Determining the most livable city will depend on the benchmarks set, so will reflect that point of view rather than an actual measurement of livability, which is different for just about everybody.
Sacramento sets lofty goal for general plan: Become 'most liveable city in America'
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - mlvellinga@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Sacramento City Council is aiming high with its new general plan. The goal: to produce the "most liveable city in America."
But what exactly does "most liveable" mean? And how can the city measure its progress?
In an effort to wrestle this lofty ideal back down to earth, where it can be measured and weighed, the city planning staff has proposed creating a "liveability index" that could be updated every year to show the city's progress, or lack thereof.
"We need to find a way to measure the effectiveness of our policies and our elected officials," said Panama Bartholomy, a member of the city's general plan advisory committee.
The proposed liveability index is one of several significant general plan elements that will come to the City Council in draft form tonight. The council is expected to approve these proposals for inclusion in the draft general plan, which is scheduled for release in May.
The index "is essentially a series of 15 different indicators, things like crime statistics, additional miles of bike lanes added, various things that relate to health, environmental, safety," said Tom Pace, the city's long-range planning manager.
