A Personal Selection of Statements Coming from Imagine Greater Tucson's Community Conversations and Online Surveys*

Answers to: What do you like most about the community/region? What do you most want to change/improve in the community/region? Why is this important to you?

Arts and Culture

I enjoy ATC and the symphony; I enjoy the Desert Museum and all the museums. I attend plays and concerts and take my grandchildren to the museums, parks and other cultural events or attractions.

I love the region's strong Hispanic influence and I think as a community that was once part of Mexico we need to embrace the Mexican culture.

Local art scene � I moved here because of it

The arts enriches all of our lives on many levels. This town attracts such a splendid diversity of artists, organizations and groups who can barely subsist and grow.

Tucson has really wonderful cultural festivals featuring music/dance and the arts. These celebrations are key to our self-identity as a progressive, diverse, and interesting community. Tucson Meet Yourself, the Folk Festival, the Chili Festival, the street fair, the day of the dead, all of these create a sense of place and help us value each other. With tightening budgets, I am very concerned that these festivals and other arts support will be sacrificed.

Tucson has unique architectural traditions related to adobe architecture and Spanish colonial architecture, as well as modernist and green-build architecture.

We focus on baseball to the exclusion of the possibilities presented by our many talented performers and artists. Tucson Electric Park could be Tucson Electric Theater with less effort than we think.

We enjoy theatrical productions, and Tucson has a number of amateur groups that provide superb entertainment. (Tucson also has a good selection of fine independent restaurants, which make an evening out on the town even more enjoyable.)

Business and Economic Environment

Complete a business infill district to be ready when things heat up

Economic impact of UA equals jobs, research, companies at a higher level

Individual level support of local businesses

Light rail is an economic driver

More support for local ranches/farms sustainable agriculture

People with education leave when they might stay here and feel passionately about making Arizona great.

Service industry and government can only survive when there is a stable economic base. To base a community on government and service is not stable. Increased demand for funds from the private sector drives population and business away.

University is a main economic driver of the region

Tucson is a lovely town where our families have lived since the late 40's/early 50's. We grew up here and raised our children here. We would not encourage our well-educated children to relocate and raise their families here because the job opportunities are so limited; the public educational system is so ill-funded; the community is so fractured. This is a shame! We have three generations of history in and years of service to Tucson yet our children, who were born and raised in Tucson, must find their lives and careers elsewhere because the economy is so limited and the public educational system for their children is so poor. A community cannot flourish if its children must leave to make a life. In-migrants have a positive role, but when there is a constant bleed of the people who grew up in a place, something is lost!

The bureaucracy surrounding business development in Tucson and Pima County desperately needs to be completely overhauled to make the process to start a business, or relocate a business much easier. Simply throwing tax money as incentives to companies does not work on a long term basis; it creates animosity across the business and residential communities. If we were to adopt models for attracting businesses that were similar to other successful cities (e.g., Atlanta, GA) then Tucson and Pima County would be much more successful.

It can be very challenging as a small business owner to be 'seen and heard' in Tucson

Clean Up the Mess

Clean up eye sores, such as the Grant and 1st Ave area. Get rid of graffiti and clean alleys

Driving through many of Tucson's older neighborhoods is like visiting a war zone. There is a ton of vacant and underutilized land, trash, and poorly maintained properties. I know poverty is the root cause of this. We have a lot of residents who are down and out. Its sad.

Crime and Safety

Gangs: They are dangerous, threaten the peace and welfare of others and prey on young children.

Communication

Communication of good progress would make us feel better and want to support government

Need to promote and communicate about what is already happening

We have no reliable source of information for our community that strengthens it. The Arizona Daily Star consistently undermines every effort at improvement and panders to the anger and ignorance of our population.

The local media never gets the facts straight and is too soft on investigative inquiry. That is part of being a small community- they don't want to make waves and alienate themselves from getting the next big story. So, they act tough but put on the kid gloves.

Downtown

A vibrant downtown that provides employment, entertainment, places to live and honors the traditions of the city will bring me and my time and money downtown, and draw others locally and from out of town, improving the local economy for all of us.

Although there is a revitalization happening, downtown still is not liveable. There are no good apartments and homes that give you a city feel. No grocery stores and safe streets to stroll at night. Clubs DO NOT make a downtown...if you want that go to Nogales.

Would like to see the street car come, and see how it all links downtown together. The Rio Nuevo hotel outcome is disappointing. We should have had something built by now. The inability of the City to get things done, and the amount of wasted millions, is beyond frustrating and disappointing.

Education

Accountability of teacher, parent, child - underperforming kids

Alternative and charter schools aren't helping students - they just put them in front of a computer until the work is done. That's not teaching.

Exciting, competent school teachers

Get education bureaucracy out of the way of achievement

I am surprised by how low people set the bar for education. I am used to people viewing college as a minimum expectation, not a possibility. I wish more people would aspire to leave Tucson for higher learning and come back for brighter career options

I live within TUSD. I have a lovely family neighborhood with a park and neighborhood pool. We have a mixed neighborhood with both young families and retirees. Of all the kids in my neighborhood, NONE of them go to our neighborhood school. Everyone is either open-enrolled, in a charter school or in a private school. My own daughter is open-enrolled 10 minutes away from our neighborhood. The quality of our schools needs to improve, or no young families are going to want to relocate here. Again, Oro Valley, and Vail have done much better jobs of creating communities with good planning and good schools.

Improve school readiness of preschoolers

In Tucson it is possible to give your child a top-notch education especially exemplified by the education offered at University High School, but also as seen at several other high schools in the area. The charter schools allow people to find an education particularly suited to their child's needs. My kids attended both a local Montesori charter schools and Basis School. Having these options really helped me find the best education for my kids, which in turn serves Tucson because it produces top achieving kids.

K-12 education - we are at the bottom

Need to keep potential drop-outs interested

Overall lack of involvement in education

Parochial schools help with education

Something is very wrong when teachers and programs are sacrificed but administrative salaries are outrageously high.

Strength of academics in public schools varies.

Teachers think oh well, there is teacher burnout, settling for low standards

We can not attract industry or attract people here to expand our economy if our educational system is not improved.

We keep lowering education standards in public schools

We need to be a center of educational excellence with more Basis, San Miguel, Imago Dei schools. Our P-20 education needs to be a beacon & mecca which will then attract high knowledge, high value employers.

We put up with mediocre effort from the TUSD. We can do better.

When the state stepped in mandating so called, 'state standards,' which reinforce rote memorization over true critical thinking and problem solving, the quality of our educational system rapidly declined in the region. Public education was meant to serve the needs of the local community. I want to see our communities demand their rightful control over the education of their children. We should allow teachers to motivate children through their natural curiosity, not through the threat of 'state testing.' Clearly, the latter has failed miserably, for it reflects a mentality of the 20th century, and fails to prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century. This is personally important as I see more and more people finishing high school and being unable to think through basic problems. Forcing teachers to teach to a test rather than to approach situations with rational thinking and problem solving strategies produce citizens who are inflexible, unimaginative, and ill-prepared to function successfully in a dynamic, ever-changing reality. I want my old age to be spent in a country of innovative thinkers, not in a nation of automatons unable to express themselves or creatively face new situations with a multiplicity of perspectives.

UA has become or continues to be an elitist school that does little to support average students unless they are athletes.

UA attracted me to Tucson with its renowned business school and other excellent programs.

As a student-athlete, the program is one of the best athletic departments in the country. The support from the Tucson community and the ties between McKale and Tucsonans are incredible.

A well educated population makes for a more livable city. Smaller districts in metro area seem to be doing better at delivery of K-12 education. As a parent I never felt like I was part of a community of education with TUSD; just either beating my head against a wall, or gaming the system.

Government

Disorganized municipal management impedes progress

More emergency personnel and police

More maintenance of our city roads

Need to focus on where resources can best be utilized - not simply a matter of manpower in law enforcement.

No consultants from East Coast who don't know Tucson

Our local government gets in the way of making Tucson a great city

Tucson is really five incorporated cities (Tucson, South Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley & Sahuarita) and a large area that is unincorporated Pima County. The time, effort and money spent either duplicating efforts and/or 'fighting' over issues is wasteful. A stronger regional cooperation is essential.

Want whole park to be open including swimming pools

We need city government to be focused on fixing problems in the community, not chasing dreams and desires that have no possibility of actually making Tucson a better place to live.

I know many small businessmen and women and to a person they tell me that they have had loads of problems with the city government. I, myself, am a small business person and I have as well.

We need better planning and implementation. For example, we should be building more intersections like the one at Tanque Verde/Wrightstown/Pantano. That street car fiasco drives us nuts! We will be paying to operate it forever...and to serve such a small number of people. Enough already with the trying to revitalize downtown...nearly every community in the country has given this a try and the large majority have failed and failed and failed.

Too many license fees, inspectors, rejectors

They (City government) can't get things accomplished and waste tons of money - I could live comfortably on what they waste.

We need government that is effective and well funded. Good government creates a good community. Government is not the 'problem' nor is it the enemy. Community is not a collection of independent individuals living in isolation and avoiding bumping into each other. Community is individuals working WITH and FOR each other. We need civic institutions standing along side our religious institutions to make a community not only survive but thrive.

Have a series of public meetings to determine what the people want Tucson to become. (Establish community goals.) Challenge people to joins groups that work on reaching those goals, neighborhood by neighborhood. Recognize groups and people who support the goals. Put up a goal thermometer to show progress. For example: Tucson currently has x number of businesses that have survived more than 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, and 10 years. Increase the number in each category by 5% each year. Another example: X number of people ride bicycles to work or school. Increase that number by 10% each year.

Regulation enforcement is key to making this a better and sustained community.

Health

3-6 is the time when most teenage pregnancies happen

Health care is excellent

Identity and Reputation

Burnish, don't tarnish, Tucson's reputation

Green Valley has its own local identity (not Sahuarita)

It's hard to describe, when in Tucson you just get this sense and feeling you don't get in Phoenix. We have a uniqueness and quirkiness that works.

Make Tucson fall in love with itself

Other than the UA campus itself, in my opinion the northwest area (i.e. Marana, Oro Valley, etc.) is the only nice part of this region. While Tucson and most of Pima County are sinking and look like a war zone, these areas seem to actually take care of their communities and look like they are run by people who know what they're doing.

Regional identity important, but smaller is better (local voice) - not to be swallowed up

Small town environment and good schools - Vail

UA wildcats are part of our identity

Who is Tucson, and why is Tucson? What brings these masses of people here? How do we understand and reasonably address this as a community instead of individual groups?

Reductions in education at all levels and the declining quality due to increases in class sizes, reductions in course offerings, reductions in arts education, loss of qualified faculty at all levels creates a gap for our community which will be difficult to fill. Not investing in the future means we have no future. I have lived in AZ for 36 years. I want to remain but may follow my adult children to leave and never return because the short-sightedness of the priorities in our community may leave me no choice.

Even though Urban Renewal tried to erase the deep cultural roots of the Old Pueblo by demolishing downtown businesses and neighborhoods the human connection wasn't destroyed. It is the people and history that maintains Tucson.

Jobs

How many jobs are necessary to support greater population?

With job growth, especially at higher salary levels, Tucson will have the ability to offer more to its residents - culturally and educationally - and be able to expand its retail offerings, keeping dollars in town, versus online and Phoenix/Scottsdale shopping.

Natural Environment

At night you can see the stars

Beautiful vistas in all directions, makes me feel good when I look at them

Beauty of the desert!

Being able to drive any where you want to ride and enjoy the outdoors

Don't have to worry about shoveling snow, building a shelter for tornadoes , leaving town in case of a severe hurricane, earthquakes etc..

Fresh air is good for the soul

Gives me a sense of peace, connection to the universe. I love looking at the stars at night, seeing wildlife, getting next to 'green' away from the built environment.

Helps to replenish ourselves � desert environment is therapeutic

I feel incredibly grateful to live in a place with Tucson's natural beauty--the mountains, the sunsets, the blue, open sky. And we have no hurricanes, mudslides, tornadoes and other natural disasters. We must be concerned about our water use, however.

I love the beauty and ecological diversity represented in the Sonoran desert. Being able to see wild spaces within the city and county boundaries in natural parks, green spaces and wildlife corridors makes the Tucson area and region feel a part of the Sonoran desert rather than an intrusion upon it.

I walk outside and I see coyotes

It must be the mountains, but there are a very large number of people who have an interest in and respect for the outdoors/environment. It is what attracted us to Tucson originally.

Mountains and easy access to them and the desert

Our mountains and beautiful skies set the stage for Tucson and in many ways this colors the way we experience our daily lives. The fact that each of us takes our visitors to see our local natural wonders says it all. I would like to see even more accessibility created to build on this as an economic development tool. I am concerned that if development does not have to meet some criteria, the Tucson landscapes could be turned into sprawling L.A. suburbs.

Our presence in the desert (as western Americans) is not particularly sustainable. It seems obvious to me that we need to be careful with our water (pumped and borrowed) and harvest our most plentiful resource (sun).

Outlaw water gulping projects

Take a walk, go on the trails� just the beauty of the place

The irreversible loss of unreplaceable plants, animals, and scenic qualities destroys the most important attributes of Tucson

There is nothing more important to me now that I have lived here for a while than to walk and see for miles all the way around me. The sunrise and sunset vistas are spectacular and they happen everyday. Other places I have lived miss out on this because of tall buildings, light pollution and other factors.

Water depletion, rivers that are dry that shouldn't be

Viewsheds are one of our biggest assets here. That is what visitors always remark on. If that goes, then we are just another big city

Go up Mt. Lemmon or to Finger Rock - nature allows for balance from uglier parts of Tucson

It has become harder to access the surrounding mountains and desert for the fences and private ownership. It is harder now to get high up (especially in the foothills) and be able to park and see the sunsets.

Physical Environment and Amenities

Accept reality that water is going to be a limiting resource to growth

Can't even get a cup of tea in Flowing Wells, have to travel for it

Cheap housing is addictive

Creating neighborhood hubs where grocery stores, drugstores, department stores and other necessities are within walking distance would encourage neighbors knowing neighbors and reduce the problems caused by automobiles.

Don't bulldoze my desert and put stucco boxes on it

Here on the eastside of town, I can load up my dogs and find an area to walk in with mountain views, warbling birds and a host of desert critters. The cares and woes fall away and my spirit is refreshed daily by these experiences. Please do not let the doubling of population rob us of these natural resources.

I live in midtown but still have to drive most everywhere I go. Need more business infill, mixed use developments, relaxation of zoning regs to allow these. (Relax the sign code too - I want interesting neighborhoods, not cookie cutter)

Integrate high density but don't lose community or quality of life for people who already live there

Make better site selection decisions � e.g., Tucson Electric Park

Many neighborhoods near downtown and the university are experiencing the encroachment of development for student housing, specifically minidorms, much to the detriment of the neighborhoods and values of houses proximate to the new development. These are clearly not single-family housing.

More density to accommodate growth without sprawl

More mixed-use, mixed-income, high-density, housing with public transportation

More regional visioning � less NUMBYism

Mostly unimaginative, boring, sometimes ugly built environment

Not enough local business � medical facilities, grocery stores in Vail

Not everyone has vehicles, so need jobs where people live

Rethink system of pedestrian crossings - mid-block crossings are unsafe.

Vacant buildings need foresight and planning

Very spread out. Cars are necessary because distances are not walkable

We build crrrap.

We need a center, a heart of the town

We still think in terms of single-family detached residences (The American Dream). Different times now

Where will density go?

With density, we can have mass transit, walking spaces, storefront developments, and fun. Get us out of our cars.

I watch as we create a sprawling, badly-designed, badly -planned and mostly ugly city, but like a big brother, the mountains always visually rescue us with their permanent and inspiring beauty.

We are going to have one and two story buildings from Nogales to Anthem if we don't figure out how to do thoughtful density planning. I think neighborhood councils have too much power to veto local development. I know that this idea is anathema to Tucson, but these groups block progress.

No more urban sprawl and expansion with strip malls - concentrate on developing healthy neighborhoods

It is very sad to see the Sonoran Desert destroyed by development when in-filling opportunities and re-use of previously disturbed land is available. Tucson is spreading like Phoenix and we will lose our attraction to tourists and our own quality of life if we loose too much desert.

Politics Governance and Leadership

A lot of caretakers but no one with a big idea

All communities attract political extremes as a minority of its active leadership but Tucson has surrendered to community apathy that has left its leadership the matter of choice for its political minority voices. This has resulted in good old boy politics driven by a handful of insider businessmen who do not have the full community interests at heart.

Bullying by tea party people is appalling � need to find a means to have bi-partisan decisions

Can shoot yourself in the foot with this small town outlook

Can't let intrusions take over � need planning

Changes in the existing political structure are long overdue. Any opportunities to reduce party division, to fund elected positions so there are quality candidates would be a positive step. Elected leaders band together along party lines often to the detriment of the community.

City government - completely dysfunctional. Structured to make failure be the chosen outcome. I can't remember who said that Tucson will always figure out how to do the wrong thing.

Community's view changing from wide open West to modern urban setting

Everything's based locally just to do same old same old

For the 30 years I have lived here, I and everyone I know have been complaining about local government. For Tucson to achieve its potential, we need intelligent, forward-thinking representatives who can rise above reacting to special interest groups who get them elected.

Implementation of great ideas floating around the community

In too many cases selfish neighborhoods get their way, interfering with the greater good. Again, in wonderful time, maybe this is OK. Not now. Too many problems to let a small minority hold us back.

Inability to move any agenda forward

Increase central Tucson density/disempower obstructive neighborhood associations.

My community does not seem to want to get involved in public hearings/decision-making, yet after the decisions are made they complain. They blindly follow what they are told with very little effort at research on their part.

Need a vision and outline. Won't make everyone happy - need a positive spin to sell it

Neighborhoods and municipalities fighting their own turf wars - no cooperation or regional vision

Our city has no strategic plan to deal with future growth. Our city has always been reactionary in addressing problems rather than strategic. It always costs more to retro-fit roads, water, sewer etc. because past and current leadership never planned for our region to reach 1 million people.

Our taxes are too low. We cannot support a thriving city and region with the current tax base, and threats to cut taxes further is insane.

Political �stuckness�

Political leadership is inept

Public sense of distrust about policy and how we are spending money - ex. Rio Nuevo

State of Maricopa

Stop trying to be a big city

The city charter fosters a level of corruption that I speculate is second only Chicago. The structure and corruption have prevented affluent areas of the region to choose not to be incorporated.

The inefficient delivery of services causes higher costs in the form of higher taxes, higher fees, increased hassle and time. The city and county should not be in competition with the private sector. The city and county should not have duplicate services.

The Rio Nuevo disaster infuriates me. I bought a house downtown 11 years ago and am still waiting for light rail, condos, streetscaping. The government handling of Rio Nuevo funds was criminal. Like a kid in a candy shop, all used up on studies and consultants.

There are some very scary legislators in Phoenix. Two from my district: Al Melvin and Vic Williams (Terry Proud is also running and is as scary as Al Melvin!). When I moved to Arizona with my young family six years ago (our choice-not brought here by a job), I knew the politics would be more conservative. However, I did not know the politicians would be so psychotic, mean spirited, and doing their damndest to destroy public education and the economy of our state. This (along with the fact that Arizona is filled with citizens who would elect people like this) is the reason our family will be leaving Tucson and Arizona as soon as we are able to secure a job somewhere else... in spite of the beautiful weather and desert. My advice--never make a decision about where to relocate based upon the weather!

If we had a big vision, it might make it easier for people to see how their individual needs and wants could fit into the vision, rather than breaking/dividing people into warring factions.

Tucson has on of the most vicious, mean spirited political climates I have ever seen. Incestuous and seemingly locked into special interests.

Political leaders lack willingness to lead-too preoccupied with being liked rather than leading and remaining committed. You have to be willing to lose your job in order to do your job.

I need to have a sense of accomplishment -- not a leadership which interminably studies a problem; just solve it! Get a backbone and make a decision.

True visionary long-range thinking and planning has never been a Tucson asset since I have lived here. Too many decisions are short-term, and interest-driven...too few (if any) are foundational for decades-long success. Those in governmental positions of influence have not resisted the urge to appease the most vocal minority while leaving the tough, long-range dialogue and implementation to another day.

Relationships and Interaction

Can be across town and run into someone you know. How does that happen? Very unique to Tucson. One of the biggest reasons that someone might stay here

Doctor calls even when we are on vacation to check

Easy interaction with people, anywhere, anytime

Focus on 'my neighborhood' versus what is best for all

History of how we got to this point ? good to know before we move forward

I love the Christian community that exists in Tucson.

I'd like to find the books that I see reviewed and which interest me on the shelves of the public library; they often are not part of the system.

Incivility in civil discourse, especially through email and the internet

Intellectual stimulation

It is a great place to raise a family and do business. People seem genuinely warm and helpful, for the most part.

It makes me feel that this is a special place with special people

Living in a university town provides such breadth of experience, from athletics to fine arts to sciences. The university has brought me friends that include book lovers, gourmets, astronomers, solar power researchers, rare plant specialists, and anthropologists.

Need more of a city sense

Need to make contacts between retirement communities and community needs

Old neighborhoods with low density & the potential for a high quality of life

Provincial attitudes - impact our ability to be a progressive city

Small town feel � rusty, dusty cowboy town � parochial

Small town feel with city amenities

Stratification of the community � rich with transfer payments, poor with low wage jobs

The ambiance improves city morale

The friendliness and the helpfulness of the people

The individuals who are not cookie cutter personalities but who celebrate their diversity, their off the wall personalities, their passions and their caring for each other and this special environment

The recognition of the traditions and heritage of the Tucson community is celebrated and interwoven into many aspects of life - not just a 'window dressing' as it seems to be in Phoenix. Culture is valued. Diversity is celebrated.

The tide has shifted and we now have a younger population staying in our community trying to make a living. Our state was intended to be a retirement destination and that worked 50 years ago and now, it is no longer meeting the needs of the next generation.

The wild west, do as you like

To see more pride of ownership including renters

Tucson is more of a peaceful community than other large cities.

Tucson loosing its sense of place � people moving to outer areas

Tucson retains a small-town, friendly, community feel.

Tucson seems to be focused on the past & history. Very fitting for a ghost town, but not for a thriving community.

When I came to Tucson 30 years ago from the Midwest I was amazed at how immediately accepted I was, and the ease of joining groups and becoming involved in the community.

With so much negativity around downtown and all of the missteps, it makes it impossible for the good to shine through. The small business community is also part of this problem, they harp on all of the negative and don't and can't contribute to the positive.

Tucson is more of a meritocracy than other other place I know. We comfortably and un-self-consciously manage to integrate the wide spectrum of race, ethnicity, sexual preference/identity, and religion into our leadership structure.

Most of us want the same things - to help others be the best they can be- Many Liberals have no faith that the community can accomplish this better than the government.

People tend to be more friendly because the Tucson area promotes a relaxed atmosphere

Tucson has a long and rich history and the communities/neighborhoods where I live in do not take this lightly. If we wanted to expand and sell our souls we can easily move to Phoenix or Mesa.

Seniors

More help for needy seniors or others with special needs-financial-health

Transportation

Better bike lanes! (please)

Bike lanes are too narrow, this causes congestion and a safety concern

Cars and bikes need to know how to treat each other

Crosstown freeway for efficiency, in order to alleviate congestion on arterials

I have nearly been killed several times by motorists and screamed at for taking up space when biking on the road.

I like the bike friendly environment encountered here in Tucson.

It takes me 20 minutes to commute to work. We can easily afford our home on one income (although both of us work). We are not stretched thin financially or time-wise so it allows for a greater quality of life.

Make public transit so people want to use it. Change its image so it's not only used out of necessity, but as a choice

Need to improve how the money is spent on road projects

Older folks can't get around...designed as an auto culture when the auto is no longer viable

People feel unsafe and harassed at bus stops. It's not practical or safe

Street car will be waste of money � everyone has cars

Too long from one side of Tucson to another

While I live within the city limits, it's still at least 1/2 mile to the nearest bus stop. We need more & cheaper mass transit to make various parts of the county more accessible.

It's difficult to get around Tucson in a timely manner. Tucson needs a crosstown freeway.

I think that it is a shame that we are so addicted to our private cars for personal transportation, and unwilling to relax our grip on the steering wheel.

Air pollution, noise, and traffic congestion will increasingly impact livability in the urban cores as population grows, if we don't change the transport model. This pushes higher income residents and employment to the periphery and leads to core blight. Reducing petroleum energy use is a national need.

I realize that the current infrastructure of both housing and roads in the Tucson region makes many alternative transportation options difficult if not impossible for many. However, over time as redevelopment occurs, mixed-use development, densification, and transportation oriented development could help alleviate some of our current traffic conundrum. Please make it a priority to move us away from the automobile in as many ways as possible.

Youth

Difficult for kids without cars to get places

For kids that have a rough home life, it gives them a space to be themselves

Get youth more interactive with nature (no video games)

It's hard to work with youth when they don�t feel like they have a future.

More jobs with purpose for youth

More youth activities spread out across town - not just downtown

Parents need to be more involved in youth's lives.

Youth like being surrounded by people that look and talk like them

*This list is my personal representation of what Imagine Greater Tucson participants have said as they either talked with each other in conversations or typed in their comments into an online survey. As part of the IGT Data Analysis Team, I spent hundreds of hours reading and considering participants' statements. I picked out those for inclusion here that seemed to me to have one or more of the following traits: insightful, thought provoking, lyrical, imaginative, important or prescriptive. Though I picked the statements, I certainly don't agree with all of them as some are wrong or impossible. However, these and similar views are present in our region. This list is only my opinion and reflects biases I no doubt have. You could look through all the statements and pick out a set that seem most important from your point of view. If you take some time to consider each statement in turn, you will slowly build an impression of what people are saying about the Tucson region, in my opinion. The cross-currents, the loves and hates, and the desires and fears come through. This is a work in progress � I may add to the list as I read or re-read how residents of the region say what they like, what they would like to change or improve, and why.   April 10, 2011

The author of this list, Donald Ijams, was born in Tucson and has been a lifelong resident. He was educated in Tucson's public schools and earned a Ph.D. in social psychology at The University of Arizona. He retired in 2005 after a career as a police statistician, planner and analyst. He is a volunteer with Imagine Greater Tucson, helping with process design, data analysis and other stages of the IGT process. He and his wife Kenith Ijams live in midtown Tucson and have one daughter who is a teacher in Tucson and one grandson.