Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering

Tucson Regional Environmental Leaders
Breakfast Group – Table 1
The Historic Y – 738 N. 5th Ave,  Tucson
Date of Conversation: Thursday, January 06, 2011  Time: 8:00 -10:00 AM
Facilitator: Patrick Hartley  Recorder: Daphne Daly
Number of Tables: 1  Number of Participants: 7
 
Theme 1. (No Label)
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Emphasis on health – outdoor exercise
 
Theme 2. Education
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Choices – alternatives
  Charter school choices
  Top schools – University High School
  Cultural mix of people
  University / Higher education / Research
  University
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Excelling students are often not challenged
  Low income public schools need help
  Community awareness – greed, self-interest, conflicts of interest
  Improve schools – environmental awareness
  Environmental education – Improve public awareness and ability to accept knowledge of environmental problems that need to be addressed. How do you reach people who care about nothing but their own comfort?
 
Theme 3. Culture and Diversity
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Cultural diversity
  Diverse cultural history – taking it back 8,000 to 10,000 years
  Interacting with different cultures and classes
  Cultural mixing pot – events (Tucson Meet Yourself, Folk Festival, Chilli Cookoff, local music)
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  More support for the arts and more arts-related opportunities
 
Theme 4. People
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Land ethics from a comparably large segment of the community
  Do it yourself flavored happenings on a small budget
  Funky, artistic activist community
  Good attitudes – overall happy – not grouchy – people talk to you in line – not busy, stressed – receptive, friendly out in public
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Political conflict and lack of cooperation for the greater good
  More acceptance of differing perspectives (less in-fighting)
  Competition over collaboration (manipulative behavior over the lack of resources) – foster more collaboration
 
Theme 5. Jobs and Economics
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Poverty and division between haves and have nots – very little mixing between
  Low wage
  No jobs – bring your own money – Job, if you have one, hold on to it
  Not enough emphasis on creation of new businesses / jobs
 
Theme 6. Transportation
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Great manners on public buses (folks standing up when others need to sit, folks holding doors helping elders and disabled)
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Major streets – lack of beauty or architectural cohesion – Does not compliment our natural beauty (Speedway, Broadway, Grant, 22nd)
  On public transportation, unkind behavior witnessed – sometimes threats, scary for kids. Drug deals.
  Safer, more efficient, more effective alternatives to the automobile
  Lack of high speed transit to Phoenix
  Public transportation – difficult to get to some areas and takes a long time
  Roads need repair
  Cross town – Tucson to Phoenix
  Not enough sidewalks / bike lanes
 
Theme 7. Sense of Community / Character / Growth
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Place to park downtown
  Increase density – infill and redevelopment
  Weak urban core – hard to get people downtown – symphony, arts, culture – live in outer areas
  Other things to do – downtown activities
  Uncontrolled growth – sprawl – wildcat development – associated costs – dying urban areas
  More decisions in metro area like Tucson Water footprint – conscious decision of where to grow and not grow
 Why is this important? How does this affect you?
  Because it is the way Western cities have grown – no need for public transportation
  Because of sprawl, it is difficult to develop in the core; weakens artistic density
  Rule of more transportation / infrastructure
  Water will create infill footprint policies
  If we don't plan it will be a disaster
  Why are we not looking at other areas like Valencia?
  Bear in mind that there are limits to growth
  Civano as example of sense of place – but exclusive to people with money and cars – secluded
  4th Ave. as model to pursue
  Wise growth done well – to give us a sense of community – still want vibrant community when hit peak – no collapse of that vibrant community and decay
 
Theme 8. Small Town Feel
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Small city and open spaces
  Old Town - 4th Ave. - like the scale of place
  Small town feel yet lots of diversity (DM, retirees, tribes, Hispanics) – don't need money to get involved
 
Theme 9. Natural Environment
 What do you like the most about our community/region?
  Sonoran desert and sky island mountains – natural environment
  Big views of the sky and warm climate
  Santa Cruz River
  Natural beauty – mountains / plants / animals – uniqueness
  Unique Sonoran desert
  Mountains and access to wild areas
  Nature awareness – wildlife – natural parks – open space
  Environment – scenic, climate
 What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region?
  Santa Cruz River
  Not enough wilderness protection
  Restored river / wash systems – not trash dumps – dedicating water to environmental purposes – no water in Tucson basin
  Bring native plants back – make the wetlands an asset – community water and recreation paths
 Why is this important? How does this affect you?
  Personal aesthetics
  Unique for an area this size
  Diverse
  Awe inspiring
  Scenic quality
  Kids noticing sunset, mountains
  Spiritual connection
  Spiritual fulfillment
  Environmental ethic


Monday, January 17, 2011