Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering
| Public Community Conversation | ||
| Junior League Tucson 2099 E. River Rd, Tucson | ||
| Date of Conversation: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM | ||
| Facilitator: Chris Bailey Recorder: Anita Fonte | ||
| Number of Tables: 1 Number of Participants: 11 | ||
| Theme 1. Physical/Natural Environment | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Serenity - lack of congestion | ||
| Shared values- environmental, spiritual, quality of life | ||
| Focus on environmental sustainability | ||
| Natural beauty | ||
| The natural environment (sun, desert, air, wildlife, etc.) | ||
| Climate | ||
| Natural environment | ||
| The Desert and Climate | ||
| Proximity to nature and its resources | ||
| The mountains | ||
| Vistas | ||
| Weather (except June-October) | ||
| Environment and weather | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Community sponsored solar programs for residential buildings | ||
| Air pollution | ||
| Public transportation | ||
| Need for improvement in multi-modal transportation system | ||
| Better mass transit | ||
| Better public transportation | ||
| Green transportation (personal and public) | ||
| Get very serious about mass transit | ||
| Travel time from NE side to anywhere | ||
| Bike paths everywhere | ||
| More walking/living/work areas and neighborhoods | ||
| Too many cars | ||
| Over use of water | ||
| Seriously consider limits to growth | ||
| Sprawl | ||
| Sprawling, wasteful, unsustainable urban form | ||
| Box stores and malls (drawing: unhappy face) | ||
| Random development (strip mall mania) | ||
| Sprawl and Phoenix-style housing developments | ||
| Lack of regional planning (lack of character | ||
| Central downtown | ||
| Ugliness (of built environment) | ||
| More magnetic downtown (arts, education, public spaces) | ||
| Better communication of activities available - getting linked in | ||
| More art and music public spaces | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Solar panels can block views vs. HOAs | ||
| At night you can see the stars | ||
| Tucson had flowing water - needs to turn it around | ||
| Better balance of building up and open space | ||
| The sunshine makes what we like; i.e. sunny and bright solar city | ||
| In Santa Fe, they have rules against tall buildings | ||
| Alternatives: grow plants on side of buildings; go underground | ||
| Buses aren't convenient, won't attract use | ||
| To keep from sprawl we need density, but it hurts views (example: TMC) | ||
| People ask where you are from (not what you do) i.e. very equalizing and receptive | ||
| Building links to transportation - if we had more centralized points, we could build transportation to get there | ||
| The people -are friendly | ||
| Hospitality | ||
| Metropolitan amenities (music, theater) but small town feel | ||
| Easy to connect small chain to know all | ||
| It's unpleasant to drive miles from point to point - uglier, hotter, drier | ||
| We're affecting others (example, and mansion on an open trail, water usage) - responsibility | ||
| Can breath: spaciousness, mountain openness | ||
| Nature more important than city/built environment | ||
| Connected (animals visit us) "in our zoo" | ||
| Sonoran desert/Sky Islands: captures peoples' imagination and spirit. Appreciated by a large number of people=preservation. Not like Phoenix, which is just a cheap place to buy a home. | ||
| Certain places/desert is unique - need to be preserved | ||
| Can be connected to nature - good for the spirit | ||
| Theme 2. People, Culture, and Community (non-physical environment) | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| Diverse peoples living here (diversity) | ||
| Bookman's (from EV charging station to EV museum | ||
| Tucson clean cities (including Tucson electric vehicle association) | ||
| Amazing people and friends doing really cool exciting things | ||
| Milagro cohousing | ||
| The sense of community | ||
| Community spirit | ||
| Community sense and culture | ||
| Cultural diversity and community spirit- small town feel | ||
| Progressive mindset | ||
| Tucson brings together many diverse and spiritual communities | ||
| University of Arizona sports | ||
| Intellectual and activist environment | ||
| Lots of diverse arts and culture opportunities | ||
| The wild west, do as you like | ||
| Lots of diverse activities | ||
| Artists, musicians, creatives | ||
| Diversity | ||
| Active outdoor oriented communities | ||
| Small Town Feel | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Apathy of residents | ||
| Expanding cohousing | ||
| Need for neighborhood activity/connectivity | ||
| Need for better and more opportunities for youth after school | ||
| Begin developing plans for a post-carbon future | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| Pockets of apathy | ||
| If you know where to find people, there's a lot going on; lots of activities. You feel like you are part of the greater whole/ bicycling, writer, tennis | ||
| We have microcommunities (top 1%) - most of the community is apathetic, but it doesn't have to be that way | ||
| No shared vision: Hispanic/Anglo, Tucson/South Tucson (no overarching elements) | ||
| Diversity creates problems | ||
| You kind of get to do what you want to do (both pro and con) - water fights Tucson vs. Marana | ||
| We have less appetite to give up something for the whole | ||
| Theme 3. Public Institutions | ||
| What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
| City council that reflects the community | ||
| What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
| Governing system is too political; it doesn't get things done | ||
| Poor education system | ||
| Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
| It's not pockets - it's most of Tucson | ||
| Monopolies vs. solar power and industry | ||
| Different goals | ||
| Pockets of apathy (example: elementary school) | ||
Tuesday, December 21, 2010