Telling a Story that Must Be Heard: Participatory Indicators as Tools for Community Empowerment

Abstract

This article argues that community planners can better engage residents of marginalized communities by using indicators as tools for community empowerment. Using case studies from Oakland, California, and Lane County, Oregon, we demonstrate how participatory processes to develop formative indicators can legitimize local stories as valid sources of knowledge, facilitate community problem-solving, and translate community concerns into pathways for change. We conclude that these practices have the potential to facilitate more meaningful engagement with residents of marginalized communities and promote community empowerment.

KEYWORDS:

• community empowerment
• engagement
• formative assessment
• local knowledge
• neighborhood indicators

Notes

1 The Lane County Livability Consortium is a coalition of local governments, planning organizations, and social service providers.

2 The Sightline Institute is a sustainability research center in the Pacific Northwest that specializes in developing sustainability indicators. You can learn more about the organization at http://www.sightline.org/.

3 Mr. James Rojas developed this process. He worked with the project as a planning consultant.