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