Metrics

Austin Scores Highest on Pandemic Recovery; Bay Area and Baltimore Lowest
The Bay Area Council and CBRE created an economic tracker to measure how well the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas have recovered from the public health restrictions imposed on their regions at the onset of the pandemic.

Do You Know Your COVID-19 Colors?
Harvard University's Global Health Insititute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics have launched a new online tool for planners, policy makers, and the public to determine the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in one's county and state.

A 'City Vitality' Metric
Gallup and the city of Tulsa have partnered on the new Gallup-Tulsa CitiVoice Index.

Researchers Develop 7 Metrics to Evaluate Bike And Pedestrian Projects
New research lays the groundwork for a universal standard by which to measure effectiveness of bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects.

Asking the Right Questions About Equity In Bikeshare
The way we measure the success of bikeshare systems could be giving us the wrong idea about their impacts, and about the transportation needs of low-income areas.

Five Ways to Measure the Need for City Parks
While standardized metrics for determining the number of and place for city parks cannot replace more fine grain analysis, they can be useful tools. Park planner Clement Lau writes about five park-need metrics, including a couple of the newest.
'Self-Sufficiency Standard' Reveals Distressing Levels of Poverty
Most policies regarding poverty are driven by obsolete metrics. Another model, which measures the very basic needs for survival, reveals deep poverty in New York City.

Five Reasons Why Peak Driving is Here to Stay
The Great Recession ended in the summer of 2009. Unemployment has fallen and consumer spending has risen, as have most economic metrics save one: vehicle miles traveled. There is a list of reasons why VMT hasn't risen, and perhaps won't.
The Gold Standard for Civic Data Delivery
Emily Badger is extremely impressed—and for good reason—with the City of Los Angeles' new neighborhood data portal, built in connection with the development a new health and wellness chapter for the city's General Plan.
On Garcetti's 100th Day: Let There Be Metrics
On Eric Garcetti's 100th day in office, the new mayor of Los Angeles showed progress on his promise to increase accountability by launching a beta website to track City Hall performance in nine categories and for each city department.
Census Releases New Ways to Measure Poverty
The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new set of formulae that dramatically change the way poverty is determined in the U.S., leaving behind the one-size-fits-all approach in use since the 1960s.
New Scorecard From NY DOT: Driving in Decline, Safety Improvements Work
New York City's second annual Sustainable Streets Index adds a wealth of data in support of green transportation and street safety.
Looking at America Through its Food
A new demographic tool from the USDA compiles data about food choices and characteristics, allowing the creation of detailed maps. Edible Geography wonders what using food as a metric will tell us about the U.S.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research