Muskegon Area Sustainability Coalition

Meeting today's needs ~ Ensuring tomorrow's too are met
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Social Equity
Environmental Integrity
Economic Prosperity
Summary Reports

 

 
2011 Summary Report download:  
2011 Prosperity Index 
 
To download a printable booklet version, click here, then
print on both sides of the paper to create the booklet format.
 
Contact sustainability@muskegonasc.org to inquire
about ordering printed copies of the report.

 

a project of

Muskegon Area Sustainability Coalition

 

project team
  Chris Burnaw, Community Coordinating Council;  Arn Boezaart, GVSU - Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center; 
  Jane Drake, Goodwill Industries of West Michigan; John Koches / Jon VanderMolen, GVSU - Annis Water Resources Institute
  Ken Kraus, Public Health - Muskegon County;  Marissa Higgs, Muskegon Opportunity;  Andrew Haan, Downtown Muskegon Now;  

 

Click "Summary Reports" tab (top left) for previous years Summary Reports downloads.
Background

This is the fifth annual report of the Prosperity Index for Muskegon County and includes the most current data as of October 2011. The Index grew out of several community conversations and initiatives. The conversations focused on: ensuring a future for Muskegon County, strengthening cooperation between various community sectors, identifying priorities and evaluating outcomes, and establishing a framework for action around prosperity.

 

The Community Coordinating Council, a State-endorsed community collaborative of human service agencies, conceived and developed the concept for an index that would support integration of various sectors of the community in achieving prosperity. 

About the same time, several area businesses and organizations were forming the Muskegon Area Sustainability Coalition out of a shared commitment to achieve prosperity and community success without sacrificing the assets and resources of future generations. The Coalition recognized the value of the Prosperity Index as a tool in monitoring progress toward prosperity and establishing cross-sector accountability for community outcomes. The Index was adopted by the Coalition as a key project, and the first summary report was produced in October 2007.

Sustainability

Achieving a sustainable community requires a balanced, integrated focus around the core values of:

Social Equity           Environmental Integrity          Economic Prosperity

Each core value is represented as a separate sector in the Prosperity Index. 

  

 

Index Scores

Score

Prosperity Level

4.0 to 5.0

Thriving

3.0 to 3.9

Sustainable

2.0 to 2.9

Needs Improvement

1.0 to 1.9

Failing

Less than 1.0

Unsustainable

Index scores were calculated for each indicator based on how the measure compares to a fixed scale – or “rubric” – of standards. The rubrics allow score comparisons from year to year and monitoring trends within indicators and sectors.

 

The index scores are based on a 5-point scale with 5.0 being the highest score. Scores of 4.0 or higher indicate a community is “thriving.” A score of 3.0 indicates a “sustainable” level has been achieved.

  

Trends

Based on the current indicators and data sources, the overall Prosperity Index score is currently at a “needs improvement” level, having dropped to 2.6.  Overall averages for the Social Equity sector, while declining, have stayed at or above a sustainable level since 2000. The averages for the Environmental Integrity indicators continue to improve each year.  The Economic Prosperity indicator averages, lagging the other sectors since 2000, have dropped to a “failing” level.

 

 

 

Prosperity Index Summary and Trends

 

Summary Table of Prosperity Index Scores  and Trends* by Sustainability Sector
Sustainability SectorSector IndexMuskegon CountyWest MI (Muskegon/Kent/Ottawa)MichiganU.S.
2000200620072008Current2000200620072008Current2000200620072008Current2000200620072008Current
Social EquityScore3.73.53.53.53.03.83.63.43.33.03.63.23.03.02.63.33.23.03.02.8
Trenddecliningdecliningdecliningdeclining
Environmental IntegrityScore2.72.82.93.23.32.62.93.03.23.52.93.33.23.43.43.13.43.53.83.6
Trendrisingrisingrisingrising
Economic ProsperityScore2.72.42.52.41.63.02.72.92.82.43.12.62.22.22.13.53.13.23.32.9
Trenddecliningdecliningdecliningdeclining
Overall AverageScore3.02.93.03.02.63.13.13.13.13.03.23.02.82.92.73.33.23.23.43.1
Trenddecliningdecliningdecliningdeclining

*Only score changes greater than ± 0.1 are classified as rising or down.

ility Sector Charts and Tables

Summary charts and detailed tables showing the data and index scores for the indicators for each of the Sustainability Sectors are available. Click on the tabs to the upper left or the title of the sector in the table above to be directed to the page with additional data and information about each

Indicators and Scores

The key considerations in the design of the Prosperity Index were it should be:

  • Simple and easy to understand.
  • Easy and inexpensive to produce and publish on a regular basis.

 

To achieve these elements, it was decided the indicators for each sector should be limited to no more than six. In addition, to ensure the Index would be valid and useful, data for each indicator should meet the following criteria:

  • Source data must be reliable, consistent and regular.
  • Indicator data must be available on a national, state and county level.
  • Source data must be readily accessible and simple to analyze.

 

The Prosperity Index is also a "fixed" index. That is, scoring is against a set of fixed standards or "rubrics," much like a school grading scale. A fixed index allows monitoring of progress and trends, and comparisons across geographic areas. Whenever possible, the levels and scales used for a rubric were based on prevailing sustainability standards or research.