a community profile workbook - eastern illinois...

McKinney & Mulvaney, 1

A Community Profile Workbook

William R. McKinney, Ph.D. University of Illinois Michael A. Mulvaney, Ph.D., Eastern Illinois University

Getting Started – Assembling the Project Team

The Community Profile can be completed by a parks and recreation advisory board in small

communities where no formal parks and recreation department exists, or by a team of staff planning experts

and/or consultants. Regardless of the size of the public parks and recreation organizations, the areas to be

addressed and the questions to be answered remain constant. The Community Profile provides the basis for

beginning the long range planning process. Listed below are the recommended steps involved in effectively

conducting your Community Profile.

1.) Delegate an individual (i.e., board member, staff, etc.) to collect relevant information on an

area of the Community Profile (i.e., geographic, demographic, social, economic, government,

and stakeholders). Encouraging the involvement of other city, county, school, library, (etc.)

officials is a useful approach. A mutually beneficial relationship can develop by providing your park

and recreation agency additional assistance while informing you of current and future planning and

development projects by other community officials. The information collected can also be helpful

for the community officials (city, county, school, library, etc.) as it relates to their planning and

operational efforts. List the Project Leaders for your Community Profile in the space provided

below:

A. Geographic Project Leader:

B. Demographic Project Leader:

C. Social Project Leader:

D. Economic Project Leader:

E. Government Project Leader:

F. Stakeholders Project Leader:


2.) Once all areas have a delegated individual, collectively recruit 2-3 additional members for each

area to assist with the information collecting. It is important for this step to be a collaborative

effort to guard against committee overlapping (i.e., one individual serving on a majority of the

committees), as the development of these leader-led teams aims to disperse the workload among

several individuals. Furthermore, leader-led teams must be capable of representing the organization

and investigating, impartially, the geographic, political, demographic, social, economic, government,

and stakeholders of the Community Profile. List the members of your Project Team in the space

provided on the ”Community Profile Project Team” worksheet on the next page (see #1 above for

the names of the Project Leaders for each section of the Community Profile):


Community Profile

Project Team

I. Geographic Project Leader:

Geographic Project Staff:



II. Demographic Project Leader:

Demographic Project Staff:



III. Social Project Leader:

Social Project Staff:



IV. Economic Project Leader:

Economic Project Staff:



V. Government Project Leader:

Government Project Staff:



VI. Stakeholders Project Leader:

Stakeholder Project Staff:




Completing the Community Profile

Once Project Teams have been established, the focus should be on collecting and organizing information

for each area within the Community Profile. Using the information collected, Project Teams should prepare a

list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) for each area as they relate to the park

and recreation agency’s future planning efforts. A recommended outline to complete each area of the

Community Profile is provided in the following sections. However, it is expected that each agency will likely

need to modify the outlines to meet the specific needs and conditions of their community.


Geographic

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s geographic characteristics, it is recommended that the Project Team utilize the checklist provided below: Community:

1.) Obtain maps of the community. Maps should include:

• Natural Boundaries (i.e., parks, streams, rivers, etc.)

• Man-made Boundaries (i.e., highways, railways, housing

developments, etc.)

• City-Boundaries (i.e., industrial, residential, commercial, etc.)

• Misc. Areas (i.e., school district properties, historical areas, etc.)

2.) Once maps have been created, the Project Team should review the map(s) to answer

the following questions:

• What city boundaries exist separating the city from rural areas?

• What is the history of the city boundaries (development, expansion, etc.) and what is the impact for

the agency?

• What natural boundaries divide the area?


• Can these natural areas be utilized as a potential area for recreation programs, parks, greenways, etc.,

or protected as environmental treasures?

• If natural areas are protected, could the agency utilize property adjacent to these areas for recreation

purposes?

• Are any natural boundaries shared with neighboring communities?

• If any natural boundaries are shared with neighboring communities, what are the cooperative

possibilities for the park and recreation agencies?

• What influence (or presence) do man-made boundaries have on the community?

• Do any of the man-made boundaries inhibit park and recreation growth?


• Could the man-made boundaries (i.e. greenways, abandoned railroads, etc.) be utilized for park and

recreation use?

• How do man-made, natural, and city boundaries affect the citizens of the community involved in

parks or recreation program usage?

• Do these boundaries divide our community into park and recreation neighborhoods?

• Are their any areas for possible cooperative efforts with the school district(s)?

• Have we adequately considered transportation issues (i.e., space needed for parking, bikeways, roads,

etc.) within our development project(s)?


Geographic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to geographic characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:


Demographics

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s demographic characteristics, it is recommended that the Project Team complete the Demographic Profile provided below: Community:

Demographic Characteristics

Population:

Population Breakdown by Gender:

Males: Females:

Population Breakdown by Race:

American Indian and Alaska Native:

Asian:

Black or African American:

Hispanic or Latino:

White:

Middle Eastern:

Other:

Population Breakdown by Education:

Less than 12th Grade:

High School GED:

Some College, No Degree:

Associate Degree:

Bachelor Degree:

Graduate or Professional Degree:

Population Breakdown by Family Unit:

Single, No Children:

Married/Couple, No Children:

Single, w/Children:

Married/Couple, w/Children:

Median Age:

Median Household Size:


Demographic Planning Questions:

• What are the percentages of the age categories of the population?

• Are there geographic concentrations of majority and/or minority populations?

• Is our agency staff representative of the community as a whole in terms of age, race and gender?

• Are there any population trends expected?

• What percentages of households are dual-working couples and do they have children?


• Has our agency equitably considered the changing status of majorities and minorities, women and men,

youth and elderly, persons with physical disabilities and persons with mental disabilities, and other

under-represented groups in its distribution of facilities and services?

• Can this information help define regional and neighborhood service areas and facilities required for

services?


Demographic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to demographic characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:


Social

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s social characteristics, it is recommended that the Project Team complete the Social Profile provided below:

Community:

Social Organizations within the Community (list and provide a brief description/mission for each)

• Organization:

Description/Mission of Organization:

• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:



• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:


• Organization:



Educational Trends within the Community (list schools and provide a brief description for each)

• School:

Description/Trends of School:

• School:


• School:


• School:



Health, Disability, & Aging Trends within the Community (list trends within these areas and provide a brief

description of the service providers for each area)

• Health Trends:

Service Provider(s):

• Disability Trends:


Service Provider(s):

• Aging Trends:

• Service Provider(s):


Social Planning Questions:

• How do regionally or nationally collected data relate to our local situations?

• What social indicators “stick out” in our community related to national trends?

• Are there any special recreation or leisure needs within the community (i.e. persons with disabilities, at-

risk youth, elderly population, racial minorities)?

• What programs are currently being offered by other community organizations?

• Are there any other social service agencies that can cooperatively provide programs while expanding the

clientele and enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities?


Social Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to social characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:


Economic

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s economic characteristics, it is recommended that the Project Team complete the Economic Profile provided below:

Community:

Economic Characteristics

Tax Rate Breakdown by Service Provider:

Park District: per $100 of assessed valuation

Village/Township/City: per $100 of assessed valuation

School District(s): per $100 of assessed valuation

Fire Protection: per $100 of assessed valuation

Library: per $100 of assessed valuation

Community College: per $100 of assessed valuation

Other : per $100 of assessed valuation




Current Tax Rate for Community (Total): per $100 of assessed valuation

Household Economic Data:

Median Household Income:

Annual Household Income Less than $15,000:

Annual Household Income $15,001 to $34,999:




Annual Household Income $200,000 or more:

Median House/Condo Value:


Workforce Economic Data:

Unemployment Rate (United States):

Unemployment Rate (Community):

Poverty Rate (United States):

Poverty Rate (Community):

Percentage of Individuals in the workforce:

Males in workforce:

Females in workforce:

Occupation Breakdown:

Private for-profit wage & salary workers:

Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers:

Local government workers:

State government workers:

Federal government workers:

Self-employed workers:

Unpaid family workers:

Other:

Other:

Other:

Other:

Commuting Characteristics:

Car, truck, or van:

Drove alone:

Carpooled:

Public transportation:

Bus:

Train:

Taxi:

Motorcycle:

Bicycle:

Walked:

Other:

Worked from home:


Economic Planning Questions:

• Are we capable of enlarging and expanding our source of revenue to meet expenses and to add needed

programs and services?

• What trends in the economic health of our community can be anticipated?

• What is the current and projected state of the national economy?

• What is the history of the community’s financial support for capital projects and services for public

agencies, including parks and recreation?

• How does our community’s unemployment trends and rates compare to the regional, state, and national

level?


• Is there any large community employers expected to arrive or leave the area?

• Are other governmental jurisdictions within our boundaries planning bond issues or major capital

projects, causing our parks and recreation agency to carefully schedule our own capital projects?

• Are their continuing or new grant opportunities that would support our operations?

• Are additional tax rates available to support continuing or new programs?


Economic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to economic characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:


Government & Legal

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s government and legal characteristics, it is recommended that the Project Team complete the Government and Legal Profile provided below:

Community:

Current Legislation (list and describe any current legislation that may impact your agency’s service delivery)

Legislation:

Description:

Legislation:

Description:


Legislation:

Description:

Legislation:

Description:

Legislation:

Description:


Government & Legal Planning Questions

• What is our expected relationship and present position with other local governments? (i.e. city, township,

county, and schools)

• Is there pending local, state or federal legislation that will affect our ability to provide park areas and

programs?

• Is the state or federal government planning to develop any areas or facilities nearby that could be

utilized by the local community?

• Are there any state or federal grants that our local park and recreation agency could be eligible for?

• What has been the status (i.e. voter records) and support of previous development efforts within your

community (i.e., schools, city, county-referendums, etc.)?


• What, if any, relevant political issues have divided the community in the past?


Government & Legal Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to government & legal characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:


Stakeholders

To obtain a comprehensive understanding of your community’s stakeholders, it is recommended that the Project Team complete the Stakeholder Profile provided below:

Community:

Internal Stakeholders (list individual and position title)

1.) Name: Position Title:










External Stakeholders (list individual/agency and position title)

11.) Name/Agency: Position Title:
















Analyzing Community Stakeholders

Using the numbered list on the previous page, plot each stakeholder according to their perceived level of

importance and influence on the chart below:

High Low Level of Influence

High

Low

Level of Importance


Stakeholder Planning Questions

• What are the demographic characteristics that describe our stakeholders?

• Does the business community recognize fully the economic impact of the park and recreation agency?

• Are there programs that could be mutually sponsored by the business community, other governmental

agencies, non-profit, or private leisure service providers that could enhance the opportunities for a

leisure experience?

• Have we received full cooperation and support from educational institutions in areas of programming

and facility use?

• Have we fully explored areas of cooperative programming with health and religious organizations?

• How do the views of your agency's elected officials currently impact your organization?


Stakeholder Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats Analysis Based upon the data collected, complete a list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) related to stakeholder characteristics associated with the community.

• Strengths:

• Weaknesses:

• Opportunities:

• Threats:

a community profile workbook - eastern illinois...

Documents