SESSION 7.1 – COMMUNITY PLANNING INDICATORS Copyright 2011Vanessa Bennett.

SESSION 7.1 – COMMUNITY PLANNING INDICATORS

Copyright 2011Vanessa Bennett

Introduction to Session

• Community Planning Indicators– What are they?– Why are they needed?– The importance of Monitoring– What constitutes a good indicator

Community Planning Indicators & Monitoring

• Data or knowledge that shows the status of a particular item or characteristic

• They are needed in planning to indicate where or how a community is changing (or not)

• Two important aspects of indicators are that they must: 1. be definable, and 2. be measurable

• A good set of indicators will have the ability to show not only the status of a particular item but also the movement over given periods of time

1. Indicators of community well being (inputs): Income productivity, home ownership ,

journey to work, birth weight of childden etc2. Indicators of plan performance (outputs)

Related to plan’s objectives & policies May be collected by planning authority or associates May be carefully chosen to indicate plan performance

Why are they needed?

• Planning for communities is an important element of assisting harmonious outcomes

• Well organised community plans will have clear objectives and will clearly indicate what is considered a good or desirable outcome

• However, communities are dynamic and often where we want to head is not where the community currently finds itself

Why are they needed?

• We need indicators so we can keep track of progress made

• Good indicators will be able to let us know if our actions are contributing to the types of outcomes we desired, or whether we need to change tact.

What are Good Indicators?• Easily Defined –people must be able to clearly understand what it is they are trying to track

• Measurable –we must be able to measure them in a way that is transparent and known

• Efficient to collect –data methods must be taken into account to ensure that the entities monitoring the community can actually collect the data

• Can be compared over time periods –good indicators should be able to stand the test of time, and be collected over a number of periods to ensure that social change can be assessed

The Importance of Monitoring

• As noted, monitoring refers to the collection, analysis and r reporting of information about how an area or phenomenon is performing

• The performance can be assessed against a number of things, including:

– service and facility-based objectives– desired standards of service and outcomes for the community– agency objectives and policy– higher order plans, such as SEQ Regional Plan objectives– existing and emerging community needs.

Understanding What’s Important

• When developing a monitoring strategy, must understand what’s important

• For example: In Australia, we might want a range of relatively complex indicators –socio-economic indicators, and health and well-being associated with a range of phenomena

• However, in a developing country, our indicators might be quite basic –a health indicator might be access to potable water, or access to medical care

Understanding What’s Important

• In Pairs or Groups of 3, talk about several indicators of community well being and plan performance in either developed countries or developing countries

• Feed back to the group after 10 minutes

Potential Socio-economic & Demographic Indicators

• Population Structure & Change– Age / Sex Structure– Household Structure & Size– Family Structure– Ethnicity– Education Qualifications– Occupational Profile– Income Profile– Labour Force Status– Household Expenditure

Economic Structure, Trends & Prospects

• Employment by Industry Sector (ANZSIC) (Residents)• Employment by Industry Sector (ANZSIC) (Location of Employment)• Self-containment of Employment• Location Quotients (and export propensity)• Industrial Diversity• Business Establishments by Industry Sector• Industry Output / Value / GRP• Property Prices• Unemployment

Health and Well Being Indicators

• % of population that have access to potable water• % of population that have access to medical facilities• No of Deaths • No of Births• Mortality rates• Average Life Expectancy• Hospital intakes• Rate/incidence of diseases • Levels of obesity• Rates of Diabetes• Incidence of depression

Health & Well Being/Community Support Indicators

• Access to green spaces• Access to sports fields• No of organised recreational and sporting activities• Knowledge of neighbours• Participation in community events• Volunteering in the community• Happiness indicators

Other Indicators• The indicators just discussed relate to social phenomena

• However, indicators can be determined for a whole range of issues, including how agencies are performing, how objectives are being reached etc

• Its important to ensure that when determining the indicators for your community, you are aware of what is considered important

• And remember, all good indicators are definable and can be measured

A Process for Monitoring

• What elements or processes do you think are important when monitoring community outcomes?

• In pairs or small groups of 3-4, talk about what elements you think are important.

A Process for Monitoring

Monitoring Baseline Information – Suggested Tasks:

• establishment of a clear baseline position

• clear articulation of desired objectives and desired standards of service

• clear articulation of intended timeframe, work plan, outcome

• clear articulation of key performance measures

A Process for Monitoring

Gathering Information – Suggested Tasks:• Discussions with community, business and government service providers• websites• workshops• phone-in and email comment• inter-agency forums• think tanks• working groups• action research

A Process for Monitoring

Evaluation – Suggested Tasks:

• determination of progress against key performance measures, using a variety of information

• determination of appropriateness of keeping original objectives, work plans, etc.

A Process for Monitoring

Reporting Information Provision – Suggested Tasks:

• clearly articulate progress

• clearly articulate changes/reviews required

• review objectives and desired standards of service to ensure currency

• feed information back to all participants

A Process for Monitoring

• We need to remember we are monitoring communities for a reason• Feedback is essential as is participation• Is the community heading where it wanted to?• Are the actions we had devised working?• Do things need to change?• And after answering all these questions, are our indicators still applicable?

Participation

Need to ensure that balanced indicators are being used

• Participation and inclusiveness in data collection and monitoring essential

– Inclusiveness: connecting with those who are hardest to reach– Reaching out: changing the ways the government and community work together for the better– Mutual respect: listening, understanding and acting on experiences different from our own– Integrity: engagement as a means of promoting integrity in the democratic processes of government– Affirming diversity: changing the processes of government to incorporate diverse values and interests– Adding value: government and citizens working productively together to add value in policy development and program and service planning

Resources & Data CollectionAustralian Bureau of Statistics

Censuses of Population and Housing and other statistical information:

- Information to support national, regional and local area population analysis- Population census conducted every five years- Population updates and projections- Data on specific populations, labour force, social trends, indices of relative advantage and disadvantage- Reporting against social capital indicators- Website: www.abs.gov.au

Resources & Data Collection

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Population Projections:

- Population Projections for SEQ (by Local Government Area – LGA) have been recently updated by the Planning Information Forecasting Unit (PIFU)

- Updates are provided twice during the five-year period between censuses

- Data can be purchased from PIFU at the LGA, Statistical Local Area (SLA) and Census Collector District (CCD) level

Resources & Data CollectionAustralian Bureau of Statistics

Broadhectare studies:

-Measure future residential land supply by Local Government Area- Land identified in studies is the first stage in the land development pipeline

- includes parcels of land that are identified as suitable, potentially available and serviceable for future residential development

- Studies list proposed development in time spans of 0-2 years, 2-5 years, 5-10 years and 10 years plus

- Can be purchased from www.lgp.qld.gov.au/?id=196

Resources

Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), Queensland Treasury - OESR Profiling ToolsQueensland Regional Profiles:

-OESR offers web-based tool that allows users to produce profiles based on latest statistics for Queensland regions

- Users can select from a list of topics and choose a region to create a report featuring regional-level economic, social and demographic information (Statistical Division and Local Government Area data)

- www.statistics.oesr.qld.gov.au/qld-regional-profiles/home.do?action=init

ResourcesOffice of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), Queensland Treasury - OESR Profiling ToolsLocal Government Area profiles:

-Standardise statistical reports based on the region of choice

- Select a single LGA or multiple LGAs to create user-defined region

- Generate a customised report for topics including population (including growth rates), business, building activity, agriculture and employment

- www.oesr.qld.gov.au/publications/profiles/lga_profiles/index/shtml

Resources

Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), Queensland Treasury - OESR Profiling ToolsQueensland Regional Statistical Information Systems (QRSIS):

- Database containing time series of a variety of data for regions throughout Queensland

- State and local government employees have access to all QRSIS collections

- Agency specific systems can also be developed by the OESR

www.oesr.qld.gov.au/online_services/online_tools/qrsis_datahub.shtml

Resources for Participation• Queensland Government community engagement resources and links

- www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au

• Local Government Association of Queensland policy statements: community development and community services - www.lgaq.asn.au

• Strong Communities Handbook – Chapter 2: Community Engagement - www.oum.qld.gov.au

• Local Government consultation and engagement (Victoria) - www.vlgaconsultation.org.au

Resources for Participation

• Consulting Citizens: A Resource Guide (2002), Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Western Australia

- www.ccu.dpc.wa.gov.au

• International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), Australasia - www.iap2.org.au

• Community Participation in Practice, A Practical Guide, by Sarkissian, W., Cook, A., Walsh, K. (1997), ISTP Murdoch University - www.istp.murdoch.edu.au

Resources for Participation

• Community Participation in Practice, New Directions, by Sarkissian, W., Hirst, A., Walton, S. (2003), ISTP Murdoch University

- www.istp.murdoch.edu.au

• Improvement and Development Agency (United Kingdom) - www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk

Conclusions

• Community Planning Indicators and Monitoring Essential

• Much time and effort spent in planning for good outcomes, so keeping track of where a community is at is a logical step in the process

• Must have definable and measurable indicators

• Must have participatory processes in collecting and disseminating data and information

• Must be clear about the community and level of indicator required for the communities under review