TOPIC AREA
Sanitation

INDICATOR:

Rate of dirty streets and alleys -
Number of reported incidents of dirty streets
and alleys per 1,000 people

Why is this indicator important in Baltimore City?

The rate of dirty streets and alleys is an indicator of sanitation conditions in an area.

It is important to understand the change in overall sanitation conditions in order to understand the impact of specific strategies (like clean ups, trash collection, etc.) have on changing those conditions.

The indicator does not reflect the number of reports or complaints about an incident, but the number of incidents themselves, (see below for details).

What has been happening in Baltimore City?

In 2003, the rate of incidents of dirty streets and alleys increases to 17.20 incidents per 1,000 people in 2003, up from 6.7 incidents per 1,000 people in 2002.

Data for this indicator come from the CitiTrack system (311 call system) which was put in place in 2001. Initial changes may be due to the increased use of the new system, and any other corrections that are made to make the system more efficient and effective

Definition:

The indicator reflects the number of reported incidents of dirty streets and alleys per 1,000 people in the area.

Incidents are calculated as a rate per 1,000 people in order to reflect the concentration of the problem relative to the population of the area, and allows for greater comparability.

Calculation considerations:

The indicator does not reflect the number of calls or complaints about an incident. There may be numerous calls or reports about the same problem, but it is considered one incident (similar to how criminal offenses are recorded.)

Reports of the incident can come from either a resident, the mayor's office, a city council office, a city crew worker or inspector. The report is then entered into the CitiTrack system sorted with the other reports or complaints about that incident. The incident is then addressed through enforcement or clean-up by Baltimore City government.

The rates are calculated using U.S. Census 2000 demographic data.

Data source:

CitiStat

Analysis:

Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance staff
Lindsay Major, CitiStat

Years tracked:

2002, 2003

Geography:

Citywide,CSA, census tract

To access the Indicator:

Download Vital Signs 3

Activate the interactive mapping system

Obtain the Vital Signs by census tract

Download Community Statistical Area profiles

For more information about the Alliance and the Vital Signs, go to the website www.ubalt.edu/bnia.

To find out about your neighborhood, go to the Vital Signs section.

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