Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Hello AEA365 readers! I’m Asma Ali, an evaluation consultant whose work frequently supports community and organization support Quality of Life Planning (QLP)—a structured, place-based, and participatory planning model that centers resident voice and cross-sector collaboration to improve neighborhood outcomes. QLP draws upon the definition of quality of life developed by the World Health Organization: “individuals’ perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns” (WHOQOL Group, 1997).
One common challenge in this work is ensuring that evaluation data meaningfully informs planning processes and outcomes. Too often, rich findings sit unused while planning relies on intuition or limited data snapshots. Below are a few ways to bring evaluation data to the QoLP table:
In one Chicago neighborhood, we partnered with a local community organization to evaluate a resident-led Quality of Life Plan focused on safety and youth engagement. Our evaluation included both survey data and interviews with young people and parents. Instead of just reporting “low perceptions of safety,” we co-hosted a community forum where youth shared stories, and residents collectively prioritized lighting, after-school programs, and better police-community relationships. These priorities became action items in the updated QLP.
“If evaluation is the mirror, then planning is the movement.” Evaluation helps communities see what’s working and what needs to shift. Grounding Quality of Life Planning in data makes it more inclusive, responsive, and evidence-informed. It helps avoid “planning by anecdote” and supports community transformation rooted in shared experience and rigorous learning.
How have you used evaluation data in Quality of Life Planning or similar community efforts? What were your tools, approaches, and takeaways?
Asma Ali, PhD, is Principal Consultant at AA & Associates, a Chicago-based evaluation and strategy firm. She brings two decades of experience helping mission-driven organizations use data to drive planning, learning, and action, especially in place-based initiatives. She is also adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago and a proud alum of AEA’s GEDI program.
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