Demographic Report -The selected city is Los Angeles.
Demographic Report Length: No more than 3 pages (including tables), single-spaced Use 12-point font, 1-inch margins Skip lines between paragraphs Use single-spacing for the tables Grade: 20% of total course grade Purpose: Learn how to access U.S. Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data. Learn how to manipulate and analyze the data in Excel (or similar spreadsheet program) to draw conclusions about urban planning topics of interest. Connect the data to urban planning issues. Background The starting point for planning is an assessment of current conditions – the answer to the question “where are we now.” Planners use many different techniques to assess current conditions, including inventories of existing facilities and surveys of residents. Planners also make use of existing data sources, particularly the decennial U.S. Census and the annual American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is particularly useful for providing detailed information about the community’s population as well as its housing stock. Planners regularly look at ACS data to gauge changes within the community, and analyzing ACS data is often the first step in the process of updating the General Plan. In this assignment, let’s imagine that you are an intern at a city of your choice. The city is considering an update to its General Plan, and the planning director – your boss – wants to know what the ACS shows about important issues in the city. She has given you the task of preparing a demographic report that summarizes selected data from the ACS. Her plan is to share this report with the Planning Commission and to post the report on the Planning Department’s website. We will go over the use of census data and creating tables in Excel in Section in Week 5. Task 1. Pick a city Start by picking a city. You probably want to use the city you looked at in Exercise 2. It is OK to pick a different city if you want, but it helps if it is a city you know something about. You’ll be comparing this city to the state as a whole. Task 2. Think about the issues The American Community Survey provides data on a wide variety of topics related to planning, but for this assignment we’re going to have you focus on three general issues: age distribution, commute patterns, and housing types. For your city, think about the specific issues the city faces in each of these areas. For example: Does the city have a growing elderly population, or does it have a lot of families with young children? Do the residents rely on transit more than is typical for the state, or are commutes especially long? Does the city have mostly single-family housing, and are housing prices relatively high? Think about how you expect the city to compare to the state. Task 3. Find and download the ACS data related to these issues Now, using the skills you developed in section, go to the ACS and see what kind of data you can find related to your issues. We suggest using the 5-year ACS, especially if your city is relatively small. For basic population characteristics, such as age, gender, or race, it is generally better to use the decennial Census, the most recent being the 2020 Census. As you did in the section exercise, you will want to compare your city to the state to 1 help the reader understand whether your city is high or low, good or bad. On the data.census.gov site, search for “age,” choose your city and the state as geographies, then download the tables you need following the instructions from section. Repeat for the search terms “commute” and “housing.” Task 4. Prepare tables Now take the raw data from the ACS and turn it into interesting and useful numbers such as percentages and averages. Use the same format for tables as in the section exercise, but with a slightly more professional look (note the limited use of borders). Make sure that you include the source at the bottom of the table, and use single-spacing for the table. Table 1. [Descriptive Title], [City Name] vs. California [City Name] California [Characteristic 1] [Characteristic 2] [etc.] Source: [ACS 201X X-year estimate (fill in correct year and year estimate)] Create one table per issue, for a total of 3 tables. Think about what data or statistics most effectively convey the point you want to make. For example, if you want to make the point that people in your city drive a lot, then you could include in the table the share of workers who drive-alone to work. If you want to make the point that the population of your city is older than the population of the state overall, you could include in the table the share of population age 65 and over and you could also include the median age. You do not have to include all of the data available, e.g. shares for all modes of travel to work, or shares for all age ranges. The commute and housing tables have lots of interesting information – look through it! Also, the age table includes population by race – feel free to use this if you want. Task 5. Write the report Once you have prepared your tables, you are ready to write your report. Think about your audience, especially the citizens of your city who might read this report. Start with an introduction that gives an overview of the issues you’ll be examining. You might want to reference the General Plan. Then write a section for each of your issues. Each of these sections should present and discuss the data in the tables. Do more than just present the numbers; help the reader understand the significance of the numbers. End the paper with a short conclusion that provides your assessment for the city for these issues. Be sure to give your report a title followed by your name and the date. You don’t need a title page – just put title, name, and date centered at the top of the first page. Be sure to insert page numbers. Also be sure to include a consistent, properly formatted reference list that includes the ACS file that you used, as well as any other items you cite. For guidance on how to cite the ACS (and the Census), check this source: https://guides.library.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=76020&p=3609196#s-lg-box-26030248. Whichever format you decide to use, be consistent. For the URL for either the ACS or the Census, use: https://data.census.gov/cedsci. Grading: Mostly we’re looking for thoughtful use of the data, including the numbers you include in your tables and your discussion of the numbers in the text. Format matters, too – we want to see professional tables!
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