Where to Get Data for Neighborhood Planning

In doing long-range and strategic planning, governments make use of vast quantities of data that they compile on virtually every aspect of life in their jurisdiction. That data is public information, and is often easily obtainable by community groups and individuals. The length of time it will take for a city agency to respond to your request will vary, and fees may be charged for duplication costs, so take care to ensure that you are asking for precisely the information you need, and from the correct department.

Each agency usually has an office of public information, or a communications division, where such requests should originate. Be prepared to submit your request in writing. Of course, if you have a relationship with a friendly city council member or commissioner, having them put in a word to help expedite your request couldn't hurt.

Make sure that your question is as specific as possible, so that you get just the information you need, and that you have fully thought out all of the data you need for your project so that you don't have to make repeated requests. You might find that since they are not used to such requests and have no particular procedure to respond, some city staff that they might be willing to help you out on your first request, but may run out of patience if you call too often. Keep in mind that some city staff or elected officials may be suspicious of your motives, so the more open you are about why you need the data and what you plan to use it for, the more readily they will provide it to you.

For long term projects, developing a relationship with an individual within a department is a good idea. Invite them to your organization's meetings so that they get a sense of what your project is. You'll find that they return your phone calls and respond to your requests for data faster if you make an effort to include them, and since they are the experts in their field you may also find that they volunteer information that you hadn't even thought of.

Even for local data, check with Federal agencies for statistics, since many of them do track and compile local statistics. Those that only offer national statistics are still valuable, in that the national figures provide you with benchmarks to compare your local data with. Most federal agencies are putting their data on-line, so check their web site before calling; many will simply answer your questions by referring you to their home page. Fedstats (www.fedstats.gov) offers links to all federal sites with data and statistics available.  The Library of Congress site has a page which provides links to all Federal Agencies (www.loc.gov/rr/news/fedgov.html) and one which provides a good list of local and state sites (www.loc.gov/rr/news/stategov/stategov.html). The Fannie Mae Foundation, which created Knowledgeplex.org, a good source of news and reports on community development, now also maintains DataPlace (www.dataplace.org), which includes impressive data and mapping for every city and metro area in the United States. Finally, don't forget the Bureau of the Census (www.census.gov), which has extensive demographic records which are easily searchable and all available on-line through American FactFinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet).

Crime

The police department tracks crimes by address and by type. Local newspapers often print these reports verbatim, and if you know reporters or editors at the paper they might be an easy source of such materials.

If you have a good relationship with an officer or anyone at your local precinct, begin by asking them how to obtain the data you're looking for. A personal visit to the precinct house is always more effective than a phone call, since they're more likely to help you if you're standing right in front of them. Otherwise, the main office of the police department in your city will likely have a community affairs office which will either have the data, or help you get it.

On the federal level the FBI (www.fbi.gov) has crime statistics for MSA's, cities and counties. The Department of Justice ((202)-633-3047; www.usdoj.gov) also has local crime statistics in the form of FBI uniform crime reports. The Bureau of Justice Statistics ((202)-307-0765; www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/) and The Social Statistics Briefing Room (www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/ssbr.html) provide statistics about crime and victims on a national scale. A non-governmental online effort (www.crime.org) offers links to sites that post local crime statistics and rates, and offers tips on how to gather and use crime data.

Schools

The Department of Education is the source for school enrollment figures, dropout rates, and education expenditure figures.

If you have a relationship with a teacher or administrator at your neighborhood school start by asking them, since they're more likely to be able to get information quickly through their channels. The PTA is also a good source for information, as is the Teacher's Union.

The National Center for Education Statistics ((800) 424-1616; http://nces.ed.gov) publishes The School District Data Book, an education database and information system. It contain the most extensive set of data on children, their households and the nation's school systems. Also available on their web site is their Common Core of Data, which consists of four surveys completed annually by state education departments to report data about all United States public elementary and secondary schools,  local education agencies, and state education agencies. Three categories of information are included: a general description of schools and school districts, including name, address, and phone number; data on students and staff, including demographics; and fiscal data, including revenues and current expenditures.

The U.S. Department of Education ((800)-USA-LEARN; www.ed.gov) makes available the National Household Education Survey, enrollment statistics, and other statistics relating to schools and education. The Social Statistics Briefing Room (www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/ssbr.html) has national education statistics, and the Census Bureau ((301)-457-4100; www.census.gov/) has figures on educational attainment and school enrollment.

Public Works

The Department of Public Works usually tracks data on such issues as sanitation, recycling programs, sewers, sidewalk and road maintenance, public lighting, and park maintenance. You can find out how recently something has been repaired in your neighborhood, or when it is scheduled to be repaired. The department's Community Affairs office should be able to answer such service related questions.

Environment

City and state environmental agencies track polluted sites, Federal Superfund cleanup sites, and often even areas where noise pollution is an issue. From the Community Affairs office of your local environmental agency, you can find out when public hearings will be held on cleanup projects, or timetables for site cleanups. Ask the Community Affairs person if you can speak directly to the project manager for the sites you are interested in, or the person responsible for your area, because they will be able to give you a better idea of how the project is really progressing.

Some industries have requirements about firms releasing reports on their environmental impact, so you may even be able to approach any large companies in your neighborhood directly, and ask them if they have any such reports available.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ((202)-260-2080; www.epa.gov) provides information such as locations of superfund sites, toxic release inventories, and national air quality and emissions trends reports.

Parks and Recreation

Your city's parks department should also have an office of Community Affairs which has information on community center programs, park expenditures, renovation plans for parks, after-school activities, and community gardens. Of course, dropping in at your local community center and talking to the Center's Director or coordinator will also yield much of the information you're looking for.

Transportation

City and state departments of transportation collect traffic counts on major arterial and secondary roads, useful for determining sources of pollution, dangerous intersections, or inadequately served areas. The department's Community Affairs office should  be able to answer questions you have about such data.

If your city has a mass transit system, a separate agency is usually responsible for the busses and trains. Keep in mind that most information you might need, such as frequency or level of service, can be obtained from regular schedules or maps. The agency's Community Affairs office would be able to give you ridership figures.

Part of the US Department of Transportation, The Bureau of Transportation Statistics ((800)-853-1351; www.bts.gov) provides statistics on transportation issues such as bicycle use, congestion, and highways. The Census Bureau ((301)-457-4100; www.census.gov) has statistics on means of transportation to work and length of commute.

Housing

City housing or planning departments or development agencies track vacant houses and apartments. The property tax office of the city department of taxation has information on who owns individual properties, and most recent selling prices. If there is a community development specialist assigned to your neighborhood from this department, they would be the best source for obtaining information.  Otherwise the agency's Community Affairs office would be the first place to call.

If your city has a Public Housing Authority, they most likely also have a Community Affairs or Public Relations office which can respond to your requests for information about subsidized housing such as Section Eight units and public high-rises.

HUD User ((800)-245-2691; www.huduser.org) provides data on federal housing subsidies, and results of regular surveys they conduct on housing issues. Through HUD's Community Connections Program (800-998-9999; www.comcon.org) you can obtain summaries of individual municipalities' Consolidated Plans, along with the data compiled for each plan (including maps, in most cases). The Census Bureau ((301)-457-4100; www.census.gov) has statistics on housing as well. Searches can be conducted by zip code, county, or census tract, and data such as housing condition, size of home, rent, and age of home can be found.

Social Services

City or county governments often have divisions of social service from which data on public assistance and social services can be obtained. These agencies track special needs housing, food stamps, AFDC, and other similar programs, data which would be able to tell you the level of dependency in your neighborhood. If you know the locations of specific facilities in your neighborhood, dropping in and asking to speak to the director would be the best way to get information such as bed counts, budgets, etc. There are also often non-governmental associations of social service providers, such as day-care associations or facilities for senior citizens, which are also good sources of information.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ((202)-690-7850; www.hhs.gov), makes available statistics on issues related to children and families, such as public assistance usage, single parent families, child abuse and neglect, disabilities, and child support.  The National Center for Health Statistics ((301)-436-8500; www.cdc.gov/nchs/about.htm) tracks health concerns such as mortality rates, birth rates, teen pregrancies, nursing homes, and chronic illnesses. Some of their data is available on the local level, but much of it is national only. The Social Statistics Briefing Room (www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/ssbr.html) has national statistics on health.

Commerce

Your city's development or economic development agency will have statistics on businesses, unemployment, development activity, job training centers in your area, and your city's labor force. Such data might be valuable in efforts to attract businesses to your neighborhood, for example, by demonstrating the existence of a strong labor force which presently has to commute outside the neighborhood, or even the city, for jobs. Non-governmental organizations, such as a chamber of commerce would likely have good information as well.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (www.bea.doc.gov/; (202)-606-9900) is an agency of the Department of Commerce. BEA's economic accounts – national, regional, and international – provide information on such key issues as economic growth and regional development. The regional economic accounts provide estimates, analyses, and projections of personal income, population, and employment for regions, states, metropolitan areas, and counties. BEA also prepares estimates of gross state product. Much more extensive data is available, for a reasonable fee, from BEA's on-line service called STAT-USA (www.stat-usa.gov).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics ((202)-606-7828; http://stats.bls.gov/) compiles national and regional data on employment rates, prices, living conditions, working conditions, and wages. The Economic Statistics Briefing Room (www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html) provides national statistics on issues such as unemployment, income, and output, and the Census Bureau ((301)-457-4100; www.census.gov) has statistics on income and poverty rates.
 

One of the best sources for demographic and geographic data is the Internet. With an almost limitless capacity for storage and retrieval, the Internet is home to vast quantities of data; the trick is knowing where to look and how to use them.

There are drawbacks to using the Internet for this kind of research as well, of course. Sites with large, searchable databases are useful, but tend to be slow because they draw a lot of traffic and because they are constantly churning out so much data. If you have a slow computer or modem, you'll find these sites frustrating to use, particularly at peak hours of the day. There's no standard form for the data any of these sites provide, either. Some offer tables and charts in graphic form, some offer text, some can be downloaded into spreadsheet or GIS programs, and some you'll have to re-type. You'll also find, no doubt, that much of the data you find is at a rather large scale; statewide data is easier to come by than block-level statistics for your community.

Such is the nature of the Internet that any printed material directing users to sources of information will likely become obsolete within a relatively short amount of time. So many sites are being added to and removed from the web that it's difficult to keep up. So it's best to start out at a site which indexes sources of data elsewhere on the web. Universities are usually a good source of these kinds of listings.

Any source you use should be verified. Many sites will have information on where their data came from, but some won't. Most sites include e-mail addresses for how to contact the person who runs them. Send them e-mail asking for information on their sources, how current their data is, and what methods they used to gather it. Be sure to cite your sources in your final product.

For example, The University of California at San Diego site (http://odwin.ucsd.edu/idata/) offers a searchable index of sites offering numeric Social Science statistical data, data catalogs, data libraries, and other social science sites. Entering the word "housing" uncovered a wide range of responses, including links to various alternative sites offering census data. The Neighborhoods Online site (www.neighborhoodsonline.net) also provides links to hundreds of resources for community-based planning on the web. Cyburbia offers a catalog of planning and architectural resources on the web (www.cyburbia.org) which has a good topical index for information searches.

For most statistical information, you'll want to go straight to the source, so start out with The U.S. Department of the Census (www.census.gov/) site, which allows you to search for statistics by topic, by zip code, or even by clicking on a map. Relatively good descriptions of what the data means and how to use it is also available on this site. They also list CD-ROMS which are available for purchase with large quantities of data on them.

The drawbacks of this page are that it is huge and somewhat slow, but once you find your way around you'll find some very useful information. So pack a lunch and plan to stay the day. The University Sites listed above also provide links to alternate sites which provide census data, many of which are faster.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) offers data on the economy. You can search for materials on issues such as unemployment, prices and living conditions, and wages.

A joint project between the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Department of the Census, the Current Population Survey (CPS) (www.bls.census.gov/cps/cpsmain.htm) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households. The survey has been conducted for more than 50 years and is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population.

HUD also maintains a good site (www.huduser.org) which provides data primarily on housing such as mortgage programs, fair market rent figures, and information on low-income housing tax credits. At www.hud.gov/offices/cpd you'll also find executive summaries of consolidated plans containing community information for selected communities, including maps. You can also find information about their new GIS mapping software, Community 2020, at (www.hud.gov/offices/cio/c2020/index.cfm)

The Department of Commerce offers a site (www.stat-usa.gov/econtest.nsf) which provides the text of recent press releases regarding issues ranging from employment statistics to monetary reports.

The University of Virginia site (http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/ccdb) offers county and city data books on-line, with statistical information on people, economies, city government expenditures, and housing.

MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) is a commercial site which allows you to create street maps for areas you designate, but doesn't offer any statistical functions. It's easy to use, though, and is good for providing quick maps of geographic areas.

The Census Bureau also has a site (http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl) which allows you to create thematic maps, highlighting geographic areas, statistical topics, etc.

For examples of community-based planning efforts, take a look at the East St. Louis Action Research Project (www.eslarp.uiuc.edu) and the West Philadelphia Landscape Project (http://web.mit.edu/wplp/index.html).

Finally, no one knows more about where to find statistical resources on the Internet as the people who do it every day. E-mail discussion groups, or "listservs" are a good place to post queries about information you need, and you're likely to get a response or two helping to steer you in the right direction.

Once your project is underway or complete, consider launching your own web site, making your data available to users of the Internet. Particularly valuable would be posting a description of the process your organization went through in working on your planning project, for other groups to look at and consider as a model. This can be accomplished by setting up your own web site to post your information, or by contacting a local university or government agency to find out about sharing space on theirs. Some of the sites mentioned above might even have or provide links to other sites which provide space to display community-based projects. Even easier than posting the information to a web page, you could post announcements on listservs, letting people know about your project and that you have data or case studies available, allowing interested people to contact you for copies or more information.

 
This material excerpted from a publication produced by the Coalition for Low Income Community Development. The development of this manual was funded by CDBG Technical Assistance Agreements through the Pittsburgh HUD Field Office and the Los Angeles HUD Field Office.