What's New: Developing PeaceAble City Indicators

How do we know if we are moving toward a more peaceable city for all who live and work here? 

With help from many in the community, we’re developing a set of Peaceable City Indicators, reliable numbers gathered from many sources that will let us know if we are moving ahead or slipping behind on our journey to become a completely peaceable city.

Some numbers are easy.  They can be found in police reports or the documentation agencies create to understand and manage the effectiveness of their programs.  These numbers can answer questions like the following:
  • How many incidents of domestic abuse are reported to the police?  To one of our hospitals?
  • Is the truancy rate at ETHS going up or down?

To get these numbers we are contacting public and private service providers in town.

Some numbers are harder to find but equally important. Numbers that measure community connectedness do not currently exist in Evanston. They would address questions such as:
  • How safe do Evanstonians feel walking in their neighborhoods at night? 
  • How many people who live in our city have someone they could call on for help with a family emergency at 3:00 a.m.? 
  • How many of us know the neighbors beside us and across the street or the hall? 
These indicators can best be obtained doing careful survey research, which is expensive.

Some numbers are “common knowledge” but may not reflect reality.  We need to separate myth from reality to understand how we need to grow as a community. Many things are commonly believed about the origins of violence; some are true, some may not be. We need to know. For example:
  •  Is it really true that children not reading at grade level by third grade are destined to struggle to avoid lives causing or being victims of violence? 
  • Are all kids in single parent homes really more at risk for being exposed to violence or is that a myth?
Answering these questions requires research and conversations with experts.


This Peaceable City Indicators project will be our focus for the next two years.  If you have information you think could help us, let us know at info@peaceablecitiesevanston.org.  We’ll be delighted to learn from you!




Save The Date:

PeaceAble Cities' 3rd Annual Walk and Talk is scheduled for Sunday, September 22nd

 



Your Invitation: PeaceAble Cities: Evanston invites and encourages the participation of individuals and organizations who share the goal of violence prevention and the creation of a respectful, peaceable city.