Quality of Life Indicators

land use & infrastructure

Land Use and Infrastructure. Housing and mobility options enable families to be self-sufficient and businesses to be profitable. Appropriate and affordable housing exists for all residents. The region has a positive view of the future. We will seize change as an opportunity to improve our community and varied land uses support many different types of active outdoor lifestyles. The people who live here make sure our planning reflects our hopes and priorities, not just for a few years, but also for decades into the future.

indicators in this category:

• affordable housing
  How much a family pays for rent or housing greatly impacts how self-sufficient a family can be; the Housing Affordability Index measures whether a typical family earning median wages could qualify for a mortgage loan, especially important because housing is usually a family's largest expense but transportation costs rise dramatically when families live farther away from the area they work and shop. View data
• land use balance & sensitivity
  The way the region grows as a community affects how much we drive, traffic congestion, and ultimately our air quality; infill building permits and high-density housing reduce urban sprawl and the cost to build and maintain roads, develop public transportation, and improve air quality, whilst maintaining open space attracts quality companies and tourism, and provides natural benefits including purifying the air and water, cooling the region, and flood control. This is a new indicator identified by the community in the 2006 update process. View data
• mobility & convenience
  Public transit is critical to our economy and traffic congestion; surveying access to affordable and reliable transportation, alternative transit and transportation mode split indicates an effective transportation system with a diversity of options. View data
• development that encourages healthy lifestyles & neighborhood livability
  Acres dedicated for public recreation vs. new development and new housing units, in conjunction with surveying access to public parks, multi-use trails and pedestrian-friendliness indicates planning for active healthy lifestyles. This is a new indicator identified by the community in the 2006 update process. View data