Indicator systems prove their worth only through practical applications in local policymaking and community building. This section offers documentation on actual experiences in data use from cities across the country.

Stories—Using Information in Community Building and Local Policy. A collection of brief case studies that describe successful uses of neighborhood indicators in three categories: (1) neighborhood-level applications—specific initiatives; (2) neighborhood level applications—organizing and capacity-building; (3) citywide initiatives and policy change.

Exploring Welfare-to-Work Challenges in Five Metropolitan Regions, by Margery Austin Turner, Mark Rubin, and Michelle DeLair. An examination of the characteristics and spatial patterns of welfare recipiency and entry-level job openings in the metropolitan regions of five of our NNIP partners. Includes discussion of contrasts in patterns and their implications for local policy.