For a city to thrive, it is essential that neighborhoods are safe and accessible, and that residents have the opportunity to access city services and hold the city government accountable. Oakland residents face disparities based on where they live in the city, with majority non-White neighborhoods faring worse than majority White neighborhoods. Neighborhood differences rooted in historical segregation result in disparate outcomes for people of color, especially African American and Latino residents.

The Civic Engagement Topic measures three different aspects of an engaged community working to improve conditions and collectively shape the future of Oakland. The first Indicator compares the percents of drains that have been adopted in majority Asian and majority White census tracts through the Adopt a Drain program. The second Indicator compares voter turnout rates among residents in Council District 7 and Council District 1. Finally, the third Indicator compares the percent of the population that is Spanish-speaking with limited English proficiency (LEP) and the percent of city public contact position (PCP) employees that are bilingual in Spanish and English to ensure that LEP status does not inhibit access to city services.

A safe, clean, and healthy environment is a key component of neighborhood quality. The three Indicators in this Topic explored different attributes of neighborhoods that have an impact on resident health. The first Indicator compared park quality in Council District 1 and Council District 7. The second Indicator compared the rates of service request for illegal dumping in majority Latino and majority White census tracts. The third Indicator compared the pollution burden score in majority Asian and majority White census tracts.

The Built Environment Topic includes three Indicators that measure the safety, resilience, and quality of Oakland neighborhoods. All three of these Indicators measure geographic disparities based on the majority race/ethnicity of census tracts. The first Indicator in this Topic measures disparities in the location of streets where there have been a high number of pedestrian injuries. The second Indicator measures disparities in the location of soft story buildings, which are prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake. The third Indicator measures disparities in the location of residential addresses that have been vacant for two years or more.

The three Indicators in the Transportation and Infrastructure Topic measure the different ways Oaklanders travel in the city. The first Indicator measures racial and ethnic disparities in car access, which is important due to the heavy reliance on cars for commuting to work, school, and other places. The second Indicator measures the frequency of buses along each segment of the network and compares majority non-White/mixed and majority African American census tracts. The third Indicator is a citywide measurement of curb ramps that are accessible to individuals with limited mobility, including seniors and those with physical disabilities.