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Measure regional progress with a variety of data indicators

MARC collects a wealth of data on our region’s population, employment, income, transportation, air quality and education levels to help communities identify critical needs, initiate action and measure their progress over time. These data sets are indicators and measurements which tell the story about what we’ve accomplished and where we are headed.

As part of the Creating Sustainable Places initiative, a new indicators website will be used to track the region’s progress 
towards becoming more sustainable and help quantify whether or not our actions are truly creating a vibrant, connected and green region. A beta version of the indicators website launched March 2014.

Indicators give everyone from policymakers to the public a common foundation to identify, understand and act on community issues. They help decision makers go beyond anecdotal evidence and answer questions: Are we growing in a way that is:

  • Saving us money?
  • Creating a stronger economy?
  • Preserving and enhancing the environment?
  • Fostering a healthier population?
  • Promoting stable, enduring neighborhoods?
  • Expanding access to jobs, education, and affordable housing?
  • Proving more housing and transportation choices?
  • Ensuring a thriving future?

Structure: Actions, Impacts and Outcomes

The Creating Sustainable Places Indicators are structured to provide a clear link between quantitative measures and policy decisions. To do this, indicators are categorized on three levels: Actions, Places and Outcomes.




Measures actions promoted by Creating Sustainable Places. These are tangible actions that could be anything from construction of new affordable housing units to adoption of Complete Streets ordinances.

Measures the impact of
the actions on specific places or corridors. These are the characteristics and improvements our places need if they are to become more sustainable.

High-level indicators that measure whether we are meeting triple-bottom-line priorities. Are we taking actions that create places that are thriving — economically, Environmentally, and socially?


The impact a particular action has on a specific place and the outcome that from that impact can be quantified. Some examples:




Number of trees planted

Increase in tree canopy

Reduction in energy use

Number of units of
affordable housing built
Increase in
demographic diversity
Lower concentration
of poverty