Brooklyn Trends Report
Description
In fall 2012, the Center for the Study of Brooklyn will launch the first ever Brooklyn Trends Report. The Report will include municipal social indicators which present both a narrative and quantitative picture of Brooklyn. Over 100 expert advisors, including approximately 40 Brooklyn College faculty and staff, and 60 community-based leaders, have been engaged via interviews, surveys and meetings. The Report highlights important issues impacting the borough, prioritized by advisors, and further articulated via data analysis and mapping. Nine theme areas will be addressed in the Report, including Arts & Culture, Civic Engagement, Demographics, Economy, Environment, Health, Housing, Public Safety and Youth & Education.
Status
In mid-2009, Center staff began reviewing trends reports across the United States to become familiar with approach, process for engagement, content, production and launch strategies. In summer and fall 2009, we engaged approximately 40 core advisors in Brooklyn and NYC, who helped us frame conceptual outlines and produce data dictionaries (extensive lists of potential indicators for each of the Report's eight theme areas) in order to vet the proposed content of the Report during a March, 2010 Brooklyn Trends Report meeting at Brooklyn College. During the March, 2010 meeting, over 100 advisors broke into working groups to reach consensus regarding prioritized issues impacting the borough for their respective areas of expertise.
Following the March, 2010 meeting, Center staff synthesized and summarized notes from the working groups and survey results, and met individually with the working group leaders to make final decisions regarding conceptual content outlines for the Report. In summer 2010, Center staff began aligning the concept outlines with apropos data in order to draft final outlines, and data collection and analysis commenced.
In fall 2010, Center staff began writing first drafts of the nine sections of the Report. Through 2011, as draft sections have been completed, Brooklyn Trends Report Working Group Leaders and several Advisors for each Report section reviewed and provided comments for revisions to be made. A graphic designer has begun work on the report, and final drafts of each section are anticipated in mid 2012. The Center plans to publicly launch the Report (including conference(s), presentations, media releases, and web-based availability) several sections at a time beginning in fall 2012.