Attractive to local media. The press publicizes them and uses them to monitor and analyze community trends. Data exists that is relevant to this geographic area, and preferably comparable to other cities, counties or communities. If data are not readily available, a practical method of data collection or measurement exists or can be created. Logically or scientifically defensible.
Good rationales exist for using the specific indicator and for drawing general conclusions from it.
In this report, the geographic scale of any specific indicator depends on the context and accessibility of the data. Each indicator has been researched by a Sustainable Seattle volunteer and reviewed by local experts. When uncertainty exists about the indicator, its data, or its interpretation, we say so. These numbers, charts, and graphs represent, in very simple terms, a much more complex reality. The indicators, taken together, provide us with a snapshot of our community.