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Economic
Prosperity
1.
Entrepreneurial spirit as measured by new business starts
An entrepreneurial spirit is considered essential for wealth creation and the
long-term health of the economy. Although it is understood that many new
businesses fail in the first few years, the number of failures or the net number
of businesses were seen as less important measures. The key indicator is whether
there is a steady stream of new ideas and new enterprises, some of which will be
successful.
2.
Percent of workforce between 20 and 35 years of age
This indicator measures our ability to attract new technology workers and keep
our own children in the region when they graduate. Our ability to attract young
people to the region is highly influenced by cultural and quality of life
issues. Economic development professionals consider the ability to attract a
qualified workforce essential to keeping the region competitive. As our
population ages, young workers are essential not only to meeting the needs of
employers but to providing support for older and younger people who are
dependent on their wages and other support. This indicator is a measure of what
might be called the “vitality” of a community. Information on trends for this
indicator will be most useful.
3.
Cumulative percent of students who finish high school and are “work ready” or
prepared for higher education
The percent would be cumulative, considering dropouts, students going directly
into the workforce, and those going on to higher education. Whether students
were work ready or prepared for college would be measured by the need for
remedial education by employers or colleges. This indicator measures the
effectiveness of our K-12 education systems. An adequate workforce is essential
for the economy.
4. The percent of the eligible workforce earning enough to be self-sufficient
This indicator takes into
consideration both unemployment and the working poor. It combines economic and
social concerns. Self-sufficiency is the amount of income needed in the region
to meet basic needs without public assistance. While it is assumed that every
economy has some jobs that are low-skill and low pay, the goal is to minimize
the percent of the workforce not earning enough to support themselves and their
families. This indicator will help the region focus economic development efforts
on attracting higher paying jobs and providing the education and skills needed
to prepare people for those jobs.
Healthy Ecosystems
5.
Percent of land in the region devoted to people habitat, car habitat, wildlife
habitat, and agriculture
This indicator measures the balance of land uses. While no ideal balance was
identified, it is important to monitor trends. Land is a finite resource;
increased use for one purpose means a reduction for other uses. It is expected
that this indicator will be shown as a pie chart. Car habitat includes roads and
parking lots. It gets at flooding and water quality problems caused by
impervious surfaces; loss of greenspace; air quality problems created by auto
emissions; increased commuter times that impact on civic and family life.
6.
Pounds of waste per capita sent to landfills or other disposal
This indicator includes residential, commercial and industrial solid waste, plus
construction and demolition debris. The trend could be reduced by either
producing less waste or by recycling efforts.
7.
Number of days that air quality is unhealthy based on national standards
This indicator combines environmental and health concerns. An air quality index
is used nationally to rate the air as “good”, “moderate”, “unhealthy for
sensitive groups”, “unhealthy” or “very unhealthy (alert)”. It is defined and
reported for the Cincinnati region on a daily basis on the Internet at
www.hcdoes.org/airquality/webpages/aqindex. This indicator is affected by energy
use, both in automobiles and in electricity generated by burning coal.
8.
Percent of stream miles meeting State water quality standards
The Cincinnati
region is focused on the Ohio River and its several tributaries. We are a River
City. The health of our rivers is key to wildlife, drinking water, tourism, and
our quality of life.
Healthy People and
Healthy Communities
9.
Healthy People Index, with the following specific conditions monitored in our
region:
∑ Percent of population that is overweight
∑ Suicide rate
∑ Infant mortality rate
∑ Asthma rate
∑ Blood lead levels in children
∑ Teenage smoking rates
∑ Number of people without public or private health insurance
∑ Perceived availability of affordable, quality health services (measured by
surveys)
∑ Immunization rates
A Healthy People Index and statistics are maintained by the national Center for
Disease Control.
10.
Sense of Community measured by the social capital index
The Cincinnati region is one of several metropolitan areas involved in the
Social Capital Benchmark Survey. The Greater Cincinnati Foundation sponsored the
survey locally. The survey measures various aspects of civic ties and community
connections, including social trust, political participation, civic leadership
and associational involvement, giving and volunteering, faith-based engagement,
and informal social ties. This indicator will also report the percent of
eligible voters that actually vote.
11.
Violent crime rate in the region
Citizens will not stay in a community if they do not feel safe. Although violent
crime rates have been going down and the Cincinnati region is better than other
urban areas, safety is such an essential need of the community, it needs to be
watched and measured. Crime rates affect, and are affected by, economic and
social issues. Although crime rates are generally reported by jurisdiction, it
was felt important that attention be focused on a regional measure. Violent
crime affects more than the people who live and work in certain high-crime
neighborhoods. It has a negative impact on the entire region.
12.
Number of people using public transportation
This indicator is affected both by the existence (or lack) of public transit
systems and by how accessible the existing systems are to the population. The
use of public transportation reduces air pollution from automobiles, reduces
energy consumption, and reduces the need for more and larger highways. Public
transportation is also important in connecting potential employees to jobs and
housing throughout the region.
…and Justice for
All
13. Percent of
population that feels treated with fairness and respect in public interactions,
reported by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability status
This information would be opinion through opinion surveys. Public interactions
would include interactions with the police, with shop clerks, on buses, etc.
African Americans make up 12% of the region and have historically been treated
as an underclass by the white majority. Perceptions of fair treatment are a good
indicator that we are healing the racial divisions. At the same time, it is
important that diversity in all aspects is respected.
14.
Racial and income segregation in the region measured by the Index of
Dissimilarity
Both concerns about racial segregation and the need for mixed income communities
kept coming up in discussions of housing, regional cooperation, and diversity.
There is a strong sense that a region with concentrations of poverty and
isolated communities of the wealthy is not sustainable. Using this indicator
does not assume that a total mix of races and incomes is possible or even
desirable. It does assume that extreme segregation by race or income is not
healthy for the region. The Index of Dissimilarity is also called the Tauber
Index and is a commonly used measure of residential segregation based on Census
data.
Note:
Suitable indicators for regional cooperation, availability of housing, and
energy are not yet fully developed. The Sustainable Cincinnati Steering
Committee recommends that the project move forward using the indicators listed
above with the idea that additional indicators may be developed for these areas
in the future.
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