In today’s community, members are influenced by a variety of domains that make up the total community in which they live. Organizations from a variety of cities are trying to monitor the community’s well-being for a variety of domains. In Baltimore, The Enterprise Foundation Initiative uses 40 outcome indicators as “vital signs” of community well-being. These indicators are drawn from a variety of domains such as housing and community development, family health, safety, sanitation, education, and even sense of community (Anonymous, 2005). These factors go far beyond the traditional use of basic economic indicators often touted by community officials when they talk about community quality of life (QOL). Disciplines and businesses alike that have not traditionally examined these more subjective measures in their decisions are now beginning to recognize the importance of such community assessment in decisions regarding development. For example, Poorman (2005) examines a community domain, traffic and transportation, which has grown in importance over recent years. In that piece he calls for a planning strategy built taking into account public expectations that include things beyond simple economic concerns. He notes that planners need to consider such things as community structure, public health, and a variety of QOL domains. Difficulties arise, however, when there is not a theoretically sound framework that can guide public policy decisions regarding the integration, application, and monitoring of these domains.
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Sirgy, M.J., Rahtz, D. (2006). A Measure and Method to Assess Subjective Community Quality of Life. In: Sirgy, M.J., Rahtz, D., Swain, D. (eds) Community Quality-of-Life Indicators. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 28. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4625-4_4
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