Imagine Greater Tucson
Phase I Data Gathering
Jewish Federation – Table 1 | ||
Tucson Hebrew Academy - 3888 East River Rd, Tucson | ||
Date of Conversation: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Time: 6:30 – 8:00 PM | ||
Facilitator: Sheri Barker Recorder: Anita Fonte | ||
Number of Tables: 1 Number of Participants: 11 | ||
Theme 1. K-12 Education | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Public Education -50th state =( | ||
Public education system - upgrade, excellence, higher standards | ||
Theme 2. Economy | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Manageable lifestyle (not too big or too small) | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Lack of corporate businesses | ||
Poor economy - low wages, uneducated workforce | ||
Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
Need to recruit talent to the area | ||
Without a job my daughter will leave; we'll be left with a retirement community | ||
When the pie is small, people fight | ||
Job opportunities | ||
Look at Maslow's triangle | ||
Brings prosperity | ||
Created resources so we are able to build community | ||
Economy drives all the rest (education, etc.) | ||
A vibrant economy brings industry | ||
Theme 3. U of A | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Presence of University of AZ - exposure to science, astronomy, the arts, and accessibly to same | ||
UofA (everything about it) | ||
Theme 4. Downtown | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Cultural offerings - theater and the arts | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Improve downtown | ||
Downtown - dead on the weekends | ||
More vibrant Downtown -Housing, culture and entertainment, and as a magnet | ||
Theme 5. Transportation Infrastructure | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Traffic philosophy | ||
Lack of planned transportation systems | ||
Transportation | ||
Theme 6. Community Lifestyle | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Community feel | ||
Welcoming feeling of the people of Tucson | ||
Small town feel | ||
Ability to know people in a meaningful way | ||
Big city and small town at the same time - Welcoming and close knit community | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Small town thinking | ||
Need more "can do" attitude (like Chicago) -leadership | ||
Theme 7. Cultural Identity and Diversity | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Cultural diversity | ||
Warmth and diversity of the community | ||
Representation of different ethnic groups, diversity of the population | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Civic problems in South Tucson. Bring them into planning for the future | ||
More walking/shopping/cultural/food areas | ||
Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
Lack a sense of who we are | ||
Differences may become obstacles | ||
Creates interesting challenges | ||
Difficult to harness diversity; to reach consensus (we get stuck) | ||
Causes us to look at community needs differently, to take a broader view of the community landscape | ||
A blessing and a challenge because unmet needs means we can't nurture diversity | ||
Helps define us, makes us unique | ||
Theme 8. Environment and Climate | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Weather- allows you to enjoy the outdoors and be happy | ||
Weather | ||
Environment | ||
Environment | ||
Mountains | ||
Geography/area/desert- feeling of community to keep area environmentally sound | ||
Bird watching | ||
Theme 9. Leadership | ||
What do you like the most about our community/region? | ||
Greater appreciation for and development leadership | ||
What do you most want to change or improve about our community/region? | ||
Influence of southern Arizona on legislature and state policies | ||
Duplication of city funding and non-profits. Overlapping= too much staff and less goes to intended recipients | ||
Change the political direction (lack of good leadership) | ||
Government and leadership - lack of skills | ||
Lack of regional planning | ||
Good ole boys club | ||
Why is this important? How does this affect you? | ||
When investments do come we don't take advantage because of lack of leadership | ||
They (leaders) bring in employers (or not) | ||
There are a lot of people perpetuating their jobs; examples TREO, Rio Nuevo | ||
Most in government don't do a good job (Arizona and locally) | ||
Don't have a mission/vision/values in Southern AZ, we are reactive | ||
Southern Arizona isn't getting the needed representation at the State level | ||
The municipality with the largest population dominates; this is a problem for local leadership | ||
Leadership=vision | ||
Without leadership, nothing gets done; getting no where |
Monday, January 17, 2011