Introducing Indicators

What are Indicators?

The NSIP process includes indicators because they are the most direct and objective way to communicate back to residents and stakeholders about their progress. An indicator is quantitative or qualitative information about the current status or direction of a change in a system, and indicators serve to guide and measure our progress towards established goals. They also summarize complex information of value to the observer. In other words, indicators allow the community to track progress toward reaching its goals over time.

Most often a single indicator is part of a larger series of indicators. Groups of indicators together are required to correctly interpret whether progress towards a goal is truly being made, and “sustainability indicators” are indicators supporting a sustainability vision and corresponding goals.

What are Actionable Indicators?

Indicators themselves do not replace actions, but they can become the catalysts that stimulate action in a community. Action-oriented indicators help build credibility and can also provide accountability for community leaders. Actionable indicators reveal progress, gaps or level of interest in a topic and can spur action to enhance, mitigate or sustain trends. They can be organized in three categories:

Performance: Quantifies how much of the environment is improved/affected by actions (Example: Number of New Trees planted in neighborhood)

Participatory: Quantifies who and how many people are involved in sustainability actions (Example: % of Residents who participated in Neighborhood Tree Planting Drives)

Advocacy: Quantifies how many support a particular sustainability policy and or action. (Example: % of Residents who support Casey Trees expanding their Tree Program within the Pilot Project area)

Performance and participatory indicators are preferred as they most directly affect sustainability, but they depend on public participation in actions to be effective. Advocacy indicators typically rely on sustainability actions to be carried out by outside organizations/ agencies and are therefore less connected to direct citizen actions.