Flattery gets you everywhere. I received this nice note from Marcus Estes over at www.opensourcery.com:
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta just launched a new community indicators project serving the citizens of great Atlanta. It's called Neighborhood Nexus:
http://neighborhoodnexus.org/
I work with OpenSourcery, the web company that developed the technology for them. It involves a few innovations, including a custom spreadsheet
upload tool that allows them to change the indicators they're tracking merely by changing their spreadsheet, without having to rely upon a tech company for more development work.
We've open sourced it, and we're seeking additional partners to help us improve upon the software for use in other areas. Please give Neighborhood Nexus a little much-deserved attention on your (wonderful and informative) blog, and let me know if you see opportunities for us to use this software to help other organizations.
Naturally, I went to the site to explore Neighborhood Nexus. I saw quite a bit I liked.
1. Getting to the data is quick, easy, and intuitive. Select an indicator, then a level of geography, and bam! the table is there for you. Minor quibble: using a tiny yellow font in the headers against a graduated blue background mad them really hard to read, though the result looked pretty. The options on the left to change measures, years, and filter out geographies were simple to use.
2. Learning more about the data involved clicking on a Data Sources button, which had some information, and following that up by clicking on the Glossary button. Even then, I was left with some unanswered questions about just what some of the indicators were measuring, and to get that information I needed to follow the links to the data source providers. I liked that I could find the information. I did, however, remind myself once again that at some point those of us who work with indicators need to get together to devise a core set of metadata standards. Maybe we can have that conversation at the CIC conference in Seattle.
3. Full, interactive maps are coming soon, according to the site. In the meantime, they have some nice maps they've created using some of the indicators on the site. I liked the concept (and execution) of the map of "where Gen-Xers live."
4. They also provide a neighborhood factbook that compiles the indicators by neighborhood into a set of PDF documents.
There's a survey for site users to describe what indicators are missing and how the site might be improved.
Overall, a good site, with more in development. What makes this site something to really pay attention to is that it was built as open source software, and is one of the early efforts to bring open source solutions to the community indicators community. There are other open source efforts underway. We should be paying close attention to this trend to see how it plays out.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Introducing Neighborhood Nexus
Monday, May 11, 2009
Impact of Public Services on Quality-of-Life Indicators
I've been reading Exploring the Impact of Public Services on Quality of Life Indicators (PDF), a research paper from the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York in the UK. The April 2009 paper, authored by Adriana Castelli, Rowena Jacobs, Maria Goddard, and Peter C. Smith, sets out to understand "the degree to which Public Service Organisations (PSOs) can influence a range of aspects of the quality of life of citizens across a broad range of measures both within and outside their usual domains of influence."
They took a set of quality-of-life indicators, and examined them across a number of small geographies and looked for the impact of public policies on these indicators. They found that public policy influenced people's quality of life, that real differences exist at the neighborhood level, and that the impacts of public policies often extended beyond the public service organisation's particular focus.
And they reinforced the importance of building social capital at the neighborhood level.
All in all, a serious study addressing matters important to those of us involved in community indicators work and public policy advocacy. More information about the study follows if you click the "Read More" link ...
From their introduction:
They analyze a series of quality-of-life indicators across a number of geographies and look for the impacts of public policies on these indicators. Here's what they found:
We draw two sets of conclusions. First, from a methodological perspective, our work provides new evidence on the complex interactions between PSOs and the potential influence they may have on the quality of life of citizens at a local level. This is the first study of its kind to provide evidence on the sources of variation in quality of life indicators at small area level and to use advanced methods to disentangle this variation. We provide insights into whether the three approaches SUR, ML and MVML are suitable methods to examine the complex interplay between different hierarchical levels that are commonplace in all public services.
Second, from a policy perspective we have demonstrated that it is important to consider the influence of PSOs on quality of life in areas that fall outside their traditional domains. Moreover, our results give a flavour of the relative influence that health care and local government organisations may have on measures that span health, education, environment, safety, housing and others. We also illustrated the potential significance of considering the small area level in public policy making. The existence of substantial variation in quality of life measures at this level suggests that PSOs with responsibilities at higher level should be aware of the variation that exists at this level within their area and the differential impact their policies may have locally. As we outlined earlier, government policy highlights the importance of local communities and neighbourhoods and although there are no obvious PSOs that have responsibility for quality of life at small area level, the thrust of policy has been to encourage PSOs to become more responsive to local needs and to devolve to communities a greater role in decision-making, including the handling of resources at neighbourhood group and community level (Dept for Communities and Local Government, 2008). Also, as the literature suggests, fostering social capital can enhance the quality of life of citizens and protect them from social exclusion. Neighbourhood and community networks and relationships appear to play an important role in the creation and maintenance of social capital. Our results therefore suggest that policy attention to the local level may well be a fruitful approach if the aim is to enhance the overall well-being of citizens.
The study includes a list of the indicators they used, and some explanation about why they were chosen. I highly recommend reviewing this material.
I'd be interested in your comments.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Neighborhood Vital Signs Being Developed in Denver
I'm passing on a note to those in Colorado who might be interested.
The Civic Canopy, in partnership with The Denver Foundation and The Piton Foundation, is hosting a new program called Neighborhoood Vital Signs Learning Exchange. Neighborhood Vital Signs helps neighborhoods develop a shared vision, work collaboratively to acheive it, and measure their progress along the way. This project is at the heart of The Civic Canopy's mission - strengthening community through authentic dialogue, rich collaboration and resolute accountability.
Here's what you need to know:
NEIGHBORHOOD VITAL SIGNS
Building Inclusive, Effective and Connected Neighborhoods
· Tired of trying the same things year after year in your neighborhood but not seeing results?
· Are you interested in helping your neighborhood develop a shared vision and clear goals?
· Would you like to know if your neighborhood efforts are having a positive impact?
· Would you like your neighborhood to be more connected and engaged?
Join us at the Community Learning Exchange
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Breakfast @ 8:30am
Manual High School - 27th Ave. & Williams St. (Childcare is Available)
Join us as we learn about the Neighborhood Vital Signs Project--a new effort to promote strong neighborhoods by giving residents the tools to create a shared vision, measure progress on what matters most, and work together to achieve their goals.
Please respond to LaDawn @ 303.996.7350 or email lsullivan@denverfoundation.org by Dec. 4th!
THE LEARNING EXCHANGE IS FREE, BUT RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Presented by: The Strengthening Neighborhoods Program of The Denver Foundation, The Civic Canopy, Piton Foundation, City of Denver's Office of Community Planning, CiviCore, OMNI Institute, Athmar Park Neighborhood Assoc., Northeast Park Hill Coalition, and Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Job Posting: NeighborWorks America Senior Analyst
From NNIP:
Job Description
TITLE: Senior Planning, and Evaluation Analyst
Division: Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy (CPPS)
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: Director CPPS
LOCATION: Washington DC
GENERAL PURPOSE
Support Corporate strategies and performance by supporting the Director in strategic planning, corporate performance measurement, scorecard development and implementation, program evaluation and the improvement of coordination and integration of process and data systems across the functional divisions of the organization. Ensure the success of the Corporation’s commitments by assisting in the development of measures for success for special projects, grants and other key strategic programs.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Business owner within CPPS for the day to day management of the NFMC program evaluation consultant team. This requires a strong knowledge and background in quantitative public policy research, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to venders and senior management. Develop any required summaries and or presentations as may be needed.
Assist in designing and implementing corporate performance measurement tools and systems, conducting analyses for management and key external stakeholders (Board, OMB, Congress).
Coordinates with Director, Data Collection and Special Projects in Organizational Assessment Division (OAD) regarding planning and implementation of data collection procedures for maximum effectiveness.
Assists in annual budgeting process, including all CPPS coordination and facilitation across divisions.
In coordination with Program Measurement Management Consultants, assists in establishing and maintaining efficiencies in data collection, definition, and analysis to ensure continued improvement in the quality of data collected from NWOs and other community development corporations.
Assists in ongoing efforts to develop a data dictionary and establish a standard for definition of data points that will be consistent across use of that data.
SECONDARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Represents CPPS at internal meetings and on task groups as assigned, and represents NeighborWorks® America at conferences and workshops as assigned by CPPS Director.
Ensures collaboration at the corporate level for cross-divisional programs and activities by identifying overlapping efforts.
NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS
Collaboration with officers, senior managers and program staff of multiple business units to provide information, interpret data, and support evaluation efforts. Interacts with staff of NWO and community development corporations to provide information, advise, interpret data and provide benchmarking and other tools to enhance their self-analysis.
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
Undergraduate degree in public policy, business, economics or finance, graduate degree strongly preferred and 6 – 8 years of experience in strategic and business process planning, performance evaluation, statistical analysis or any combination of education and experience that provide the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
At least 2 years experience in managing large complex projects with multiple stakeholders
Ability to work independently and make responsible decisions
Experience in statistical analysis, including multivariate statistics
MS Office products proficiency. Computer skills with database and business intelligence tools
Strong interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written skills sufficient to develop reports, explain complex information and make presentations of complex data
PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS
Fast paced working environment, extensive computer usage, and ongoing complex evaluative thinking, multitasking on a regular basis, extensive collaboration
Travel approximately 15%
NeighborWorks® America is committed to providing a productive and safe environment. To achieve that goal, we conduct background & reference check investigations for all final applicants being considered for employment.
Equal Opportunity Employment M/D/F/V
Job Posting: NeighborWorks America Analyst
From NNIP:
Job Description
TITLE: Analyst, Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy
Division: Corporate Planning, Performance, and Strategy
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: CPPS Director
(half time position)
LOCATION: Washington DC
GENERAL PURPOSE
This job supports the CPPS division two ways: 1. Development of the annual corporate ‘scorecard’, timely & accurate submission & review of corporate quarterly results and, 2. Analysis of corporate performance data to provide the information necessary to inform program evaluation and planning. These functions require the ability to use technological tools to facilitate a robust interactive business intelligence environment that includes report design and implementation as well as the development of GIS/mapping capacity in the corporation.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Requires a strong knowledge and background in statistical research for the social sciences, and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Develop any required summaries and or presentations as may be required.
Responsible for development, production and optimization of a series of updatable reports for use in resource development and informing partners.
Assists in managing the quarterly updates for the corporate scorecard, establish a protocol for update submissions, participate in the development of meaningful metrics for evaluating performance. Assist in preparation of scorecard for corporate officers and Board of Directors.
Assists in annual budgeting process, including CPPS coordination and facilitation across divisions.
Assists in the ongoing effort to streamline and improve the quality of data collected from NWOs and other CDCs. This may range from working with the PM MCs, to collaboration with specific districts or district efforts (the Gulf) to keeping minutes of the NWO data working group sessions.
Assists in ongoing efforts to develop a data dictionary.
Coordinates with Director, Data Collection and Special Projects in OAD, regarding their work in data collection design, planning and implementation.
SECONDARY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Represents CPPS at internal meetings and on task groups as assigned, and represents NeighborWorks® America at conferences and workshops as assigned by CPPS Director.
Works with other divisions as assigned to ensure internal customers are aware of other NeighborWorks® America activities that would assist in the achievement of the multi-year Strategic Plan and current goals.
TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS
A Bachelors degree is required in social sciences, economics, public policy research, or finance with strong statistical and research skills. An advanced degree in social sciences, economics, finance or public policy with a quantitative focus is preferred or any combination of education and experience that provides the following skills:
2-4 years work experience and demonstrated competency in research methods and statistical analysis.
Working knowledge of databases, able to use and manipulate large streams of data, experience with web-based technologies and proficiency in Microsoft office products
Knowledge of census data, geographical analysis, mapping or GIS applications.
Ability to work independently and make responsible decisions in accordance with established policies and procedures required;
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills sufficient to build working relationships internally and externally
Excellent verbal and written skills a must
PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS
Fast paced working environment, extensive computer usage, and ongoing complex evaluative thinking, multitasking on a regular basis, extensive collaboration
Travel approximately 15%
Equal Opportunity Employment M/D/F/V
Monday, July 28, 2008
Call for Papers: Neighborhood Renewal
Invitation received via NAPC (National Association of Planning Councils) -- I think if you ask nicely they'll let you subscribe. I thought both the conference and the call for papers might be of interest to some of the readers here:
Neighbourhood – The International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal
http://www.ijnr.co.uk/
Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Conference / Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Awards London Nov 2009 – Free Delegate / Display Space Offer
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the development of the International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal which will promote good practice in this field of public policy. The first edition of the Journal will be published on the 1st September 2008 and the first year of Journals will contain a range of informative articles from around the world. If you would like to subscribe now to the Journal, then please visit the website. Alternatively Stuart from my office will be in touch with you shortly to discuss this matter in more detail, In summary subscription fees are as follows per annum:
(a) £149 per annum for a quarterly hard copy, free electronic access for all in the team and 50% off other conferences organised by Holden Publishing. This rate also qualifies you for a free display space / free delegate pass at the Inaugural Annual Conference of the International Journal of Neighbourhood Renewal / Annual International Neighbourhood Renewal Awards at the Central Hall Westminster on the 19th and 20th November 2009 if you subscribe before 4th August 2008.
(b) £49 per annum for electronic access and 10% off other conferences organised by Holden Publishing.
If you would like to submit a paper for future inclusion in the Journal then please follow the link http://www.ijnr.co.uk/call_for_papers.html and submit a paper at any time. I look forward to welcoming you as a subscriber to ‘Neighbourhood’ or as one of our contributors.
With kindest regards,
Ray.
Ray Holden
Director of Development
Holden Publishing
UK Office
Horton House
Exchange Flags
Floor Five
Liverpool
L2 3PF
UNITED KINGDOM
Phone: +44 (0)845 6025280
Fax: +44 (0)151 2445401
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Don't We Drive More Than We Walk?
When I posted the follow-up article on Walk Score, an alert reader pointed me to Drive Score. This site allows you to enter an address and get a score based on the number of businesses within drivable range. (Since I just proved that South Dakota is within "drivable range" of Florida, the How It Works page helped me understand what is being measured.
Your Drive Score is a number between 0 and 100. The score of an address depends on how far you are comfortable driving―after all, everything is within driving distance if you have the time. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:
- Excellent (90 - 100): All errands can be accomplished by car within 5-7 minutes
- Very Good (70 - 90): It's possible to get everywhere you need within 10-15 min by car.
- Good (50 - 70): Some stores and amenities are within 20-25 minutes driving distance.
- Satisfactory (25 - 50): Only a few destinations are within easy driving range.
- Disappointing (0 - 25): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within convenient driving range.
OK, that made sense to me. I also liked the How It Doesn't Work page, which showed some of the limitations of the data.
It was interesting to see what was available within driving distance of both my office and my home, with icons identifying different types of establishments -- some of them even in walking distance!
Overall, it's a nice addition to the tools available for assessing neighborhoods. Thanks for the link!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Two Reports Released by NNIP
Here's a head's-up from Tom Kingsley on the NNIP Listserve:
Two reports have recently been released describing innovative local uses of parcel level data in community development. Most of the examples were done by partners in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP). The first is the final report on the five-city project NNIP did for the Brookings Urban Markets Initiative several years ago. The second came out of a project done jointly by PolicyLink and the Urban Institute for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (the final work under that project is a guide on using parcel level data being prepared by Kathy Pettit – expected to be released in September).
Data and Decisions: Parcel Level Information Changing the Way Business Gets Done, by G. Thomas Kingsley and Kathryn L.S. Pettit. (Brookings Institution, July 2008).
http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/0708_data_development_kingsley_pettit.aspx
The accelerated development of electronic land information systems in our cities creates opportunities for important improvements in land management and community development. However, “decision support tools” are needed to assure that the new data will be brought to bear on real decision making effectively. These tools transform raw data into accessible information displays designed to inform specific actions by private, nonprofit and government actors, and may range from simple web tables to more complex analytic processes. This paper reviews early experiences in developing such tools in five cities in 2004/05 (Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Providence, and Washington DC) and concludes that their future holds promise. The choice of tools will depend on local market conditions, but in all areas, they can help in: (1) assessing trends and need for intervention; (2) deciding on the appropriate interventions for individual properties; and (3) monitoring and coordinating programs. Ideas are offered as to how local leaders can create an environment conducive to these potentials and avoid risks that could hinder them.
Transforming Community Development with Land Information Systems, by Sarah Treuhaft and G. Thomas Kingsley. (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2008).
http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/PubDetail.aspx?pubid=1356
Land information systems and internet-based databases have the power to transform community development, making it possible to harness technology to revitalize urban areas and create affordable housing where it is most needed, according to a new report by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. "There is vast potential in the use of technology in community development," said Rosalind Greenstein, senior fellow and chair of the Department of Economic and Community Development at the Lincoln Institute. "Using geographic information systems and Web services truly facilitates the work of planning, developing, and nurturing vibrant neighborhoods that meet the needs of today's residents." The report includes a synopsis of the evolution of parcel data systems and recent advanced applications, as well as five case studies from Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., that illustrate the use of new technology in facilitating revitalization, improving vacant lots, building on affordable housing initiatives, heading off foreclosures, or integrating neighborhood efforts into a larger regional framework.
Tom Kingsley
The Urban Institute
2100 M Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-261-5585
tkingsle@ui.urban.org
Friday, May 9, 2008
Local Data Sources, Part One
Last night I was talking to someone who expressed the same frustration many of us have felt in finding good data for smaller communities -- in his case, a small-population mostly-rural county. We pointed out an excellent resource a couple of months ago that just came out in January to help with this issue. The Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators (PDF)is a wonderful compendium, and the summary of data sources, example indicators from those data sources, and source organizations on pages 10-13 of that document should be printed out and taped to your wall as you work on any local data gathering.
With that said, a series of links to where you can access the data would be helpful, right? Send on your favorites and I'll add them to the list I use and we'll see if we can put a resource page together.
Kathy Pettit just passed along this note to the NNIP listserve (which anyone working on small-area data should join):
"Brookings has produced a very nice web site to display and download ZIP code-level tax return information on topics such as EITC, income distribution for states, metro areas, counties, cities, and state legislative and congressional districts for tax years 1997 through 2005. You can also access their research briefs from this site.
http://www.brookings.edu/metro/EITC/EITC-Homepage.aspx?emc=lm&m=215368&l=22&v=34953"
I'm partial to the Local Employment Dynamics site from the U.S. Census Bureau (http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/led/led.html). By bringing together state workforce data and federal census data, you've got a nice, customizable, searchable data set. I especially like using it to tease out information about what's happening in sectors like the arts community or nonprofit sectors.
Any such list has to point you to www.dataplace.org. Population, housing, employment, and income data at a zip-code level data are available. Prowl through their 2,000+ indicators to see which ones make sense for your report at the reporting level you need.
That should get you started. Send in your favorites as well, and we'll continue this conversation.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators
I am very excited about the new publication from Claudia J. Coulton titled Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators (PDF). This is not only a tremendous resource for neighborhood-level statistical data sources, but also a sign of the growing maturity of the neighborhood indicator movement.
The report begins with a discussion of recent developments in neighborhood indicators, and then launches into the reasons for using administrative data as a key source for very-local community indicators (one of the most important reasons being that the data are often available at the neighborhood level, which is not true of all data out there.) The report then walks the reader through a series of issues in using administrative data for neighborhood indicators, including those of geographic boundaries, confidentiality, data accuracy, metadata, matched and longitudinal files, mobility, and commercial data products.
The bulk of the report is concentrated on 42 administrative data sources on topics ranging from economy and environment to health and public safety.
I highly recommend this report as a standard for anyone working with community indicators. Go download this report right now. For an understanding on why this information is so critical, check out Neighborhoods at the Tipping Point.
Not convinced yet? Here's a portion of the introduction to the Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators:
THERE IS A LONG TRADITION OF USING data collected for administrative purposes to produce social and economic indicators (Rossi 1972; Annie E. Casey Foundation 2005). Indicators are measures of the condition or status of populations or institutions that can be compared over time or between places and groups. In recent years, there has been growing
interest in developing indicators for communities and neighborhoods that can be used to improve local conditions or support action by groups and organizations that work at that level.
Community indicators are employed by neighborhood associations, local governments, businesses, nonprofit agencies, researchers, youth groups, and other individuals and organizations. Indicators have been successfully used to identify problems, plan programs, stimulate action, advocate for change, target investments, evaluate initiatives, and otherwise inform the community about itself (Cowan and Kingsley forthcoming).
The data used to craft neighborhood indicators often come from administrative agencies. Administrative records are particularly useful for community indicators because they are timelier or can be applied to smaller areas than government surveys. Moreover, the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to these records makes it feasible to calculate many indicators for small areas and to display them in useful ways. Many sources and types of data from administrative agencies can be used to produce measures useful to neighborhoods and communities.
This monograph describes these data sources because such information is not readily available in a comprehensive review elsewhere. Most databases described here are maintained by local agencies, but a few state and federal databases can also be used for small-area measures.
Check it out, and let me know your reaction to the Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators.
Hat tip: American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Information Highway
Monday, November 12, 2007
MacArthur Foundation's New Directions in Community Change
The MacArthur Foundation just published a newsletter called New Directions in Community Change. It begins with a President's Message that highlights the importance of looking at the overall quality of life in urban renewal, in this case in Chicago, and the need to track progress through a series of broad community indicators.
The newsletter continues its conversation about the use of data to spur and measure community progress. Articles like Measuring for Success, Community Mapping Comes Full Circle, and Bridging the Information Gap in Urban Markets add depth to the discussion.
For community indicators practitioners and neighborhood indicators advocates, this is an amazing effort. Bringing residents and volunteers together with smart phone technology to provide accurate, on the ground measures of neighborhood conditions is really quite exciting. Data partners assist revitalization efforts in understanding potential markets. Composite indicators measure neighborhood progress.
Some of the data partners in this effort include the Metro Chicago Information Center, the Urban Markets Initiative, and the National Infrastructure for Community Statistics.
Let me know if you've got examples of this kind of collaboration with your community indicators efforts. I'd love to highlight the work.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Zip Code Data Source
Here's an interesting data source for you (based on the 2000 U.S. Census, so the data is getting a little old.) It's called Zipskinny, and it gives you a set of social and economic indicators for a zip code, and allows you to compare up to ten zip codes at the same time. Try it out!
Read more ...Predicting Neighborhood Decline
A couple of my favorite people in the whole world have a new policy brief available for us to pay attention to. Kathy Pettit and Tom Kingsley looked at urban neighborhoods and identified which had improved and which had worsened, then tried to see if any predictive indicators existed to be able to tell ahead of time which neighborhoods were going to struggle. The article is interesting, and you ought to take a look if you're interested in neighborhood-level indicators.
Here's how Tom Kingsley at The Urban Institute described the article:
Concentrated Poverty: Dynamics of Change, by G. Thomas Kingsley and Kathryn L.S. Pettit.
Neighborhood Change in Urban America Series, Brief 4. Washington DC: The Urban Institute.
America’s urban neighborhoods generally fared better in the 1990s than they did over the preceding decade, but this brief shows patterns of change were far from uniform. It contrasts census tracts in the 100 largest metropolitan areas that improved over a decade (poverty rate decreased by 5 percentage points or more) with those that worsened (poverty rate increased by 5 points or more). Indeed, a larger share improved in the 1990s (11 percent) than in the 1980s (8 percent). But even though the numbers were declining, the shares that worsened were actually larger in both decades: 15 percent in the 1990s down from 19 percent in the 1980s. The share of neighborhoods that improved in the 1990s was much higher where markets were strong than where they were weak, but the results were always a mix; some neighborhoods worsened even in the strongest markets and vice versa. Neighborhoods that worsened most often saw sizeable increases in minority populations, but racial composition did not change as much in improving tracts, suggesting that gentrification was not the dominant explanation. While there were many exceptions, tracts that improved were most often found in the inner portions of the central city and the outer rings of the suburbs, while tracts that worsened were more prevalent in the outer portions of the cities and, in particular, the inner ring of the suburbs. Beyond that, we found no simple set of indicators as of 1990 that reliably differentiated how tracts would change over the subsequent decade. Local officials cannot be complacent about the good news that has been reported about urban trends of late. Clearly, they should make better use of local data to get early warnings of worsening and improvement and to learn more effective ways to address the challenges that both imply.
The abstract, some highlights, and a link to the full PDF article is available here: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411527
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Using Walk Score as a Neighborhood Indicator
Thanks to an article from the folks at the Metro Jacksonville blog, I've got a new toy to play with when looking at neighborhood indicators. The website they pointed out is called Walk Score, and it generates a number (1-100) of how walkable a neighborhood is based on the amenities around it, including stores, restaurants, schools, parks, and so on. The methodology of how it works (and, greatly appreciated, how it doesn't work is provided on the site.
You can generate Walk Scores by plugging in any address in the United States, Canada, and the U.K. The folks at Metro Jacksonville did this to calculate the Walk Scores for areas surrounding the City Halls of America's largest cities. (Austin, New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh all had perfect scores; Jacksonville scored 88/100.)
Jim Benson's article on neighborhood livability helps explain the importance of walkability in neighborhoods. It's a follow-on to his explanation of Walk Score, which deserves reading as well. And since he appears to know what he's talking about (having been a growth management planner in Portland, which did a much better job of getting it right than many other cities I've lived in), let me direct you to his analysis of what Walk Score needs to make it much better:
I love the academic exercise in Walkscore. I also love the promise of being able to analyze neighborhoods for how inherently livable they are - as opposed to merely how deceivingly cheap the land is.
Walkscore has a ways to go before it's really complete. A complete analysis like this will include things like:
- Topography
- Average speeds on roadways
- locations of pedestrian crossings
- average daily traffic on the roadways
- existence of on-street parking
- traffic calming measures
- whether the amenities being walked to are on the street or behind a sea of parking
- trees
- parks
- specific ped-friendly points (benches, coffee shops, places to rest)
- weather
- pedestrian barriers (freeways, dangerous places, etc.)
Having said all this, Walkscore is already an excellent tool to demonstrate the hidden costs of living in the suburbs.
This could be an interesting measure for neighborhood indicator projects. How would you use it for neighborhood assessment and planning? How could you get beyond a static number score for a more interesting neighborhood display? Has anyone used this tool before?
(Thanks to the Sightline Institute for supporting Walk Score.)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Contextual Indicators for Health Disparities
From our friends on the NNIP listserve:
The MCH Information Resource Center, funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), is pleased to announce the 2007 DataSpeak Internet audio conference series, Contextual Analysis, Part 2: Methods for Understanding and Interpreting Multilevel Analysis, to be held on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This program will be the second in a three-part series on contextual analysis, with the third program to be broadcast on July 11, 2007. To register for this program, go to:http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/mchirc/dataspeak/register.htm
More information on this program is available at:http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/mchirc/dataspeak/events/may_07/index.htm
Program Overview: This DataSpeak program is the second in a three-part series on the use of contextual analysis, an approach for assessing the effect of contextual, or neighborhood, characteristics along with individual-level factors in explaining disparities in health outcomes.
Each program in the series features one of several university-based researchers funded by the MCHB in the Health Resources and Services Administration to explore the effect of neighborhoods on our country’s relatively high infant mortality rate as compared to other industrialized countries and wide racial disparities in infant mortality and preterm birth. This series is intended to provide public health professionals with background and knowledge of concepts and statistical analysis techniques to begin developing and adapting the approach to their specific States and communities.
The first program in the series, broadcast on May 16th, presented an overview of contextual analysis, including discussion of how neighborhoods are defined, what sources of data are available at the neighborhood level, and how neighborhood conditions can affect health.
This second program will describe several different multilevel analysis techniques, the advantages and disadvantages of these different approaches, examples of their use for the analysis of preterm birth data, and the interpretation of statistical results.
The third program in the series, to be broadcast on July 11, will include real-world examples of analyses from the research sites funded by MCHB, the resources needed to implement these types of analyses, and the varied potential uses of multilevel modeling other than preterm birth and low birth weight outcomes.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Neighborhood Indicators
I just ran across an interesting article on neighborhood indicators on the Neighbourhood Statistics section of the United Kingdom National Statistics page. The article does a good job in providing an introduction into the how's, why's, and terms associated with neighborhood indicators, and then lets you get straight into the data.
In the U.S., the closest thing I know about is the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, which serves to connect communities that are developing neighborhood indicators but doesn't provide the data.
If you know of other resources like the U.K.'s for America (or for other countries), please drop me a line.
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