Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering
| IGT Steering Committee | ||
| Lewis & Roca – 1 S. Church Av, Tucson | ||
| Date of Conversation: Friday, September 10, 2010 Time: 9:00 – 10:30 | ||
| Facilitator: Tahnee Robertson Recorder: Anita Fonte | ||
| Number of Tables: 1 Number of Participants: 7 | ||
| Theme 1. University of Arizona | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| University of Arizona | ||
| UA | ||
| U of A | ||
| UA | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Adds to respect for Tucson | ||
| Brings diversity and intelligence to the community (i.e., research) | ||
| Major sporting activities | ||
| Future talents | ||
| Adds vibrancy to the area | ||
| Might help keep younger generations in Tucson | ||
| Brings younger generations to Tucson | ||
| Cohesiveness for the community | ||
| Offers a lot to do | ||
| Educational, economic and cultural engine | ||
| At a deeper level, why is this important? | ||
| UA helps attract young professionals | ||
| Economic impact equals jobs, research, companies at a higher level | ||
| Many UA grads stay and start businesses; creates a workplace community | ||
| UA is one of the few things we're not negative about | ||
| UA puts us on the map, makes us something, gives us identity, attracts others | ||
| UA: Center of Town | ||
| Provides opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise | ||
| We spend a lot of time as a family at the U of A | ||
| Enhances my children's future | ||
| Can expose my children to educational, sports, cultural opportunities | ||
| Theme 2. Accessible Natural Environment | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Accessible recreation | ||
| Natural surroundings | ||
| Access to nature | ||
| Natural desert with sky islands | ||
| Sonoran desert | ||
| The good air quality | ||
| The mountains | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| More creative use of space for recreation (alleys, etc.) | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| It adds economic value | ||
| It hasn't been spoiled; it's protected | ||
| It attracts animals I enjoy | ||
| It helps orient me | ||
| Creates health of all kinds | ||
| It defines “this place” | ||
| It's a main reason for being here | ||
| It is pretty; beautiful | ||
| Tucson is different from other places | ||
| At a deeper level, why is this important? | ||
| Sense of pride | ||
| It makes me feel that this is a special place with special people | ||
| A huge part of our economic engine would be gone without it (tourists) | ||
| Attracts others who appreciate it, who are like-minded | ||
| Helps give me a sense of identification, place | ||
| It is a better reason to live here | ||
| Without the mountains and desert, we're Lubbock | ||
| It makes me feel healthier | ||
| It makes me happy | ||
| Theme 3. Outdoor Recreation | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Cycling community | ||
| Multiple outdoor activities and opportunities | ||
| Recreation opportunities – outdoor/cycling | ||
| Hiking/recreation opportunities | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Lack of parks (with shade) in outlying areas – in the county | ||
| Better coordination between schools and parks – partnerships | ||
| Sports fields – citywide and neighborhood | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Don't want to have to drive for miles to get to shaded parks – accessible | ||
| Good weather/humidity provide for year round activities | ||
| It helps you to clear your head | ||
| Affordable family activity | ||
| An appreciation of nature for everyone | ||
| Sets a good example for our kids | ||
| Great air quality | ||
| Fun, close, accessible | ||
| Healthy living | ||
| Need shade for year round use (e.g., Brandi Fenton Park) | ||
| At a deeper level, why is this important? | ||
| More public parks with pools, less private pools will save water | ||
| Parks help heat island effect | ||
| Much demand for current sports facilities | ||
| Kids need something to do | ||
| It builds community to get people out | ||
| Theme 4. Community Identity | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Being close to family and friends | ||
| My friends live here | ||
| Small town feel | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Know my neighbors better | ||
| Stratification of the community – rich with transfer payments, poor with low wage jobs | ||
| More regional visioning – less NUMBYism | ||
| Inability of residents to work together - to listen to other viewpoints | ||
| Inability for the community to say “Yes” to big projects – too parochial | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| It would be nice to not close my eyes to what I don't want to see | ||
| You can get to better solutions if you listen to better perspectives | ||
| There is a greater good to consider (ex: quality of schools can divide community) | ||
| Reinforces sense of family | ||
| Support system | ||
| Sociability for self, kids and network | ||
| Makes it feel like you're home, not just in a place to live | ||
| Sense of connectivity leads to a sense of responsibility | ||
| At a deeper level, why is this important? | ||
| We organize ourselves in small worlds (ex: gated communities) | ||
| Interconnectedness promotes understanding | ||
| See consequences of individual/personal actions | ||
| Less isolated | ||
| Theme 5. Leadership | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| General voter apathy and lack of knowledge | ||
| Political “stuckness” | ||
| Leadership | ||
| Tucson government (people and structure) | ||
| More rock, less talk (more action in community development) | ||
| Theme 6. Cultural Diversity | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Mixture of culture/backgrounds | ||
| Different cultures together | ||
| Cultural richness | ||
| Cultural opportunities – dining choices, etc. are big for a community this size | ||
| Theme 7. Accessibility, Transportation, Walkability | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| More/better non-car transportation options | ||
| Too car focused – more public transport | ||
| More things I can walk to | ||
| Difficulty in getting around (roads, traffic) | ||
| Theme 8. Downtown | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Downtown opportunities | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Make it more vibrant | ||
| Theme 9. Economy | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Economic diversity – job creation | ||
| Attract more businesses and entertainment options | ||
| Theme 10. Built Environment | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Sprawly, strip malls – identity crisis | ||
| Mostly unimaginative, boring, sometimes ugly built environment | ||
Tuesday, September 21, 2010