"The health of a people is measured by more than death rates....

It comes as well from an improved quality of life.

Health is thus best measured by citizens’ sense of well-being."

Healthy People 2000
    U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

What does the 2002 Pasadena/Altadena Quality of Life Index mean to residents, social service and health professionals, business owners and managers, city officials, volunteers and others in the community?

The Quality of Life Index is a locally and internationally recognized community planning resource and guide for priority-setting and decision-making.  Through narrative text, vignettes and available statistics, the Index describes how well the Pasadena/Altadena community is meeting broad goals such as community health improvement, effective transportation, housing affordability and quality childcare.

Pasadena published its flagship Quality of Life Index in 1992 as a charter city for the California Healthy Cities Project and has continued since that time to use the Index in the development of city departments’ performance measures and budget priorities.  An update was published in 1998; the 2002 document has been greatly expanded and redesigned.

As a “community report card,” the 2002 Index reflects the voices of more than 1,000 people who live and work in Pasadena and Altadena.  Their input was gathered through a series of forums, focus groups and written surveys.