From the Ground Up: Quality of Life Indicators and Sustainable Community Development

Abstract

In the search for accessible, understandable, and useful criteria for the evaluation of community sustainability initiatives, quality of life indicators have proven to be appealing. Currently, in Ontario, there are several ongoing efforts to develop quality of life indicators for use at the municipal level. Methodologies useful in rural communities must meet some important challenges, including a lack of small area statistics and an absence of paid staff assistance. This article discusses volunteer-driven efforts by rural Woolwich Township's Healthy Communities Project to develop quality of life indicators for use in developing a local State of the Community Report.

Keywords:

• Community Economics
• Sustainable Communities
• Participatory Action Research