I’m happy for this two-man kick for our economy, but of course, we don’t want to depend on chance to spawn economic growth and social development. That’s why we here at the Detroit-Area Community Information System (D-ACIS) are committed to making data available to everyone from block club captains to urban planners. Instead of playing guessing games, our legislators, planners and policymakers can rely on current, trustworthy data to budget for basic services and predict future needs.
Just last month, the Urban Institute selected Detroit to join only 33 other cities that are creating sophisticated, accessible data-sharing networks to help citizens and governments address community problems. Together, the cities form the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership that tracks vital information, including births, deaths, crime, health status, educational performance, public assistance and property conditions. As a member of NNIP, D-ACIS will also be able to compare data with other cities facing similar problems.
Good data can take the guesswork out of planning for the future. Some things just aren’t worth the gamble.