• Find ways to measure progress toward goals: Identify performance metrics that can help you track progress. To create the list, review goals for the neighborhood and think about what success would look like.  Reference accepted standards like LEED-ND and smart growth benchmarks.

• Select the final set of indicators or metrics you intend to measure:  The potential list of indicators for a neighborhood can be significant.  In selecting the short list you intend to monitor, consider the following criteria: 

• The data you need should be inexpensive and easy to get. Good indicators often are based on information a local government, utility or other stakeholder already collects regularly. 

• The information should be accurate and available in a timely enough manner to affect decisions about the neighborhood.

• The indicators should provide information that will directly impact decisions. There is a lot of information you could gather, but you need only what will help decision makers evaluate whether they are committing the right resources to the project. 

• Establish a process for accessing the information: Once the short list of indicators or metrics is selected, identify the stakeholders who will supply the relevant information, and develop protocols or partnerships with them so you can access that data on a regular basis.

• Report and analyze: Create a format for reporting the information and put a person or group in charge of collecting the data. Also decide who will analyze what the information means. The final result might be a thorough written report or results from a web-based software program, or both.

The Dockside Green neighborhood in Victoria, British Columbia, has an extensive monitoring framework for social, economic and environmental factors, including climate and energy issues.  This has helped the City demonstrate the success of its “triple bottom line” sales process for the project site.