Measuring What Matters

 

You may have heard that Calgary is one of the most livable cities in the world, but do you really know what that means or how that data is collected? How do we know if Calgary is working for everyone?  And how are we REALLY doing as a city? These are the questions that Measuring what Matters hopes to answer. 

Why Measuring what Matters?

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As Calgary faces the worst economic crisis of a generation, critical decisions are required at the individual, organizational, municipal and regional levels. Young people, families, and retirees are asking “Do we stay in Calgary?” 

The idea of measuring what matters is not new. In fact, for decades, governments, academics and social organizations developed models to measure community prosperity, wellbeing and quality of life. There are outstanding international, national, regional and local examples to draw from, from the World Happiness Report and OECD’s Better Life Index to local initiatives like the Calgary Equity Index, Sustainable Calgary’s State of Our City Report, and Calgary Foundation’s Vital Signs. We want to build on and help amplify this exceptional work.

What is Measuring What Matters?

We are an independent community forum for nurturing dialogue and critical conversations associated with community performance metrics. Our community forum is open to all - commercial, social, civic groups, and citizens are all invited to participate in conversations about measuring community prosperity. 

Understanding the Context for Community Prosperity Metrics in Calgary

Click on the button below to access the final report linked to this ‘Measuring What Matters’ podcast. The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with a better context as to how community prosperity is (or can be) measured, why this is particularly important to Calgary today, and what an optimal model for measurement could look like. This paper has quotes from the various podcast guests dispersed throughout.

 

Measuring What Matters is a project of the CityXLab, hosted and powered by the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University. Our work has been guided by a Steering Committee of passionate, engaged Calgarians: 

Affiliated Organizations

  • Mount Royal University Institute for Community Prosperity

  • CityXLab

  • City of Calgary

  • Calgary Arts Development

  • Calgary Foundation

  • Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations

  • Canadian Poverty Institute

  • Federation of Calgary Communities

  • Calgary on Purpose

  • Community Futures Treaty 7

  • Sustainable Calgary

  • Native Counselling Services of Alberta

  • Calgary Economic Development

  • Trico Charitable Foundation

  • Mount Royal University / Vivacity YYC

  • United Way Calgary

  • CivicTech YYC/ Open Calgary/ Data for Good

  • Evergreen & Canadian Urban Institute

  • Action Dignity

  • ATCO

  • Stone-Olafson

  • Vivo

  • Divercities

The Institute for Community Prosperity and CityXLab is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut'ina and the Iyarhe Nakoda First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.