Category Archives: Objective II-C: Higher quality of life and stronger market appeal

Support public safety efforts, including landlords of two- to four-unit buildings

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One recommendation, not specific to two- to four-unit buildings, involves continuing broad-based neighborhood efforts around improving public safety. These include the use of Interrupters to prevent escalation of interpersonal conflict into violence, prayer vigils to encourage neighborhood healing and discourage retaliatory violence, and training landlords about their role in preventing crime with the support of law enforcement. Improvements in public safety are critically important for improving the neighborhoodÕs perception issues.

Promote 3-1-1 for requesting public services

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The first recommendation involves continuing education for residents on ChicagoÕs existing 3-1-1 infrastructures teaching how to make a host of non-emergency requests, namely filing a police report after a crime has occurred and the offender has gone, i.e. property theft, noise disturbances, and property/automobile damage (Chicago CAPS, 2013).

Pressure public agencies to improve culture of customer service

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The final part of improving public services concerns itself with cultural and behavioral concerns, which are generally beyond the scope of service requests and analyzing standard performance metrics. These concerns are often best highlighted by anecdotes that highlight cultural practices that need to be changed and other examples of the ideal behavior (Behn, 2006). As such, identifying formal and informal channels for documenting Òcustomer serviceÓ-oriented complaints and bringing them to the attention of decision makers capable of taking action (either disciplining employees or pursuing other efforts of redress) are extremely important. Each documented issue creates more momentum for change. Neighborhood actors who were more willing to pursue these alternative avenues were more successful in making their concerns held.

Informal and Formal Channels for ÒCustomer ServiceÓ Complaints (Table)

Analyze performance metrics for neighborhood disparities

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The second recommendation for improving public services involves tracking the requests and the performance metrics, which are open to the public on ChicagoÕs Data Portal and likely available to the AldermanÕs office in more detail. The type and total number of requests to different departments can be analyzed across community areas, as well the percentage of service requests that have been completed, average number of days to complete and spatial clustering. This analysis can serve as important evidence for disparities that surface across neighborhoods, inspiring practices for creative improvement by agencies using a clear set of performance indicators (Behn, 2006). As an example, the Data Portal provides daily requests to the Sanitation department, included in the screen shot below, listing opening date of the request and the completion date (if applicable), which can be transformed into a new variable: ÒDays to Complete.Ó This new variable can be analyzed across the community area with standard spreadsheet software.

Chicago Service Requests for Sanitation Complaints (graph) Source: City of Chicago, 2013

Comparing average days to complete a request and the level of poverty across community areas reveals there is no a clear relationship between the two factors. WoodlawnÕs average length of completed requests is longer than many other communities, but not much longer than communities with a comparable socioeconomic condition. This sample analysis could, for other factors, substantiate the anecdotal evidence of quality of municipal services. It may also support other explanations for the lack of satisfaction, such as the amount of service requests made per capita.

Average Days to Close 3-1-1 Sanitation Complaints (by Community Area and Poverty Rate) (Graph) Source: City of Chicago, 2013