month, with this blog post.

Somewhere, these two discussions -- indicators of the online community, and indicators of the geographic community -- intersect. Both are looking for good measures of engagement and social capital, as a starting point. We geography-oriented folks have a larger data set to choose from as we look at the quality-of-life measures and sustainability in a geography, but perhaps more and more of those measures may be applied to the online community discussion.

Right now, however, the intersection points of the two discussions may not be as clear as Nancy laid it out. However, I think the two conversations can learn from each other and support each other.

So if you found this blog while looking for a very different kind of discussion based on a technorati tag, please stick around and contribute -- we'd love to hear from you.

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A Sobering Look at Social Indicators in Burma

Many of us who work with social indicators do so in a context of equity -- helping the ones left out of general social progress. But around the globe, different peoples have different experiences, and some of the social indicators used are sobering in themselves, even before we examine the data.

Kyi May Kaung uses a new social indicators report, the Failed States Index from The Fund for Peace", to tell the story of the people of Burma.

Her article on Burma begins this way:

Last year (2006) my country of origin, Burma, was number 18 on the list of Most (Worst) Failed States in the world. This year it is number 14th. Can the military junta that rules it so tightly, do nothing but make it “advance” on indicators that show how awful it is?The topmost block of indicators in a list totaling 177 countries blares at you from a bright red alert background color. Next comes orange and then, lowest on the scale, which is the best in this case, a cool color – green.

So how does the Fund for Peace measure all this, and what does it take account of? So which are the two worst places, with the most failed states? Your guess is absolutely right and they are – Sudan and Iraq. Daily media images confirm this. But wait a minute, how do we exactly measure Sudan and Iraq against each other? It’s done by using social, economic and political indicators, and in this case it is not a statistical sleight of hand.

Read the article, then think about your community and what you're measuring. Do you have a measure on "chronic and sustained human flight"? "Widespread violation of human rights"?

Look back at The Fund for Peace's map of the world -- there's a lot of work ahead.

And that's a hard message for a Monday morning.

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EurLife Quality of Life Indicators Database Updated

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions sent out a news release that caught my eye.

EurLife database of quality of life indicators: The database, which deals with the objective living conditions and subjective well-being of European citizens, has been updated. New indicators have been added, as well as data for more recent years. National coverage has been expanded to include the 27 EU Member States and Turkey. The database will be updated again in 2008 with results from the second European Quality of Life Survey.

So I went and checked out the information provided in their database. I found it surprisingly useful. In the health domain, for example, I looked up infant mortality. I found the rates in tabular format, 1990-2005, for each country in Europe plus an EU-15 and EU-25 rate. Some of the data points were unavailable, but the chart was sufficiently complete to see the incredible progress Turkey, Romania, and Hungary have made. (The descriptor of the measure was perhaps a little blunt -- yes, you are measuring dead babies, but still ....)

The links to the data sources were also helpful. There's a nice selection of data -- besides the Health element, there's Employment, Income Deprivation, Education, Family, Social Participation, Housing, Environment, Transport, Safety, Leisure, and Life Satisfaction. The last indicator is "Happiness", which is an interesting one to include with some of the other, more concrete measures.

The Environment indicators took me by surprise. This is about your living environment, the built environment, and only a little about the natural environment -- not whether the natural ecosystems are necessarily healthy, but whether you experience pollution or complain about the quality of the drinking water or complain about the lack of greenspace. The other environment indicators measure things like the distance to a cash machine, cinema, supermarket, nursery, or primary school, as well as the state of repair of the buildings near you.

The Social Participation indicators were a nice mix of involvement and social capital, including voting, participation in a series of activities, organizational membership, and involvement with neighbors. The leisure measures were also fun.

So take a look at the data -- even if you're not measuring indicators in Europe, you may find the data interesting for comparative purposes or to spark ideas about how to better measure the quality of life in your own community.

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