When looking at data sorted by geography, our first instinct is to look for ourselves. We wonder, what does the data say about my place in the world?
Readily available data sources are broken down by many types of geography; country, state, county, city, zip code, census tract. However, they are not typically available in the micro-geographies we create within cities and have a high affinity towards—where we are most likely to see ourselves represented. You cannot type “Tremont” into the Census.gov search bar and get any results.
In Cleveland, we have 34 distinct neighborhoods each with unique assets and personality.
Proximal neighborhoods can be wildly different from each other
In Cleveland, we have 34 distinct neighborhoods each with unique assets and personality. Even though neighborhoods sometimes share zip codes or census tracts, they feel—and are—different from each other. To those familiar with the city, you know that while Broadway and Kinsman are neighbors and they are different from each other, Old Brooklyn and Stockyards are adjacent and two distinct neighborhoods, Glenville and Collinwood both border Bratenahl and yet have quite different histories and community assets.
Since our first foray into neighborhood-based data in 2016, we have continuously examined our process for finding data, selecting the data, designing the profiles and sharing them with the wider community. In this iteration, we were fortunate to have support of the Cleveland Foundation to explore and develop new data methodologies, convene an advisory group and plan for greater outreach into the community to share data that reflects the areas Clevelanders call home.
We have made some changes and additions that we believe create a profile more reflective of the communities.
We changed the way we analyze data to maintain neighborhood nuance
A critique we have often heard about our fact sheets and data profiles is that they illuminate the negative and do not accurately depict the assets of neighborhoods. Guided by our advisory council and in response to feedback from the community, we have made some changes and additions that we believe create a profile more reflective of the communities. Some improvements you’ll notice:
- Changed the way we report race
- Expanded employment, education and health data
- Added transportation, red lining, voting and tree canopy data
- Included life expectancy measures
There is always room for improvement, and we look forward to your feedback on what you like about our new profiles, how you will use them, and what you would like to see in the future.
Cleveland Neighborhood Profiles
