Evaluation Sourcebook (.pdf) - School of Natural Resources and ...

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES THREATS ASSETS STRATEGIESRatio of public school children eligible for free or reduced lunchX Do the streets of our community have a vital and vibrant character? Number of empty storefrontsCleanliness of major commercial areasSidewalk traffic in commercial areasNumber of houses in poor repair/at risk of condemnationNumber of open or green spaces within the community (parks/gardens),number of Land Trust holding,s or number of acres green space per capitaX Is quality of life increasing? Subjective well-being (survey)Proportion of people who say they lock their houses or carsNeighborliness measures (height of fences between houses, number of peopleon porches, number of people that smile when they pass on the street, etc.)Percent of graduates who leave town instead of stayingData sources• Surveys, interviews and focus groups of residents• Federal government agency statistics at FedStats http://wwwedstats.gov/• Crime statistics from local and state police• Health department data• Monitoring of use of parks and common areasExampleThe Quality of Life Project was established in 1999 because of a concern for howincreasing urbanization in New Zealand was affecting the well being of residents. Toprovide information to decision-makers the project measured quality of life through avariety of social, economic and environmental indicators. For example, to assess levels oflocal pride, they asked residents whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement “I feela sense of pride in the way my city looks and feels”. The project found that residents whoagreed with this statement gave reasons such as gardens, parks and open spaces or thatthey felt the city was clean and tidy. Those who disagreed with the statement had concernsabout safety, graffiti; and traffic congestion. This information can guide city and nationalefforts to maintain quality of life.For more information see: http://www.bigcities.govt.nz/Evaluation Sourcebook 71