David Long, Applied Population Laboratory The Madison Neighborhood Indicator System is now in its 4th year of tracking neighborhoods’ health, safety, and wellbeing through a variety of local data sources.This presentation briefly examines where the system has come so far and what obstacles to its best implementation and use still remain.

1. Madison Neighborhood Indicators
Past, Present, & Future
www.cityofmadison.com/ni
Applied Population Laboratory, University of Wisconsin –Madison

2. Background
• Principal Figures: Bruer, Cieslewicz, Statz
• Funding: City ~$50K/yr, Planning Office, No Federal or Foundations $$
• Internal/External Purposes
• Four years of data: 2008‐2011 Demographics, Housing, Economic,
Health and Family, Transportation, Public Safety, Community
Involvement, Conservation
• Indicators: geographically specific, regularly updated and consistently
and systematically collected.

7. Share of APL effort by task
Percent
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Data collection, Cleaning, Validation
Geospatial tabulation/summary
Website tools: interactive charting & mapping
Profiles & Annual report production for printing
Coordination w/ City staff on System Development
Stakeholders Identification, Training, Feedback

8. NI Goals
 Understanding neighborhood conditions
 Early warning system which would identify trends in social,
economic, and physical characteristics
 Support program and resources allocation decisions

9. Ongoing Challenges
 Identify stakeholders (and when possible institutionalize their
relationship to NI system)
 Train users & designated staff to become indicators data analysts
 Actively and objectively solicit constructive feedback & assess utility

10. www.cityofmadison.com/ni
David Long
dlong@ssc.wisc.edu
(Jim Beaudoin, Dan Veroff, & Roz Klaas)
Applied Population Laboratory
University of Wisconsin –Madison