Using Indicators Projects as Prompts for Exploring Equity: A Case Study of Greater Portland Pulse

Authors

Meg Merrick, Portland State UniversityFollow
Diane Besser, Portland State UniversityFollow
Shelia A. Martin, Portland State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

10-17-2013

Subjects

Public welfare -- Management, City planning

Abstract

This paper describes the process that the Greater Portland Pulse (GPP) initiated to incorporate the measurement of progress toward social equity into the project. While equity may appear to be a widely accepted priority for communities, the GPP process created a dialogue that was sometimes contentious but also profoundly educational for the participants revealing some of the complexities, not only of the issue of equity, but the challenges (particularly the inadequacy of available data) and trade-offs that are inescapable when using conventional data sets.

Additionally, this paper discusses some of the consequences of a process that, while incorporating equity values and concerns into all of its outcomes and indicators (rather than creating a separate equity outcome category) may have rendered equity less visible than originally intended.

Description

Presented at the Community Indicators Consortium Impact Summit in Chicago, October 17, 2013.

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16236

Citation Details

Merrick, Meg; Besser, Diane; and Martin, Shelia A., "Using Indicators Projects as Prompts for Exploring Equity: A Case Study of Greater Portland Pulse" (2013). Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications. 139.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16236