|
I. Economy and Individuals
A. Energy - The following indicators illustrate the energy usage patterns of a community. Energy efficiency can have an effect on overall community sustainability.
- Energy use per capita
- Energy expenditure as % of gross community product
- Energy use of industry per capita (Energy consumption by industries in the community per person)
- Commercial energy consumption per year
- Electricity and natural gas use per person per year
- Gasoline consumption per capita versus state average (Does the community consume a disproportionate amount of gasoline)
- Home heating fuel source (What are the major types of fuel sources and are they sustainable)
- Energy conservation programs *
- Energy used from renewable sources
- Energy use 1995 versus 1970 (Change in energy usage)
B. Health - The following indicators illustrate the status of community health, the level of access to adequate health care by individuals in the community, and the ability to recognize external and internal pressures on sustainability that are manifested as health issues.
- Population with access to primary health care by diversity (Access to initial person who can identify health problems)
- Hospitals doing epidemiological studies * (Number of hospitals that are looking at human effects of pollution)
- Health Department ability to do epidemiological studies
- Community based epidemiological studies
- Mortality rate by neighborhood (High risk neighborhoods)
- Population living in industrial areas by diversity
C. Housing -The following indicators illustrate the accessibility of housing for a diverse population in the community. Adequate and affordable housing is an indicators of social and economic stability.
- Yearly % increase in number of dwelling units
- Population affording median home sale price
- Median rent as % of per capita income
- Occupancy rate of housing units
- Home ownership rate
- Rate of real estate development in community (Is development rate outstripping the communityís ability to manage growth)
- Population affording median rental units
- Housing set aside for low-to-moderate income (Community support for low-income houses)
- Distribution of affordable housing throughout community (Is the affordable housing concentrated in a certain area)
- Homeless people per capita
- People using homeless shelters in a year / homeless in the community (Need for shelters)
- Homeless shelters in community (Access to shelters)
- Waiting time for subsidized housing (Access to affordable housing)
- Number of rehabilitated affordable housing units
- Dwellings in need of major repair (Longevity of housing resources)
D. Individual Wealth- The following indicators illustrate the effect of comparative levels of wealth, and disparities in the distribution of wealth within the community. Broad disparities in individual wealth can undermine consensus building capabilities because all individuals in the community are not represented in the community's decision making processes.
- Median per capita income
- Per capita gross community product vs state average (How wealthy is the community compared with the state)
- Range of income by diversity (Ethnic and gender; difference between the incomes of people in the community)
- Income distribution by diversity (ethnic and gender)
- Population with income >125% poverty level
- Real Cost of living (Cost of living derived from generic prices)
- Hours employment required to support basic needs (Average time it takes to cover cost of living in community)
- Average household savings
- Effective buying income per capita (Cost of living versus income; community ability to live on average income)
E. Population -The following indicators of demographic trends illustrate community commitment and ability to respond to the effects of changing population. Is there sufficient diversity of age, race and culture in the community to allow a community to react effectively to external and internal forces by drawing on a broad human resource base to plan for future change.
- Median Age 1990 vs 1970 (Is the population distribution changing)
- Age distribution and diversity in community (How is the population changing)
- Trends in aging population (Is the population getting older or younger)
- Population flux (Are people coming and going from community--positive or negative migration)
- Ethnic diversity of the population and distribution by gender and age
- Crime rate per captita
- Unemployment rate 1970 vs 1995
- Real unemployment (People out of work, less reported unemployment; size of non-working force)
- Unemployment rate by diversity (Ethnic and gender; differences between employment opportunities by ethnicity and gender)
F. Transportation - The following indicators illustrate the impact that transportation related issues can have upon the quality of life, economy and environment.
- Communities served by public transportation (Number of communities in community accessible through the present public transportation system)
- Commuters using public transportation
- Carpooling rate (Percentage of population carpooling instead of driving alone)
- Businesses cooperating with Park-Ride program (Number of businesses that support transportation conservation programs)
- Public expenditure on public transit
- Street miles with designated bike routes (Percentage of streets that support alternative forms of transportation)
- Population within 50 miles of daily air passenger service
- Weekday commercial flights in and out of regional airport (Number of flights available to people in community)
- Community population with 5 minute commute of shopping center (Percentage of the population that can easily get to shopping)
II. Business
A. Business Diversity - These indicators illustrate how well balanced the business community is, the variety of sizes and kinds of businesses, and growth rates in the business community proportional to the growth rate of the population.
- Different types of businesses and or industries (Breadth of economic base)
- Employment by the top 5 employers (% of population; is the community driven by one industry)
- Employers in different size categories by employees (Diversity of kind and size of businesses)
- Rate and types of job growth vs community population (Pressures on job market, index of job placement relative to community)
- Changes in employment and businesses moving into the community
- Wages paid in community also spent in community
- Wages spent outside community
- Number of people who work, shop, and live in community (Size of communityís residents and working population)
- Residentsí retail purchases made locally
- Gender and ethnic diversity in business community 1970 vs 1995
- Net job growth by diversity of types of jobs (Is business growing and what types of business are causing growth)
- Prevailing real wage rate for full time employees in community 1970 vs 1995
B. Business Growth - These indicators illustrate if the business community is growing in way that is consistent with overall community goals and community trends
- Rate of economic development occurring in community
- Number of business permits issued per year
- Small Business Startups per 1000 population
- Office vacancy rate (Amount of space available for growth)
- Value of residential and business properties / gross state product (Property value with relation to state income)
- Residential property value per capita (Average value of housing in community)
- Business loans in low & high income areas (Equity in business growth)
- Products and services local businesses buy from local business (Local businesses interdependence)
- Square feet of building space reused versus new construction (Recycling of space versus new development)
- Manufacturing building permits issued per capita versus state average
- Retail building permits issued per capita versus state average
- Service building permits issued per capita versus state average
C. Stability of Businesses - These indicators illustrate if the business sector of the community supports sustainable growth.
- Public funding for infrastructure maintenance and investment (Community government dedication to infrastructure development)
- Commercial and residential property tax base versus state average
- Retail sales per capita 1970 vs 1995
- Manufacturing output sales per capita 1970 vs 1995
- Service output sales per capita 1970 vs 1995
- Net change in employment in year vs state average (How is the community's workforce changing)
D. Tourism - These indicators illustrate trends in the tourism sector of the economy and show the income from tourism balanced against income from other sources as a measure of business diversity.
- Annual visitors to community
- Income from tourism per capita
- Number of requests for visitor information and change in the rate of requests (Growth of tourism, seasonality of tourism)
- Change in tourism attractions (Are tourism resources being lost or gained)
- Population employed by recreation and travel industry full time
- Seasonal employment in tourism industry
- Annual pay full time travel workers versus other industries in the community
- Tourism Bureau * (Is tourism actively promoted)
III. Agricultural and Natural Resources
A. Farming - These indicators illustrate the patterns of agriculture within the community and measure the level of diversity of the farming community.
- Farms and acres of farm land
- Farms / Cows 1970 vs 1995 (Changes in livestock distribution over time)
- Gallons milk produced 1970 vs 1995 (Change in milk production in the community in the past 25 years)
- Acres of active agricultural land
- Per capita ratio agricultural land versus total land 1970 and 1995 (Change in proportion of land used for agriculture)
- Agriculture land used for agriculture 1970 vs 1995
- Top 3 crops in community 1970 vs 1995
- Community acreage in urban land use
- Acres in conservative tillage (Amount of agriculture land taken out of production)
- Soil loss per year 1970 vs 1995
- Soil erosion rates per acre of crop land
- Priority watershed programs * (Number of programs that monitor or protect the watershed in community)
B. Forests - These indicators illustrate the sustainability of community forest lands and the local forestry industry.
- Acres of active forests
- Volume of saw log harvest 1970 vs 1995
- Volume of the secondary timber harvest 1970 vs 1995
- Wood processing volume vs saw timber harvest (Amount of harvest processed in the community)
- Forest lands used for forestry 1970 vs 1995
- Forest acreage damaged by fire 1970 vs 1995
- Wood lot Management Programs * (Number of programs that promote sustainable forest utilization)
C. Pest management - These indicators illustrate the potential for ecological damage from improper pesticide use and disposal.
- Consumption of pesticides per acre
- Integrated pest management training and programs *
- Acreage damaged by pests 1970 vs 1995
- Agricultural chemical collection sites * (Capacity for proper disposal of agricultural chemicals)
IV. Education
A. Primary and Secondary Education (K-12) - These indicators illustrate how well the education system prepares youth to participate successfully in our society.
- Schools that pass local building, fire and health standards (Upkeep of educational facilities)
- Operating expenditure per student vs state average per student
- Diversity of teaching staff (Including post-secondary schools; minority and gender representation in the teaching field)
- Average years of school completed by diversity
- Tuition net cost as a percent of disposable income (Cost of primary education to adults in the community)
- English Speaking graduates from non-English speaking households (Efficacy of the community's education of non-English speaking students)
- Average teacher salary versus state average (Competitiveness of salaries for teachers)
- Student / teacher ratio (Degree of individual attention given to students)
- School dropout rate by diversity
- Students earning GED equivalents
- Schools in community offering community-based learning and service
- Schools in community with work force training programs
- Environmental education and nature classes in the schools *
B. Post-Secondary Education - These indicators illustrate community flexibility in preparing a person to successfully pursue a profession.
- Students going on to pursue post secondary education
- Training institutions providing technical training for students
- Employers participating in apprenticeship programs *
- Service organizations that support programs for schools (Organizations developing volunteerism in youth)
- Taxes invested in technical education
- Affordability of post-secondary education
- Community members enrolled in higher education
C. Adult Education - These indicators illustrate whether adults have adequate opportunity to re-educate themselves in response to community changes.
- Adult population in community attended the communityís school system
- Adult environmental education classes *
- Adult literacy rate
- Adult population involved in continued learning
- Persons being retrained (Ability to respond to changing job market)
- Libraries in county (Community opportunities for personal education)
- Library usage rates by age distribution and diversity (Is library usage consistent with the population of the community)
- Libraries on-line vs total libraries in community (Community access to new ideas and technologies)
D. Cultural Education - These indicators illustrate community support for cultural and aesthetic enrichments that improve the quality of life for community members .
- Geographic, historical, or cultural sites in community (Acknowledgment of community heritage)
- Population participation in cultural exchanges
- Publicly sponsored art programs per year
- Art shows and performances in public parks
- Public nature programs per year*
- Community sponsored recreational activities
V. Environment
The following indicators illustrate the quality of the environment in the community and can help to identify potential threats to health, natural resources and biodiversity.
A. Air Quality
- Air particulate matter excedences (Does the community have air particulate matter above the recommended amount)
- Good air quality days per year
- Ozone alert days per year
- CO2 emissions as % of 1990 emissions
B. Land Use and Biodiversity
- Wildlife habitat restoration programs *
- Rare species identified in community
- Wildlife endangered
- Population perceiving pollution as a priority
- Metro area that is open space
- Residences per acre in community 1970 vs 1995 (Change in the residential density)
- Suburban residences per acre in community
- Distribution of acres of land per capita for different land uses (Diversity of land use in the community by distribution)
- Rate of development occurring within urban area
- Miles of adopted highway and litter bags collected per mile*
- Acres multipurpose land available for recreation
- Acres of wilderness versus acres of public land
- Acres parks and protected land per capita
- Recreational trail miles
- Public park acreage per 1000 population
- Acres of wetlands 1970 vs 1995
C. Water Resources
- Gallons of water used daily per capita
- Number of citizens with water below standards
- Drinking water supplies abandoned
- Wells showing groundwater contamination
- Fish species with consumption restricted
- High risk population for fish consumption (Does the community have a population risk of eating polluted fish)
- Miles of rivers and streams not meeting water standards
- Beach closings per year
- Fishable, swimable miles of river, acres of lakes
D. Management of Societal Wastes
- Septic tanks per capita unsewered (How many people does each septic tank serve)
- Underground fuel tanks
- Toxic chemicals released or transferred (Toxic chemicals released from local activities)
- Integrated solid waste management programs *
- Composting sites
- Tons solid waste per capita
- Tons Recycled materials per capita
- Waste landfilled versus amount recycled
- Recovery rate of recycled materials
- Municipal recycling programs*
- Commercial recycling programs *
- Businesses cooperatives for recycling and waste disposal
- Utilization of sewage sludge
- Agriculture and household hazardous waste collection programs *
- Hazardous waste sites cleaned or being cleaned
- Environmental justice awareness programs * (Is the community aware of environmental racism and justice)
E. Citizen Involvement *
- Nature and environmental groups (student and adult)
- 4-H and FFA Groups
- Snowmobile groups
- Hunting clubs
- Fishing clubs
- Community garden programs
IV. Government
A. Citizen Involvement * - These indicators illustrate local government commitment to citizen participation, access to influence in the decision making of government bodies and continued learning by public officials.
- Open meetings per capita per year
- Official announcements about local issues per capita
- Public meetings available through public access TV
- Multilingual access to government (Does the community support and provide information in a diversity of languages)
- Diversity of community government members versus diversity of community (Is the community government representative of the local population)
- Diversity of school board versus diversity of community
- Voter registration rate
- Registered votes by age distribution and diversity (Are the voting rates consistent with community age and ethnic diversity)
- Voter education programs (Does educate itself about voting and the election issues)
- Community associations and citizen groups per capita (Number of associations available for community involvement)
- Local chapters of state and national organizations (Number of chapters of larger citizen organizations present in the community)
- Consumer cooperatives per capita (Does the community support local producers)
- Community crime prevention groups (Are citizens involved in ensuring the safety of the community)
B. Effectiveness of Public Services - These indicators illustrate the how well community government provides basic services.
- City human services expenditures per capita
- Goals and measures for government budget (Are there defined outcome measures for local budgets/community ability to cope with emergencies)
- Recent land use plan *
- Zoning board meetings per year (Level of regulation of growth in community)
- Acres zoned for subdivision of community (Is level of subdivision in conflict with other land uses)
- Public, private projects for the public good 1995 vs 1970
|
