1.0 DCPLUS 20230117 15090300 20231212 15090300 https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/c80237c2de494f4eb767b3353b752a5b/info/thumbnail/ago_downloaded.png https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c80237c2de494f4eb767b3353b752a5b c80237c2de494f4eb767b3353b752a5b Feature Service https://services.arcgis.com/ePKBjXrBZ2vEEgWd/arcgis/rest/services/CoB_Equity_Index/FeatureServer CoB Equity Index 2023-01-17T15:09:03 2023-12-12T18:58:24  PurposeThe purpose of this index is to create an accessible, unified measure of demographic and prosperity data for Boulder residents and display it in a geographic context to drive intentional development and implementation of equitable programs and policies. VariablesThe index is comprised of the following five variables:<ul><li>Percent of the block group population that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color ("BIPOC")</li><li>Median income by block group</li><li>Percent of the block group population living below the poverty line</li><li>Percent of the block group population receiving financial aid through Housing and Human Services ("HHS") aid programs</li></ul>The first three are all derived from estimates in the American Community Survey (“ACS”) 5-year survey (2016-2020). The financial aid data from HHS is a data set owned by the city of Boulder. These variables were combined as a weighted sum, with the race/ethnicity variable multiplied by a factor of two, then broken into five ranks using Jenks Natural Breaks. The BIPOC variable was double weighted in this way to ensure that the use of three economic variables did not have too much influence on the ranking of the index. Race, as it is currently defined, is often the greatest predictor of access to success in our current system and should therefore be a significant contributing element of this index.All code used to develop the index can be found <a target='_blank' href='https://github.com/cityofboulder/boulder_equity_map' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>here</a>. ACS data are publicly available, while the raw data from HHS contain sensitive information, and must be requested directly from HHS. This repository contains an aggregation of those data which is appropriate for general use.InterpretationThe five levels of the index are ranked, with a score of five representing areas of greatest priority based on the combined demographic and economic factors listed above, and a score of one receiving lowest priority. Higher-level block groups can be interpreted as more racially/ethnically diverse and/or under greater economic stress when compared to block groups with lower ranks. This lack of specificity is a feature, not a bug; the index is intended as a starting point when applying an equity focus to programs and policies and should direct the user’s attention for further investigation.The index is intended to be used in combination with other data and measures, which are to be selected by the user as is appropriate for a given program, budget, or policy. It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that the index is integrated into their planning in a manner that is reasonable. For example, a higher score on the equity index may not be weighted more heavily than measures that more directly relate to the focus of a given program or policy (e.g., vehicle crash rates to determine which intersections require additional safety features). Rather, users might question why recipients of a program are disproportionately located in lower-ranked block-groups, or the index could be considered a potential “tie-breaker,” adding an additional layer of comparison where other factors are equal.Block group boundaries are drawn using a combination of visible features such as roads, streams, or railroad tracks and nonvisible boundaries such as property lines or county limits. Note that these boundaries are often not likely to be reflected in the impacts of a project. When evaluating the impacts of a plan or program with a specific geographic scope, consider all block groups that may be impacted by it, not just the block group it falls within.CaveatsThe index is a model, and it cannot possibly represent the full complexity of the lived experiences of Boulder residents. We do, however, believe that the index is useful, provided it is used and interpreted appropriately. Below, we identify two important caveats that are necessary to ensure the index is interpreted constructively.Aggregation of RacesThere are limitations to % BIPOC as a measure for equity work. We cannot expect every race or community group to be impacted by structural inequities in the same way. However, this was the most inclusive measure possible given the nature of the data available. The index has been evaluated by Boulder community members and revised based on their feedback to ensure that it is sufficiently reflective of the distribution of the city’s various communities and their economic needs.It is important to acknowledge that, of those community members surveyed, there was not complete agreement around the approach used. Some rightfully expressed frustration with the inadequate categorizations used by the Census and the ACS. We are currently unable to use alternative categorizations of race and ethnicity. We believe the best course of action is to use the Census categories with the caveat that they are useful as a means of detecting systemic inequity due to racism, and not as a means of describing people targeted by systemic racism.Community members also expressed concerns about the index being misused to target specific communities or individuals. One benefit of the BIPOC aggregation is that its inclusive nature prevents the identification of any one race or ethnic group by geographic location. Additionally, combining race and ethnicity with economic measures further reduces the user’s ability to directly connect the ranking of a given block group with any racial or ethnic group.Correlation vs. CausationIt is also important to note that the index is not intended to imply a cause-and-effect relationship between race/ethnicity and economic status. The relationship between these factors is far more complex than this index can capture. We have included both demographic and economic variables in the index due to their correlation to each other within Boulder and around the country. The variables and their relationships should be considered within the context of the complex systemic inequities we seek to address.Project AssistanceIf you have any questions or concerns about the index and how it relates to your work, please contact Stewart LaPan (<a href='mailto:lapans@bouldercolorado.gov' rel='nofollow ugc'>lapans@bouldercolorado.gov</a>). -105.41509687428953 -105.13070471360678 40.133861302030766 39.913297323552605 1 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c80237c2de494f4eb767b3353b752a5b https://services.arcgis.com/ePKBjXrBZ2vEEgWd/arcgis/rest/services/CoB_Equity_Index/FeatureServer Feature Service EPSG