Demographic Report: San Francisco
The city I choice is San Francisco
Purpose:
Learn how to access U.S. Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data. Learn how to manipulate and
analyze the data in Excel (or similar spreadsheet program) to draw conclusions about urban planning topics of
interest. Connect the data to urban planning issues.
Background
The starting point for planning is an assessment of current conditions – the answer to the question “where are
we now.” Planners use many different techniques to assess current conditions, including inventories of existing
facilities and surveys of residents. Planners also make use of existing data sources, particularly the decennial
U.S. Census and the annual American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is particularly useful for providing
detailed information about the community’s population as well as its housing stock. Planners regularly look at
ACS data to gauge changes within the community, and analyzing ACS data is often the first step in the process of
updating the General Plan.
In this assignment, let’s imagine that you are an intern at a city of your choice. The city is considering an update
to its General Plan, and the planning director – your boss – wants to know what the ACS shows about important
issues in the city. She has given you the task of preparing a demographic report that summarizes selected data
from the ACS. Her plan is to share this report with the Planning Commission and to post the report on the
Planning Department’s website.
Answer preview:
word limit:1440