The Community Human Development Index (CHDI): Localizing Sustainable Development Goals Across Scales

The Community Human Development Index (CHDI)is a multidimensional measure designed to assess human achievement across scales at the state, county, city, and neighborhood levels to advance the localization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Currently, one of the most widely used metrics is the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite index of income, education, and life expectancy calculated at a national level. However, national averages obscure substantial disparities between states, cities and smaller neighborhoods in large urban areas. The CHDI model is designed to gain a better understanding of heterogeneities in human development within cities and across communities on a subnational scale. As a case study, we calculated the CHDI for nearly every census tract in the state of Illinois in the United States. The analysis revealed significant disparities in local levels of development within Illinois. It also highlighted differences between communities within cities, including the city of Chicago. These results demonstrate that multidimensional indices created to track sustainable development at the national level can be disaggregated, calculated, analyzed and compared across scales. The CHDI model can be utilized by researchers and policymakers to identify, visualize and address local inequalities, and design and implement evidence based customized solutions at the community level.