(Sorry to hijack the thread, but inquiring minds want to know.)

For units of geography that are 65,000+ you get long-form census data every year instead of once a decade. Units of geography that are between 20,000 – 64,999 get a 3-year moving average, updated annually. And finally, small units like census tracts, unpopulous counties, small towns etc. get 5-year data, updated once a year. This was the first year for the 5-year data.

If one is comparing units of geography, they need to all be based on the same period (1-yr, 3-yr, or 5-yr). I’m sure many people will not do so. Likewise, comparisons of change over time for the 3-yr or 5-yr data should be based on non-overlapping times: 2005-2007 vs 2008-2010; not 2005-2007 vs 2006-2008.

Some of the characteristics in the table labeled “Statistics from the 2000 Census” will not be available from the 2010 Census. The most recent census is a short-form only census. It gathered information on relation to head, age, sex, Hispanic, race and tenure (ownership of dwelling unit).

The American Community Survey data are available for census tracts as of December 2010. This allows one to describe neighborhoods by median income and disability status. One should not use the ACS data for population counts (of people or dwelling units).

Likewise, some of the margins of error are large so users should be be wary of reporting on individual census tracts. The appendix in the Compass series describes how to combine units of geography. So, one could combine several census tracts and create neighborhood characteristics with smaller margins of error.

We will be receiving the first local data from the 2010 Census with the redistricting data – to be dispersed on a flow basis from Feb 1 to March 31. That will provide population counts but with very minimal other information as the main purpose is for redistricting. The characteristics are Race/Hispanic for the total population and the population 18+.

There have been some improvements in recent years, like the new trails along Argo Pond, and the concept of a Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail has drawn some attention. To make it a reality, though, we need to make a Huron River greenway system a higher priority, along with the Allen Creek corridor. Such a system would be important for both recreation and transportation purposes.

Re. Bader Park: Kuras said the city has no intention of selling it.

Question: I heard some informal complaints from those watching the process that demographic data from the 2000 census was being used and that staff was resisting using the 2010 census information. Was that discussed or is there any more information?

I used to live near Devonshire. That area profits immensely by the nearby Gallup Park and Arboretum, two of our crown jewels. Also, the controversy surrounding Bader Park comes in here. Is the city contemplating the offer from the church that bought the old Bader school to buy the park?

Regarding changes in neighborhoods over time, I assume that each neighborhood has life cycles like my neighborhood’s. When I moved here (Sunset/Brooks area), there were many houses occupied by aging couples or singles whose children were long gone. Now many houses are occupied by young families again and our neighborhood parks appear to be well-used. I’d hate to see decisions made because a neighborhood is at the wrong point of its life cycle.