A neighbourhood vitality index

The emergence of publicly accessible, detailed GIS systems that track data in local areas and allow the aggregation of data in contiguous areas, especially the emergence of the TIGER system (the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system) in the United States, have changed the landscape as well. [...] Theories of change have to reflect not only the intentions of funders and actors, but the opportunities existing in local communities, the will of their members and the constraints imposed by exogenous factors. [...] As with other assets, Granovetter’s research indicates that the presence of the facilities in the community increases connections among the users and the providers of services and increases access (Granovetter 1973). [...] At the end of their report summary, Black and Hughes note that “the notions of sustainability, resilience, capacity and health, as applied to communities, all point to the ‘capabilities’ of communities to maintain and enhance outcomes … not just for the present, but for future generations … maintaining outcomes in the face of shocks and stresses which might otherwise diminish the capacity of a com [...] Similarly, the development of the assets that theory of change should enhance is a function of the actions and decisions of the people in the local community.