ABSTRACT
Needs assessment was as casual as a "windshield survey" or as systematic as careful consultation with identified community leaders, and was generally satisfactory. Planning standards, such as acres of park land or number of hospital beds per thousand populations, is a traditional form of needs assessment. In the case of the citizen-developed survey, the process is almost as important as the results, for proposed solutions may flow from a heightened sense of community awareness and involvement. Local community surveys using standardized formats have the appearance of being locally initiated because the community decides what questions are to be used and community volunteers collect the data. Community leader surveys focus on elected, appointed, professional, and/or volunteer informal leaders of political, social, business, and professional organizations. Needs assessment information from independent regional and statewide surveys generally includes many issues of concern to state and local governments.
