The Boston Indicators Project : the role of indicators in supporting environmental efforts in the Boston metropolitan region

Community indicators projects are an increasingly popular way to measure, track, and, advocates claim, make progress. The commonly held belief is that indicators provide residents, governments, private entities, and community groups with the information they need to make "wise choices." Many studies have documented the benefits that can arise from indicators projects as a function of community members coming together to choose indicators and discuss ideas of "sustainability" or "quality of life." However, it is unclear whether the information contained in the indicators influences decisions, actions, or policy in ways that improve performance on the indicator. This thesis examines the environmental sector of the Boston Indicators Project, in Boston, Massachusetts. First, I examine previous studies of indicators project outcomes, two competing theories of information use in behavior change and decision-making, and emerging strategies for fostering pro-environmental behavior.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Wells, Anna K. (Anna Katherine)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Judith A. Layzer.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37475

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/37475