Presenting Doughnut Economics: Doughnut Unrolled: Data Portrait of Place

Introduction to the Data Portrait of Place Handbook

Overview of the Handbook

• Andrew Fanning introduces the "Data Portrait of Place" handbook, a tool for selecting targets and indicators to monitor local living conditions from a data-led perspective.

• The aim is to explore achieving local aspirations while respecting global responsibilities, focusing on thriving communities and ecological health.

Importance of Preliminary Material

• Fanning recommends watching Kate Rayworth's introductory video on the four core questions of the donut methodology before proceeding with this content.

Focus on Data Layer

• The discussion will center on selecting locally relevant targets and indicators for measuring social and ecological performance as outlined in the handbook.

• The current version is a 40-page document available online, providing step-by-step guidance based on real-world examples from cities like Amsterdam and Brussels.

Principles Guiding Data Measurement

Local Relevance Over Comparability

• Emphasizes that measurements should be locally relevant rather than merely comparable across different places, preserving historical and cultural context.

Long-Term Perspective

• Acknowledges that current methodologies may seem crude but stresses the importance of starting where we are to improve over time.

Performance Measurement Framework

• Highlights the need to compare desired outcomes against current performance, which is crucial for effective measurement.

Holistic Approach to Data Collection

Snapshot vs. Comprehensive Assessment

• The data portrait aims to provide an overview perspective rather than exhaustive assessments, inviting holistic reflection across various lenses.

Tracking Progress Over Time

• Aspires to track data consistently over time by combining quantitative data with community perspectives for richer insights.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data

Balancing Different Types of Data

• Cites philosopher Carveth Read’s quote about being "vaguely right" versus "precisely wrong," emphasizing the value of both quantitative and qualitative data in analysis.

Challenges in Quantitative Metrics

• Discusses difficulties in finding comparable numerical targets which can lead analysts to use inadequate or irrelevant data instead of more meaningful qualitative insights.

Core Questions for Local Targets

Identifying Relevant Targets

Creating a Data Portrait: An Ideal Process

Understanding the Dimensions of Data Portraits

• In an ideal scenario, creating a data portrait involves exploring various ecological and social dimensions to identify relevant targets and indicators both locally and globally.

• Engaging with local experts and knowledge holders is crucial for gaining insights, although practical implementations often deviate from this ideal vision.

• Wealthy cities typically have numerous social indicators available, but ecological targets that align with nature's generosity are still scarce.

• The global ecological lens often lacks sufficient data due to historical neglect of responsibilities towards well-being outside local jurisdictions.

• It is essential not to omit any dimensions from the portrait; instead, they should be marked as unavailable (e.g., colored gray), as invisibility can hinder addressing critical issues.

Defining Local Aspirations for Thriving

• To define and measure local aspirations for thriving, it’s important to consider what "thriving" means in different contexts and who gets to decide this definition.

• Key questions include which social dimensions to focus on, what targets to set, their legitimacy, and what data can be gathered or created collaboratively.

• An example from Amsterdam illustrates qualitative mapping of aspirational statements in city policy documents compared against published statistics.

Emulating Nature's Generosity

• Understanding the local ecosystem—its biome and habitat—is vital for defining how to match or exceed nature's generosity in urban planning.

• Gathering relevant data on natural spaces' contributions to human well-being is necessary for effective planning.

• Ideally, biomimicry specialists would analyze nearby ecosystems directly; however, resource constraints may lead teams like Amsterdam’s to rely on desk-based approaches.

Global Ecological Lens: Measuring Impacts

• The global ecological lens assesses impacts on planetary boundaries by determining fair shares of resources and emissions budgets based on lifestyle choices beyond political borders.

• Analysts gather boundary data informed by planetary frameworks while facing ethical dilemmas about defining equitable resource distribution among populations.

Understanding City Footprints and Global Responsibilities

Defining City Boundaries and Consumption-Based Data

• The concept of city boundaries is crucial for assessing ecological burdens, as it does not account for historical emissions or resource use.

• Gathering consumption-based environmental footprint data is essential to measure the ecological impacts of goods and services consumed within defined city limits.

• Amsterdam's income-adjusted approach recognizes that wealthier individuals typically have larger carbon footprints, highlighting the need for more precise sub-national footprint estimates.

Measuring City Overshoot

• To assess a city's overshoot, one must divide the total city footprint by its defined boundary, allowing for quantitative analysis alongside qualitative mapping of targets.

• The challenge lies in recognizing global connections while setting local targets; strategic focus on relevant data is necessary to respect well-being across communities.

Global Connections and Local Impacts

• Various systems connect people globally, including supply chains, climate impacts, cultural ties, immigration policies, and international regimes favoring the advantaged.

• In Amsterdam, sustainable development goals were used to inform targets that illustrate how precarious workers are affected by global supply chains linked to major brands.

Sharing Targets and Indicators

• A key goal is sharing gathered targets and indicators with local stakeholders to foster relevant discussions tailored to community needs.

• Each city's data portrait will differ in presentation; celebrating this diversity poses challenges in making results visible while maintaining integrity across various lenses.

Visual Storytelling in Data Presentation

• Examples from cities like Amsterdam show innovative approaches in visual storytelling through rings for each lens and qualitative data text boxes.

• Other cities like Brussels and Leeds have contributed unique visual narratives combining words, icons, drawings, and charts to enhance engagement with their data portraits.

Future Directions: Balancing Local Aspirations with Global Responsibilities

• Ongoing discussions focus on reconciling information overload with the desire for clear representation of local aspirations versus global responsibilities.