13
2.5.1 Indicators for Baltimore—The
Vital Signs Report
Defining and tracking indicators with community
buy-in, of course, was not a new concept in
Baltimore. Since 2000, the Baltimore
Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA) at the
University of Baltimore has served an alliance of
groups and individuals in Baltimore dedicated to
well-informed decision making for change. Since
2002, BNIA has published the annual Vital Signs
report,
7
a compendium of over 100 communitybased indicators for every Baltimore neighborhood. BNIA annually updates and provides the
most current data as a part of Vital Signs and
expands on existing data and indicators through a
learning network of other cities engaged in the
National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership
(NNIP). Through ongoing and continuous consultation with neighborhood residents, leaders
from across Baltimore, and data provider partners, BNIA designed its core functions based on
Baltimore’s need for a common way of understanding how its neighborhoods and overall quality of life are changing over time. The work
illuminates changing conditions and provides a
mechanism to hold Baltimore and all others who
work, live, play, and invest in its neighborhoods
accountable for positive growth.
For Baltimore, the SDGs provided a framework for evaluating the strength of the set of indicators included in Vital Signs. The exercise of
mapping the Vital Signs indicators to the SDG
targets presented gaps in both frameworks; the
SCI-Baltimore initiative offered a means to
address both local and global missing elements.
2.5.2 Preparing SDG Targets and
Indicators of Success in Baltimore
Based on years of experience with local issues
and local data, BNIA was in a good position to
focus the SCI-Baltimore initiative on a proposed
Baltimore SDG Index. To develop the global tar7 Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob
France Institute, Vital Signs Full Report, http://bniajfi.org/
vital_signs/fullreport/
gets for the 17 SDGs and a series of progress
indicators to track, indicators were evaluated
according to these guiding principles:
• The data aligns with SDG targets and represents local priorities.
• Indicators reflect existing/parallel processes
envisioning Baltimore’s future.
• Data is accessible and actionable and from a
valid, reliable source.
• Baseline measures are recurring in order to be
tracked over time.
• Measures can help address disparities through
disaggregation by race and by gender.
A total of 56 indicators across the 17 SDGs
have been identified through a series of SDG
Executive Team and working group meetings,
where indicators were reviewed, added, and
removed from the selection, and through the
listening- to-the-listening effort. All of the indicators drew from open data sources including the
aggregation of data in Baltimore’s Vital Signs
report. The proposed indicators outlined in the
pages below can be used by decision makers and
stakeholders in Baltimore to set quantitative values for local targets that align with the Global
Targets, and they can be used to track progress
toward achieving those targets leading up to 2030.
To gauge the relevance to the community and
other stakeholders, the resulting set of 56 indicators were then presented to and scored by those
representatives at the Opening Session for
Baltimore Data Day 2016. For each proposed
progress indicator, the following information was
collated: baseline measure, baseline year, data
source, participant score from Baltimore Data
Day, and a graphic that visualizes 3–5 years of
baseline data and a potential trend line based on
the existing trajectory out to 2030. After the 56
indicators were selected, several local and
regional organizations signed pledges to support
the specific SDGs and indicators that reflected
their work and values.
8
8 See Appendix 3 (Baltimore SDG Letters of Endorsement)
of the full report “Baltimore’s Sustainable Future:
Localizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
Strategies and Indicators.” https://www.ubalt.edu/aboutub/sustainable-cities/
2 Localizing the SDGs in Baltimore: Challenges and Opportunities of the USA Sustainable Cities Initiative
2.5.1 Indicators for Baltimore—The
Vital Signs Report
Defining and tracking indicators with community
buy-in, of course, was not a new concept in
Baltimore. Since 2000, the Baltimore
Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA) at the
University of Baltimore has served an alliance of
groups and individuals in Baltimore dedicated to
well-informed decision making for change. Since
2002, BNIA has published the annual Vital Signs
report,
7
a compendium of over 100 communitybased indicators for every Baltimore neighborhood. BNIA annually updates and provides the
most current data as a part of Vital Signs and
expands on existing data and indicators through a
learning network of other cities engaged in the
National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership
(NNIP). Through ongoing and continuous consultation with neighborhood residents, leaders
from across Baltimore, and data provider partners, BNIA designed its core functions based on
Baltimore’s need for a common way of understanding how its neighborhoods and overall quality of life are changing over time. The work
illuminates changing conditions and provides a
mechanism to hold Baltimore and all others who
work, live, play, and invest in its neighborhoods
accountable for positive growth.
For Baltimore, the SDGs provided a framework for evaluating the strength of the set of indicators included in Vital Signs. The exercise of
mapping the Vital Signs indicators to the SDG
targets presented gaps in both frameworks; the
SCI-Baltimore initiative offered a means to
address both local and global missing elements.
2.5.2 Preparing SDG Targets and
Indicators of Success in Baltimore
Based on years of experience with local issues
and local data, BNIA was in a good position to
focus the SCI-Baltimore initiative on a proposed
Baltimore SDG Index. To develop the global tar7 Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob
France Institute, Vital Signs Full Report, http://bniajfi.org/
vital_signs/fullreport/
gets for the 17 SDGs and a series of progress
indicators to track, indicators were evaluated
according to these guiding principles:
• The data aligns with SDG targets and represents local priorities.
• Indicators reflect existing/parallel processes
envisioning Baltimore’s future.
• Data is accessible and actionable and from a
valid, reliable source.
• Baseline measures are recurring in order to be
tracked over time.
• Measures can help address disparities through
disaggregation by race and by gender.
A total of 56 indicators across the 17 SDGs
have been identified through a series of SDG
Executive Team and working group meetings,
where indicators were reviewed, added, and
removed from the selection, and through the
listening- to-the-listening effort. All of the indicators drew from open data sources including the
aggregation of data in Baltimore’s Vital Signs
report. The proposed indicators outlined in the
pages below can be used by decision makers and
stakeholders in Baltimore to set quantitative values for local targets that align with the Global
Targets, and they can be used to track progress
toward achieving those targets leading up to 2030.
To gauge the relevance to the community and
other stakeholders, the resulting set of 56 indicators were then presented to and scored by those
representatives at the Opening Session for
Baltimore Data Day 2016. For each proposed
progress indicator, the following information was
collated: baseline measure, baseline year, data
source, participant score from Baltimore Data
Day, and a graphic that visualizes 3–5 years of
baseline data and a potential trend line based on
the existing trajectory out to 2030. After the 56
indicators were selected, several local and
regional organizations signed pledges to support
the specific SDGs and indicators that reflected
their work and values.
8
8 See Appendix 3 (Baltimore SDG Letters of Endorsement)
of the full report “Baltimore’s Sustainable Future:
Localizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
Strategies and Indicators.” https://www.ubalt.edu/aboutub/sustainable-cities/
2 Localizing the SDGs in Baltimore: Challenges and Opportunities of the USA Sustainable Cities Initiative