Vision for Baltimore
A strong, stable city of safe and thriving neighborhoods – distinctive places where residents work together to improve the quality of life for our children, families, and neighbors.
Guiding Principles
The following Guiding Principles were developed by BNIA-JFI and the Steering Committee to guide them in selecting the Vital Signs:
- We seek to tell the story about Baltimore neighborhoods, celebrating what is good and pointing out challenges that must be addressed.
- We seek to determine the minimum number of indicators necessary to tell this story.
- Neighborhood goals are the first priority.
- To the extent possible, the indicators can be compared to the city and state.
- To the extent possible, we measure the ends – not the means to an end.
- The selected indicators can be affected by policy changes, neighborhood actions and activities.
- We recognize the links between each of the topic areas, and highlight these linkages where necessary.
- We utilize the data and the analysis of the people and organizations in Baltimore and in Maryland that are already doing this work; we do not seek to reinvent the wheel, but rather bring their collective efforts together in one place within a neighborhood context.
We acknowledge where data and analysis is missing and seek to make it available in subsequent years.
The Vital Signs will be used by a variety of users including but not limited to: policy makers, service providers, city agencies, foundations, businesses, investors, and neighborhoods.
