Imagine Greater Tucson
Online Survey Data from October 2010
| Survey: 1. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Even though we're growing, we still try to have a small town feel. | My family has lived in the area for generations, before Arizona was officially a state. So I appreciate the area and want to preserve its character and history. |
| It's not too big. | While Tucson (and surrounding areas) are growing, I like the fact that it doesn't take too long to get from one side to the other. I don't want Tucson to become like Phoenix where it's a day trip to get around to the various cities/towns within the greater-Phoenix region. |
| How laid back the community is. | There's a nice balance of being formal and laid back; it creates a comfortable feeling that is relaxing and not stressful all the time. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | It feels like there are too many vehicles on the road. Not only does it now take longer to get places, but it feels more unsafe driving around. It feels like at any given moment I could get in an accident because so many people are all over the place trying to quickly get to their destination. |
| Crime | There seems to be an increase in crime/criminal activity all over Tucson. This is important to me because I have been a victim of crime (both physical and through property damage). Also, I am a homeowner and it worries me to see an increase in vandalism in my mid-town neighborhood. |
| Increase community participation | There seems to be a decrease in neighborhood activities and events. I'd like to see people meeting their neighbors and engaging with their community more (which would also result in decrease crime). |
| Date of survey: Oct 05, 2010 // Home near: Swan Rd. and 5th St. 85711 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 2. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor activities | I enjoy hiking in the fall and getting involved in the Southern Arizona Roadrunners races |
| Music scene | I like how there are a lot of music venues, such as Plush, and different music events that take place throughout the year |
| Support of local businesses | I enjoy the variety of local businesses, such as cool restaurants, shops, and produce, and the attitude of Tucsonans to support local businesses. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Develop downtown | Tucson is too spread out. I drive way too many miles to attend various events. I would like to see Downtown Tucson become a hot spot. |
| Transportation | The traffic is too congested. Something needs to be improved. There are various road projects taking place, which is good, but Tucson needs to grow up and realize they are a big city and plan transportation accordingly. |
| Less of a sexual vibe | The sex industry in Tucson is becoming too dominant. For instance, I open up the Tucson Weekly and see a bunch of raunchy ads in the back. Or I walk into a coffee shop and see a graphic bisexual ad. |
| Date of survey: Oct 05, 2010 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 3. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | They are the wallpaper of my life and make the town seem small and intimate. |
| The monsoon and the winters. | I love the much sought after rains in the summer with the lightning, thunder and wind. I do not like the heat so I bathe in the perfection of the winters with the royal blue skies. |
| I like the Mexican food | When I am away I miss the Mexican food the most. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | I want to garage my car and get places on public transportation. |
| Downtown | I want a safer and more vibrant downtown for all age groups. |
| Land use | More infill and less development on the perimeter. |
| Date of survey: Oct 05, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 37 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 4. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate/desert | Weather/ability to be outdoors. Saguaros and both Sag Nat'l parks, Sabino Canyon, and more. It's a great place to be and to be able to enjoy nature. Whether you walk, hike, cycle or run- Tucson is the best of all worlds. |
| Small town feel | I love that it is not a huge urban center. I left that for specific reasons. People are warm and friendly. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Appreciation for the role of education in the city's future | I am blown away by how little Tucsonans seem to value education and investment in our children. They are our future workforce. Who will come here if we just have a bunch of un or under educated, ignorant, xenophobes? Really? How will our society function if we do not have an educated populace? We will all pay for these short sighted decisions. |
| Job creation/ smarter better business climate | Similar to #1. Folks here are so short sighted. Definitely not at all sophisticated vis-a-vis business. It really is backward. The down side to "Small Town." -- Only Tucson is no longer a small town. The infrastructure doesn't match the reality. Who will be here to do the hiring? To Carry on business? Where will Tucson be in 15 -20 years if we cannot attract and keep business? |
| Make all the areas part of Tucson proper. | I live in an area that is not part of Tucson. I do not get a say in anything that happens here. Ridiculous. The Foothills also not part of it. The positives of federal dollars available to a Tucson of greater than a million people far outweigh the negatives locally. It comes down to egos and people short sightedness. |
| Date of survey: Oct 05, 2010 // Home near: Tanque Verde and Grant 85715 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 5. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural desert environment | The ability to get out into nature easily, to see the mountains from my yard, and to enjoy the desert corridors that reach into our urban areas. I need to breath the clean air and hear the sounds of nature and feel my connection to nature. It provides a healthy touchstone. |
| The many community minded and diverse people. | I feel at home with the people that live here. I feel like I fit in, that I care about my community members, and they care about me. I also feel we have a rich pool of individuals with a variety of skills and experiences to draw on for solving the very large issues we face today and tomorrow. |
| Small town feel with big city resources. | I don't feel overwhelmed by Tucson's size - I feel I have a place here. Almost everywhere I go I run into people I know. The people are friendly and the lifestyle is casual. And yet we have a large university and many cultural opportunities to engage in. There's never a lack for something interesting to do. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would change the pattern of our urban design, especially how our transportation system interfaces with the built environment. | Tucson is a "pancake city" which has unfortunately sprawled too far in all direction. This has grave consequences, i.e air quality (I have asthma so this is very important to me), the amount of our land covered by asphalt, both roads and parking (increases the heat island effect, among other negative impacts), we spend too much of our lives driving from our home to our place of work, and the manner in which our neighborhoods are effected, i.e. our neighborhoods are not walkable (in general). |
| In order to mitigate issue #1, and so many other issues, I would look at ways to curb population increase in the area. | We simply cannot afford to grow in the same manner as we have in the past. The true carrying capacity of this area is already way over taxed. As climate change increases, we will need to focus on adapting the small amount of resources in our area to fill the needs of those who are here. To continue to grow and believe we can survive is a pipe dream. I simply do not believe it to be possible. I would hate to have to move from the area because of this. |
| I would look at what it might take to improve leadership in the area. | Unfortunately we do not have a "culture of engagement" here in the wild west. If we are to expect to have strong leadership, we will need to get involved. It takes an engaged citizenship to elect and support strong leadership. Without strong leadership and an engaged citizenry, we will never accomplish our goals. |
| Date of survey: Oct 05, 2010 // Home near: Grant & Country Club 85716 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 6. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sunshine and warmth | You're kidding. |
| Lively music and art (for a Rebuplican-led state) | Options for entertainment and education |
| U of a | Ups the smarts of the place |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Change city charter | Too little really changes because council member can't agree to work together. rep of neighborhoods not that great. |
| Public transportation | Bus system could be soooooo much better (with some money). some routes are great, but most have weird schedules the buses don't meet well. it's also hard to figure out the routes. why do cities many times our size handle this? |
| Stricter control of development | Housing near UA's becoming horrible. go look at another city that let rampant development ruin nearby neighborhoods, then compare to one where those same neighborhoods were 'protected.' (website awful by the way. i can only see the left of what i write in these boxes). new housing everywhere needs attention to energy and water |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: 5th and Alvernon 85711 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 7. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Sonoran desert: it's flora and fauna and the dry desert air. | This is what keeps me here above all else - makes me feel alive and wanting to protect this fragile place on the planet. The challenge to create a vibrant community that respects its place in the desert is one of my responsibilities as a member of this community. |
| Inner city neighborhoods where people own their homes. | Sense of community that comes from owner-occupied neighborhoods and the commitment to better the community when there is a vested interest on the part of home-owners. |
| Low-profile built environment with few high-rise edifices. | The sense of place that comes from being able to see the magnificent mountains that surround us and not to be overpowered by man-made structures that tower over everything. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Economic base. | The current recession can be used to re-examine and re-direct our priorities from a boom-town that caters to massive housing projects leap-frogging into the rural areas to an innovative community that capitalizes on our abundant sunshine and invests in the most dense areas of the valley with infrastructure improvements. It would benefit all of us if we stopped promoting new development and started investing in jobs that are sustainable and in the city that is already here. |
| Transportation system and the RTA. | As a taxpayer, it is distressing to see our public funds used to promote more road-building at the expense of everything else. Roads eat up valuable land and serve to promote more vehicle use. Investing in our transit systems, creating walkable neighborhoods, and re-directing capital from building more roads into creating multi-modal corridors will make us a more cohesive city that encourages inner-city living. The RTA is an un-balanced committee that promotes urban-sprawl and fails miserably at investing in the already-built densest parts of our community or in its mass transit systems. |
| Educational priorities. | Public schools and libraries should be a priority - there is nothing more important to our future than educating our children and finding ways to make learning possible for all members of our community. Instead of investing the bulk of our money in capital improvements or in private schools, we should be using public funds to promote good teaching, diverse educational and recreational programs and healthy environments for our children. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Mountain and Prince 85719 // Years here: 33 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 8. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonoran desert lifestyle | Visual beauty, 350 days of sunshine and access to the desert |
| Cultural diversity | Learn about other ethnic and subcultures right next door |
| Small town atmosphere | Easy access to politicos, interest groups and meeting new folks |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Update and invest in infrastructure | Most all our infrastructure is crumbling and without investment, there will be a major degradation in the quality and dependability of our living standards |
| Increase the level of educational opportunities | We are one of the poorest cities. Only enhanced education can break that cycle |
| Metropolitan governance | Efficiency and cost-effective economics in public management will raise my confidence in a brighter future |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Country Club 85716 // Years here: 36 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 9. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Scenery/recreation opportunities | I'm an outdoor person who enjoys outdoor activities - hiking, camping, fishing, biking, etc. |
| Friendly/unique | I spend most of my life in the city since I live and work here so it's critical to me that the people, activities, etc. are friendly and interesting. |
| Livable | Town isn't too spread out. The city is relatively clean, low in crime, bike friendly, and neighborhood friendly throughout. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Less focus on supporting growth as an industry | If Tucson continues to sprawl it will become a much less livable city. Recent recession shows the disadvantages of relying on cyclical industry. |
| More parks/recreation | Parks, river parks with bike paths, etc. make the city livable and friendly for families. We don't have a single park within walking distance and unfortunately the schools are off limits to neighborhood kids except during school. |
| More economic opportunities, especially for UofA grads | Every one needs a job. I'd like my kids to find work here. Higher paying jobs also provide more money for other improvements and tend to lower crime. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: 22nd & Houghton 85748 // Years here: 14 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 10. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural beauty, diversity of the people, and the history | Having a sense of place is very important. I am always inspired by our mountains and deserts, by our balance between rain and heat, by our plants and animals. |
| I have roots here. | I have lived most of my life in Tucson, and it has the feeling of home. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better jobs, more varied economy | We need to survive. we need to put an end to the Tucson brain drain and keep our young people in town. |
| Develop new leaders | In the 1980s, we had a model county government, a fine city government, a model public library system, and a zooming education sector. And now all this has been deconstructed. |
| Make the city more walkable, more humane | Let's get away from petroleum and make the city over in a way favoring face-to-face relationships. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Anklam and St. Mary's 85745 // Years here: 31 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 11. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Weather | I came here from Iowa in 1963 from one of the worst Winters the area ever had. Tucson was hot in August when we arrived, but not humid. The Winters were superb, and still are. |
| Population Diversity | I love the Hispanic history of the Tucson area and the ethnic mix of the population. The University of Arizona encourages that diversity and values it. I hope we can continue that welcoming atmosphere to all people. |
| The mountains and unspoiled outdoor areas | The four mountain ranges around Tucson make it an incredibly beautiful place to live. Leaving the city crowding for the peaceful quiet of the surrounding area is a fabulous asset and must be preserved. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Develop mass transit | We must look at places like Portland, OR, for some ideas to cut traffic and pollution in this inversion valley. We could have high-speed rail from Nogales to Phoenix, with other transportation off of that line to immensely improve our air and quality of life. |
| Fund Education | We could attract clean industries, highly skilled workers and healthy families if we vastly improved our K-12 and post high school educational systems. It can't be done with our present legislative thoughts in this State. |
| Change the State Government Participants | Our present Legislature and Governor are a bad joke. They do not value the assets we have in this State and they don't know how to improve the situation to attract educated, skilled people to the State. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Swan/Skyline 85718 // Years here: 46 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 12. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environment | I like all the outdoor activities available including hiking, camping, bicycling, views, etc. |
| Southwest influence | I like the mix of hispanic, anglo, and native american influences. This is evident in the food, architecture, and population diversity. |
| Cost of living | It's an affordable place to raise a family. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership | I feel that Tucson is a rudderless ship. The Chamber is ineffective, SALC a disappointment, City government a mess, Rio Nuevo an embarrassment, etc. IGT has the opportunity to change some of that. |
| Economic focus | We need a community that embraces business. We need capital formation, incentives to start and grow businesses, more tech transfer from the university, focus areas, easier business licensing, etc. It needs to be much more business friendly. |
| Education | We are 49th in the country in per capita spending, graduate 59% of our high school seniors, and pay our teachers at the bottom of the nation's pay scale. Need I say more! |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Colossal Cave and I-10 85641 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 13. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather -- clear skies, lovely sunsets, clean air you can breathe, evening breezes | I lived in Phoenix where the air was becoming increasingly full of nasty particulates. I like to be out of doors and breathe clean air. You can't put a price on it. It's more valuable than a pot of gold. |
| The people. Tucsonans are friendly; they are concerned about the same things I am -- the environment, conserving water, using alternative energy, keeping native desert, keeping green belts | I want to live in a place where the population doesn't "kill" the environment and everything in it; it's important to me to be a steward of the earth, to respect it and not scrape the desert to build ticky tacky houses that all look alike. This is what Phoenix did, and it's ugly, plus it overtaxes the water, sewer, electricity, etc. |
| Plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities | I like to hike and bike. I can do both with many choices of trails in Tucson. In my lifetime I could never explore all the hiking and biking trails that are available. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More city and neighborhood parks. Maybe we could get some grants. | I spent summers in Mpls/ St. Paul and saw what parks can do for neighborhoods. There is a park about every two to four blocks in St. Paul. Wonderful! Kids ride bikes and play after school and every evening. In summer moms with toddlers go there. |
| City beautification projects | The foothills are lovely as an area. The rest of town could use cleaning up and landscaping. |
| Stronger zoning or something to prevent more homes being built up on the mountain slopes. | There are some homes built too high up on the slopes of the Catalinas. I want to look at mountains without seeing houses halfway up the side. I want to keep the wildlife we have there. We are encroaching too much. Let's have a "no home" zone all across the base of the Catalinas. There are already homes there, but what I mean is let's pass some sort of law or ordinance that would allow NO MORE BUILDING on the sides of the mts. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Sabino Canyon Rd and Sunrise 85750 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 14. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonora Desert | I love living close to hiking trails and walking in the desert. I think we live in a unique landscape and we should protect it. |
| Proximity to the Mexico Border | I love the great Mexican food restaurants and cultural events that I have access to living so close to the border. |
| Arts and Culture | We have a great arts and culture community here. MOCA, The Poetry Center, the Center for Creative Photography, TMA, and other small non-profit organizations really make this a fun, unique community to be a part of. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Urban Sprawl | I think urban sprawl directly affects our Sonoran desert ecology and I'd want us to protect our desert. I think urban sprawl also affects our ability to establish a more thriving downtown center where arts and culture programs can flourish. |
| Public Transportation | This is another way we can better protect our environment. I also need more reliable, low cost ways to get to school and work. When I do drive, it takes me 30 minutes to get anywhere. The bus doesn't come often enough and there aren't enough stops. |
| Education | I work for the University. I believe in public education and in spending more money on our public schools not to improve test scores but to improve the quality of life, sense of citizenship, and critical thinking of our young people. Arizona has unique problems and we can better prepare the future to deal with those problems with a quality education. We simply don't spend enough money on our schools. I'm tired of being ranked 47th in the nation. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Main and 17th 85701 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 15. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Nature | Abundance of hiking trails lets me get outdoors. |
| Culture | Proximity to Mexico and the resulting culture make this an interesting place to live. |
| Music | I like music, specifically. And having a diverse and talented supply of local musicians is great. We need a few more good venues though. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Annex the foothills | I live there and want a voice in city politics. Plus my tax monies get spent in Maricopa and not here. |
| Public transit. | Less cars equals less traffic. |
| Attract more business. | Better paying jobs help the economy, make for a more vibrant community and keep our graduates here. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: River/Campbell 85718 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 16. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Opportunity for outdoor activities and the weather | I live near the Rillito river walk which is a quiet place to walk, but also a wonderful community of people who we see regularly. |
| I like my Old Ft Lowell Community | I am a volunteer in the Old-Fort Lowell Live-at-Home program whose geographic area is Swan on West, Rillito on north, Grant, and Craycroft. I've gotten to know so many good people through OFLLAH. Because we have a neighborhood association, i.e. OFLNA, there are many activities and opportunities to know your neighbor. |
| I love the Catalina Mt area and the SAHC | The Hiking Club opened up a whole new world for me when I moved here from flat Illinois. No matter what your interest, it seems there's an appropriate group for you. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I wish for a higher standard of schools, like my children had. | I was a teacher, liked teaching, and would like to see higher standards and longer school days. |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft and Ft Lowell 85712 // Years here: 19 // Born in the: 20s | |
| Survey: 17. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoors/Physical Surroundings | I enjoy the wide expanses of open land around Tucson and the open space so close to my home in Oro Valley and even the center of town. |
| Low cost to live in Tucson | I was able to purchase my first home in Tucson and the cost of living is low |
| The large presence of the military and defense industry | A large part of Tucson's economy depends on the military and defense spending and those industries bring a lot of money into our economy which is good for Tucson. Also the military and aviation in general were here in and around Tucson for many years and it is an important part of life in Tucson (and important to the freedom of the Nation) and I feel like we must learn to not only live with it but be thankful for its presence. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation Infrastructure | Our roads are very poorly maintained and out of date. We need some sort of fast way to get across town from east to west/west to east. Whether paved road or light rail of some kind - we need it. Tucson's lack of infrastructure limits in a bad way how Tucson has dealt with population growth. |
| City government is horrible | The elected (yes elected) officials from the city of tucson and pima co commissioner NEED TO GO. Chuck H needs to get a job out side of county government, he has overstayed his welcome. |
| The environmental lobby's choke hold on Tucson politics and development | People without ownership of land should not be able to tell people who own land what they are going to do with their land. They should ask/work with/encourage/educate land owners of what the best ways to develop their land are. And land owners who participate in smart/sustainable development practices should be REWARED in some way for their vision. Rewards could be tax cuts, quick approval of development plans, etc.... |
| Date of survey: Oct 06, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine and Oracle Rd 85737 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 18. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| A city with a small town feel | A college town with a rich and colorful history - American, Mexican and Native American. Art and Theater. |
| Easy access to southwest region attributes | Climate, year-round outdoor activities, desert wildlife, mountains, amazing skies - day and night, wide open spaces, national parks |
| Casual lifestyle | Gritty and irreverent attitude. No pretensions, independent, self-sufficient |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Aggressively pursue those responsible for graffiti | Graffiti is a symptom of a breakdown in civility, a lack of pride of place |
| Increase code enforcement and property clean-up | Poorly maintained properties with a preponderance of junk and refuse devalue neighborhoods, contribute to vermin, vandalism, and crime. Represent a lack of pride and respect. |
| Concentrate on in-fill building and filling vacant properties | There are many vacant, abandoned properties and buildings that should to be occupied or repurposed rather than fostering future indiscriminate growth. Need to protect wild spaces that are Tucson's identity and heritage. |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: 22nd and Sarnoff 85710 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 19. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| University of Arizona | The educational opportunities and the cultural and intellectual richness that the UA brings to Tucson; UA sports; the tradition and beauty of the campus and the activity center (esp Main Gate) around it. |
| Friends and family | I value being close to the people that mean the most to me. |
| Downtown | I love to see the downtown changing and improving. Despite what others think - things are changing for the better- 2nd Saturdays, Meet Me at Maynards, special events, new restaurants and nightlife are very exciting! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Our elected officials | This community lacks true leadership. We need people who will make the right decisions for the right reasons, not just to get reelected. |
| Power of neighborhoods and special interests | These groups continually hold Tucson back from evolving and improving. |
| Job opportunities | We need more quality jobs |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: Broadway & Craycroft 85711 // Years here: 24 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 20. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural environment | I like to get outside whenever possible. I like to walk, hike and be in natural surroundings. I like the desert. |
| It's not Phoenix | Phoenix and L.A. are too big and have made bad mistakes in their growth and development. Freeways and automobile based communities are going to find themselves unsustainable. I hope Tucson does not make this mistake. We need to develop better public transportation. |
| City & County government | City and County government has been listening to people, preserving natural areas, supporting sustainability and green building, using solar energy, and creating ways that people can take part in and influence government. Still, it can also do better in this. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Developers use taxpayers as cash cows | Development is subsidized by taxpayers. Local government has done some things to make development pay for itself, but it needs to do a lot better. The cost of expanding and enlarging infrastructure, including roads and schools, should be born by developers and the people who choose to live in the suburbs. |
| Most construction is still the old, cheap way | The problem with cheap buildings and infrastructure is that, while they may cost less up front, the long term cost is far greater. We need to greatly improve building and construction standards of all kinds to reduce long term costs of operating, maintaining, repairing, replacing and upgrading. |
| Sustainability is off to a good start but much get better | Sustainability is the challenge of our century. If we don't fix our problems fast, Mother Nature will. We live in a desert. We need to find ways to live within our means and fit in with our natural environment or our community is toast. |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: Grant and Swan 85712 // Years here: 53 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 21. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Beauty of the Sonoran Desert | Biodiversity of native plants and animals, majestic sunsets, gorgeous mountain ranges, 360 days of sunshine, awesome canyons, and hiking trails to enjoy. |
| Festivals | Festivals are the cornerstone of the wonderful events that bring residents out in force to enjoy life in the Old Pueblo |
| Music, Theater,Cultural Diversity | Something for everyone to enjoy all year long |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 | |
| Survey: 22. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Involved and friendly community | Easy to make personal and business contacts and connections |
| Beautiful environment, weather | Positively impacts quality of life, bodes well for good health |
| Location in the west | Situated fairly conveniently |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown | Would like to see it go once and for all, an urban environment we can be proud of |
| More progressive attitude | Tucson traditionally governed and led by same people-- "good old boys" |
| Better funding for things that matter | Being at the bottom for healthcare and education is embarrassing |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: sunrise and sabino canyon 85750 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 23. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather and mountains | I love seeing the sun almost everyday and being surrounded by the mountains. |
| Inclusiveness and diversity | I like that, for the most part, people in Tucson are friendly, open minded and accepting. In other words, I want to live somewhere where people share my values. |
| Culture | I like being able to live in a smallish city and have such wonderful access to fabulous local restaurants, art galleries and cultural events. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Crime | I live in midtown and don't like leaving my house everyday just hoping it doesn't get broken into. |
| How spread out it is becoming/car dependence | Cars do not add to an outdoor lifestyle. In my opinion they only take away from it. We should be focused on limiting growth and development, especially outward. |
| Increase sustainable energy/solar | The future doesn't look good for our city with regard to energy usage yet we have the tremendous resource of the sun. We need to make better use of it and be willing to invest. |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: 5th st and Columbus 85711 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 24. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Multicultural | Bilingual community with professions having diverse ethnic backgrounds, makes Tucson a rich cultural environment . Organizations, restaurants, the arts, music and education are all represented. |
| Region is very beautiful | The mountains and surrounding area offer many hiking areas, photographic areas and locations rich in history. It is a photographers delight with diverse plants, animals and vistas. |
| Community Togetherness | The Tucson Community comes together around events to take care of their own. It is a generous community |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 | |
| Survey: 25. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Safety | With the exception of a few communities, it's nice to know that I can travel, walk, shop, recreate, and etc. and know that there is little that could actually harm me. I also know that people look out for each other and would help prevent harmful events and/ or acts. |
| Small Business Opportunity | As a small business owner, the level of integrity and word of mouth is everything to stay in business. This town (city) has created an environment that promotes honesty and responsibility to community and those who meet this ethical standard will surely succeed. |
| Affordability | With the exception of a few industries (i.e. electricity companies) the cost of living is incredibly reasonable. I appreciate the value one receives in virtually everything that is purchased and/ or experienced. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Quality of roads, sidewalks, and paths | While some roads and paths are exceptional, most need serious maintenance and regular upkeep. I would also like to see an expansion of bike paths, which includes widening of some of the existing ones. |
| Cost and reliability of electricity | I am continually shocked by the cost of electricity. If I could afford solar panels or some other form of renewable energy, I would not hesitate doing so. I also wish the large electricity companies would be more supportive of alternative energies. |
| Quality of elementary and secondary education | To get a better education, private institutions are the only way to go. More support is needed for the improvement of public education. |
| Date of survey: Oct 07, 2010 // Home near: River and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 1 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 26. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Friendly atmosphere | People take time to help and talk to me. |
| Climate | I love October through May, where I can work outside and it is usually sunny. |
| Outdoor open space | I like being able to have hiking and bicycle trails in the area I live and nearby. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Work together to bring more jobs to Tucson | I feel that there needs to be an effort to bring more jobs to Tucson. Ne |
| Work together to accommodate growth in orderly manner. | We need to have community goals so that we can move ahead and not be in decline. This is where I feel Imagine Greater Tucson can help. |
| Help older neighborhoods maintain their value | Determine a way to fund neighborhood improvements and help older people with maintaining their property. |
| Date of survey: Oct 09, 2010 // Home near: Thornydale and Linda Vista 85742 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 27. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I like the friendly, welcoming atmosphere. | It is very important to me to see people who care about how their neighbors are doing, whether new or long-time neighbors. |
| I like the climate. It is sunny, but more mild than Phoenix. The mountains are close by to provide even more variety in climate. | Climate has a lot to do with quality of life emotionally, physically and socially. It also can encourage or prevent some activities. |
| I like having services, educational and cultural facilities, and shopping areas fairly close to residential areas. | Having things in proximity decreases travel time and increases time available for accomplishing desired activities. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would like to find a way to improve street lighting. | I realize that they are trying to reduce lighting because of the observatory. However, I think poor lighting of streets makes areas more difficult to navigate at night. It also makes areas more susceptible to criminal activity. |
| I would like to see an increase in businesses and job opportunities. | Having a community that is business-friendly and known for actively encouraging businesses to locate in the area would improve our economy. |
| I would like to improve cooperation in all areas. | Fear and negative feelings deter growth, communication and creative problem solving. |
| Date of survey: Oct 09, 2010 // Home near: Linda Vista and Thornydale 85742 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 28. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather and natural environment | Who doesn't like good weather? The Sonoran Desert is amazingly diverse and interesting. It feels like we have something special worth protecting, defending and sharing with others. |
| Laid back atmosphere | I don't like the stress and tension generated by many large cities. Tucson has managed to hold onto a relatively small town feel despite it's growth. People are still friendly. |
| The influence of the University of Arizona | The UA's reputation and prominence has a profound influence on the makeup of the Tucson population. The University presence adds a great deal of interest and value to the Tucson Community. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Enrich downtown and improve accessibility | Much of Tucson is new "stick and stucco", lacking personality and character. Areas like 4th Ave, downtown and older neighborhoods should be treated with respect and maintained as heart and soul of the city. Accessibility to downtown is not user-friendly. |
| Better mass transit. | Living in outlying areas presents a problem for people interested in alternative ways to get to work or school. |
| Public Education | For the most part, it's an embarrassment....particularly TUSD. |
| Date of survey: Oct 10, 2010 85641 // Years here: 40 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 29. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The amazing quality of life we have here. | The great number of community events and great weather to enjoy them. |
| The way it is a big town but still has a small town vibe. | Tucson has preserved it's uniqueness and has, for the most part, avoided becoming a cookie-cutter town of chains, big box stores, and ugly subdivisions. |
| It is strongly driven my small business. | Although Tucson does need to encourage more companies to locate here, I like that out of necessity, the economy has been largely driven by small business owners. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More incentives to redevelop blighted areas & to repurpose old buildings | I'm in real estate and have development experience and look forward to improving Tucson's run-down neighborhoods and creating change, but the City needs to create more incentive and get rid of the obstacles to encourage more redevelopment. |
| More incentive and less obstacles for companies to relocate here. | Tucson needs jobs and bigger companies to move here to create a more stable economy. We can definitely offer the lifestyle, so we need to find other incentives as well. |
| Better schools, more creative options for education | I don't have children, but I have heard people say that one barrier for them to move back here or to here is the poor quality of education in a lot of the schools. I think that there should be more options for kids, like online schools combined with other ways to socialize. |
| Date of survey: Oct 10, 2010 // Home near: River & Campbell 85719 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 30. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Views (Mountains, Sonoran Desert and the proximity to my other favorite places in the West...CA, CO, NM, UT, etc) | Freedom and serenity of the SW outdoors. |
| Friendliness of the community. | I enjoy being around people who enjoy life, living and the great outdoors. |
| The weather. | I like the months and month of great weather. The few months of monsoons are just enough to help me appreciate those changing conditions. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Coordinate road construction projects. | I am frustrated by the lack of planning and coordination of road construction as it seems to make little sense to cause bottlenecks all over the city at the same time. Not to mention how very long it takes to complete a project. |
| Coordination of community activities. | It seems we have feast or famine here...everything or nothing. Too many major community events clash and have schedule conflicts. |
| Take a community interest in improving skills and informing drivers about the rules of the road. | People are often rude on the road...won't let a car out of a driveway when clearly there is no place to go. In addition, people do not know what to do when the pedestrian lights are flashing and they often won't move over to the right when driving gar less than the posted speed limit. |
| Date of survey: Oct 10, 2010 // Home near: La Canada and Lambert 85737 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 31. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Food | It's just really really good. |
| The mountains | That you can see them from anywhere |
| 4th Ave. Downtown | I like having an area that feels like a city vs. a suburb |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 10, 2010 | |
| Survey: 32. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Mild winters compared to Midwest |
| Community involvement | People are willing to donate their time to make the community better. |
| Parks and recreation | Plenty of parks and recreation makes for healthy people. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Need a highway/freeway on the east side. | Lessens traffic and congestion in the city. |
| Get more people working and off of govt assistance | Lessens the need for government spending and reduces taxes. |
| Bring back Triple A baseball. | Builds community spirit. |
| Date of survey: Oct 11, 2010 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 33. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The environment | I love the views of the mountains, access to the out of doors, the climate and the desert vegetation. |
| I like the vibrancy of the city's quality of life | I like the fact that the residents actively support support a variety of activities, ranging from civic dialogue, to the university and Pima College programs to the Botanical Garden and the Desert Museum, the spring music festival, etc. |
| I like the demographic diversity | I like the diversity of the population, the influence of the Hispanic community and other groups who live in the Tucson region. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The traffic | The traffic detracts from my quality of life- I spend too much time in my car. |
| The single use nature of land use in the suburbs | Tucson needs more mixed use "centers", more "places" with character throughout the region. More density and walkability in certain places near retail and other neighborhood services would connect me to my neighborhood and reduce the amount of time I spend in the car. |
| I would improve the school system. | Tucson needs more job opportunities and this will require that the city be known for its educated workforce. |
| Date of survey: Oct 11, 2010 // Home near: campbell and river road 85718 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 34. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sunshine | Cloudy, rainy days are depressing |
| Smaller city image | Open space, desert, love the outdoors & want us to remain smaller with a lot of open space besides there is not enough water to support a larger population |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Growth | Needs to be controlled, we are a desert & can't support a large population |
| Crime | Too much drugs leading to crime |
| Date of survey: Oct 11, 2010 // Home near: Ina/Silverbell 85743 // Years here: 32 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 35. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Where my family and friends live | I like being close to them |
| It's where my successful business is located | I enjoy and prosper from a long and dedicated career developed in Tucson |
| 7.5 months of great recreational opportunities | I love the outdoors, hiking, biking and being and for 7.5 months of the year, Tucson offers a lot of opportunities and diversity to enjoy |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Elevate the employment opportunities to more sophisticated industries | Better opportunity for my children to stay in Tucson and be employed. More economic resources to support the community - public spaces, arts, culture |
| Beautify community | All spaces, roads, parks, buildings, retail, schools, neighborhoods would be nice to look at and to live in |
| Best public education in the Country | Give our children and citizens the best opportunity to succeed in life and enjoy learning |
| Date of survey: Oct 11, 2010 // Home near: Orange Grove and First AVE 85718 // Years here: 36 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 36. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor activities & plenty of groups/races to join. | I love to run, swim, play soccer & softball. It's important to have people to do those things with & friends to support me. The weather here doesn't hurt either :) |
| UofA Football Season & Baseball spring training games | Tailgating fun times! |
| Abundance of park areas | Right next to my house there is Reid park, a great place to run, swim, golf, or just play. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Public Transportation | More efficient transportation is needed. The Tucson area is so close together that we need a 24 hr underground metro rail to easily get around. Any plans made for public transportation are only partial and frankly halfassed plans won't work. There needs to be a plan for MAJOR overhaul of the entire city (and yes, it will require a MAJOR investment of money). |
| Over emphasis on "historical" preservation | Preserving history is great but not at the expense of leaving this generation's own style and mark. Creating architecture to mimic/fake the old buildings just to keep up the appearance of a "historical" neighborhood only misinforms visitors & future generations. If it wasn't built to last then we should let it pass. |
| Drug trafficking | Extensive crime is brought in due to the drug trafficking from Mexico. Obviously a very big problem to tackle & one the police have been working on but still a problem. |
| Date of survey: Oct 11, 2010 // Home near: 22nd St. & Country Club Blvd. 85716 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 37. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The desert | Being able to hike, the plants. |
| Dry climate | Like sunshine and better for my health. |
| My friends. | I have a lot of activities and friends here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better public transit. | More buses, light rail, and transit points. |
| Better ecologically laid out neighborhoods. | It is a fragile environment and we have to do our best to take care of it. |
| Work out which types of industry are best for this region. | The University of Arizona is the main player and can make this a stellar intl region. |
| Date of survey: Oct 12, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Camino Seco 85710 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 38. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonoran desert | It's beautiful, unique, not found anywhere else, peaceful especially when hiking or cycling, and also our strongest asset as a region since it attracts visitors, residents and thus needs to be protected. |
| Mountains | The contrast the mountains provide against the desert, and the hiking trails, and the temperature and vegetation changes you can experience. |
| Clear skies | Healthy and beautiful blue skies during the day, and star-filled at night. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The economy | We have way too many people in this community that are just barely getting by. This is an otherwise 'easy' and cheap place to live, but only if you have a good-paying job, which we seriously lack. We need a more sustainable economy that provides opportunities. |
| The schools | We're seriously lacking in quality education and in our ability to generate a qualified labor force for the future. |
| Built environment | Its ugly (new and old buildings), especially when you contrast it with the beautiful desert environment and mountains. It gives the impression that we don't care about this place. |
| Date of survey: Oct 12, 2010 // Home near: Starr Pass/Greasewood 85713 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 39. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Best weather in the country |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 12, 2010 | |
| Survey: 40. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Scenic Hiking trails | I like to be outdoors |
| Mountain views | I like to enjoy open space and other significant natural features |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| City of Tucson Mayor and Council | I believe we can put a better group of people in office to make hard decisions, including the Rio Nuevo project. |
| Downtown | Downtown could be a revenue generating place for Tucson. It is underutilized. |
| Circulation | I think Tucson would be more successful with a better circulation or multi-modal transportation plan. |
| Date of survey: Oct 12, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Greasewood 85701 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 41. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoors, wildlife | Seeing wildlife where I live. Great opportunities to hike, enjoy environment |
| Slower pace of life | Not so busy crazy like other big cities |
| Low cost of housing | I can have a larger house with land than in other locations |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Job market | Lack of variety of types of jobs |
| Roads | Too many with potholes, rough conditions |
| Education | More funding for education primary, secondary and post secondary |
| Date of survey: Oct 12, 2010 // Home near: La Cholla and Ina 85704 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 42. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity | Variety of foods, cultures, restaurants, music. I cannot live in a white bread community |
| Culture/arts scene | So many galleries, concerts, plays, always something engaging to do |
| Natural beauty | Whether hiking biking etc, the natural landscape is amazing...always something different, and the light is fantastic |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | I dislike the lack of public transportation options....would love a light rail or some other option....too many cars on surface streets |
| Ability to open small business more easily | Not easy to get around the codes....even Janos had problems! |
| Crime | Home invasions in my neighborhood....tried to steal a car from my driveway |
| Date of survey: Oct 14, 2010 // Home near: mission/starr pass 85713 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 43. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Majestic Views | I love enjoying the magnificent views that the Tucson region has to offer. The mountains, the weather, and the wildlife, create the most gorgeous scenery. |
| Location and Size | Tucson is in the perfect location that culminates into the best weather conditions and relatively low danger from natural disasters. Also Tucson offers a very unique ability of not being too large a city with many metropolis problems, and not being too small a city with not much to offer. |
| Promise of Solar Energy | Tucson holds much promise and potential in clean and renewable Solar energy. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve Solar Energy Output | We have only one planet and we must invest in clean renewable energy resources to better take care of it and do our part. |
| Improve Water Conservation | Water is a necessary resource to support everyday life. In the Tucson region this resource is very limited and should be conserved in every way possible. |
| Improving Education | Education and Knowledge is the future. The region must do more to invest back into education and lead the way in a much more competitive market of the 21st century. |
| Date of survey: Oct 14, 2010 // Home near: Kolb and Golf Links 85730 // Years here: 1 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 44. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural setting | Great raw material for photography and hiking |
| Climate | Grew up somewhere very humid, so I love the dry air, the warm weather, and the monsoon season |
| Location | Can be in Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Phoenix, LA within a day's drive |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lack of good jobs for creative professionals | I've been out of work over a year and have started applying to jobs in Phoenix as I can't find work as a creative professional in Tucson. There is very little going on here for creatives. |
| Lack of urban amenities | For a city this size, Tucson lacks a lot. Great restaurants, shopping, events.... I usually go to Phoenix, or further, for these things. I like interesting restaurants, good art exhibits, etc, and the selection in Tucson is very slim. |
| Politics/attitude of the general public | Many people here seem dead set on keeping Tucson in the stagnant state it's in, especially when it comes to downtown. I used to live downtown and the attitude of the people down there was shocking - I was excited at the prospect of a Nimbus downtown, yet my neighbors were strongly against it for ideological, illogical reasons. Just to name one example. |
| Date of survey: Oct 15, 2010 // Home near: Tanque Verde/Catalina Highway 85749 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 45. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The variety of events and activities | I like to be involved in the community and if you are in the "right circles" there are a lot of cool events that happen here. Sometimes they are not as well publicized as they could be. |
| The Desert | Hiking, the heat, sunrise and sunset are all incredible here. I like to spend time outdoors and here you can do that virtually every day. |
| MoCa | I am on the board, but even if I was not, Moca is one of the best contemporary art museums in the country and is doing a huge part to help revitalize downtown and bring creative, cutting edge thinking in a variety of subjects to Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Form of Government | I think we need a metro government. We duplicate so much by having two bureaucracies, two police departments, two development services, etc. And the county and city leaders do not seem to talk to one another which makes everything take longer to get done, frustrates business that is looking to move or expand here, etc. |
| The education system | We are last in most measures. But we have one of the top universities in the country. The university has the ability to attract business, the lower level education system turns them away. We have to do a better job of delivering education with less central office cost and bureaucracy. |
| The Roads | With the exception of I-10, they are horrible and reflect poorly on the overall health of our city. They are in worse shape than back east where you have freeze/thaw problems....This is one thing our tax dollars should be paying for. |
| Date of survey: Oct 15, 2010 // Home near: Glenn/Tucson Blvd 85716 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 46. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I am happier in a warm open blue sky environment. |
| It is easy to connect/network. | The smaller size business can compete without needing the funds that larger firms can afford to spend on marketing. |
| Reasonably priced cultural and sporting events. | I like diversity and being well rounded. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Create collaborative and open minded growth projects. | I like to be on the leading edge. |
| Date of survey: Oct 15, 2010 | |
| Survey: 47. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| My roots here | I grew up near here and know many people here, so I feel at home. |
| The surrounding environment | Lots of open space, room for nature, wildlife, the desert, view scape, trails for walkers and horse-back riders to get out in the wild lands. |
| Architecture | I like the old adobe Mexican Territorial architecture, it makes this place a mix of cultures, it's beautiful. I like the dense neighborhoods of small houses in midtown, it's a non-materialistic somehow, compared to glitzy sprawl and all-new buildings. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | This is important not only to me but, I suspect, to everyone. We need more mass transit; a train system would be nice and would be totally doable here. Maybe Bus Rapid Transit. More bike paths, especially on the periphery. This could be easily accomplished by stopping the practice of walling in groupings of new houses with no pedestrian/bike through access. |
| Stop sprawl. | Sprawl causes pollution, lung disease. Increases transportation times. Building road infrastructure for sprawl makes effective mass transit even less likely than it already is. |
| Improve the schools. | We need to be better educated as a city; this might attract more businesses with high-paying jobs. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Swan and Grant 85712 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 48. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Not being cold |
| The desert | Its beauty |
| Small town, but big enough | Vibrant fine arts community but small-town feel |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More fine arts | I'd like to see even more performers here. |
| Roads | Some of the roads I travel every day are terrible! |
| Traffic | I know they're working on it, but I'm not sure the long-range plan will improve things like Campbell at 4:30. Light rail between here and Phoenix would be great! |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Fort Lowell/Campbell 85719 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 49. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Winter weather | Can be outside in winter |
| Natural assets | Things like Sabino Canyon, Mt. Lemmon, Desert Museum, hiking trails |
| Sunny | Creates a happy environment because it's sunny almost everyday--not rainy and dreary |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Poor schools | Not much choice, ineffective public school administration (too top heavy and wasteful), low standards |
| Too spread out | No central business area for offices, restaurants, shopping. Any place you want to go, you need to drive there--a car-oriented city. |
| Low quality of food culture | Need better, more sophisticated restaurants. Too many chain restaurants. Not enough local success in restaurants. Standard of quality is low and service is fair. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Alvernon 85716 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 50. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Pima Community College | In every aspect that I have experienced as a student, as a transfer to the UA, as a professional contacting staff there for collaboration or resources I have had an excellent experience. |
| Theaters | The live theaters are great. There are many to choose from. Although I am sad to say that they don't seem to get along very well (at least from an outsiders perspective). This does not include the TCC as their shows tend to be too expensive for the 'average' Tucsonan. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!!!!!! | Caps are on purpose there : ) Bus schedules are very limited in times, stops and distance. Many 'working class' folk can't use the bus system because it would take multiple transfers, or over 1.5 hours, or a long walk after the last stop to get to work. More people would use the system, saving traffic and air, if the system was designed for the users that need it. I am not sure why the system is limited. Maybe the working class were never asked what they needed? I own a car, but I came from a large city with a great bus system and a train. I don't expect an underground to be installed, but for goodness sake - how a about a bus system that works? |
| The Racism | It is very clear who runs Tucson and who they care about. It is not the true natives of the Arizona region (Native American or Mexican). That is sad. |
| Downtown | The homogenized version of downtown is coming fast. Just remember what keeps a place interesting is the 'bohemian' aspect. Although I greatly appreciate what has occurred over the last year - as I love to visit all the new restaurants - I can't help but notice that they are all way over priced for the location (Tucson) and the service (rude at best). Again, I love trying out all the new spots and I eat at one at least once a week. But really, some of them are just silly. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: University and Euclid 85705 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 51. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Hate snow. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 | |
| Survey: 52. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The sense of community | This community comes together at times of need both within the Tucson area and when the need is elsewhere in our country and the world. This is in addition to my family and friends that provide my personal support system. |
| The surrounding mountain ranges | The mountains in the region are close enough to visit and use recreationally - but they are also amazing to see from the valley and provide a sense of place and physical direction. This is one of the few places in the world where I can tell where I am based on the mountains. |
| The weather and air quality | I would rather have days at 100 with no/little humidity - than days at 80 with 80% humidity hands down. Also, because of our minimum humidity you can see for miles - and can take photos that look like they have been touched up because of the relatively lack of pollutants / yuck in our air. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improved access to parks and libraries | There are areas of the region where parks and libraries are easy to access - but voids in other parts of the region where there are not these services for students and families. |
| Planning for change as opposed to reacting to change | We have had opportunities to make changes in the areas where we know people and industry are moving and we talk about getting ahead of some services / infrastructure needed - but instead of implementing our plans in advance or concurrently we wait until it is a crisis before action seems to happen. |
| The political infighting between agencies | We have had recent accounts in the paper of jurisdictions and agencies fighting about who did what, when, where ... yet this does not help our community - nor does it make me have confidence in our elected and management officials in the region to accomplish the tasks that need to be done for the good of the region. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Rita Road / Old Vail Road 85747 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 53. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather | The weather makes it easier and cheaper to live. people don�t get cabin bound in the winter. they can stay more active year round without discomfort. |
| The people | Are interesting, unpretentious and friendly |
| The local resources, like parks | Draw people in .. encourage activity ... |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | There is a surprising amount of traffic congestion for the city size. some focused civil (re)engineering could help.... things as small as how lights are timed. |
| Encourage more renewable energy use | We have such amazing natural resources (e.g., solar) here that its embarrassing that we don�t use them. Tucson could be a leading city -- like California -- in modeling the use of renewables to minimize energy use, energy costs and carbon emissions |
| The schools | The education that Tucson provides its students shapes (and limits) its future |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: catalina highway & tanque verde 85749 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 54. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The diversity of the people and the businesses. | I have a ethnically diverse family and it is important that my children respect and value their background and that the community is open and welcoming. Tucson, for the most part, has overcome racism based on the closeness to the Mexican border and the the immigrants from China. |
| The geographical location. | I appreciate the closeness to the mountains, lakes, and reachable distance to California and the ocean. I am a native Arizonan from Phoenix with family members throughout Arizona and California. The tennis, hiking, biking and walking weather is ideal for me! |
| The economic richness. | We have companies, a great University and many restaurants and businesses to satisfy me and to keep me here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | There is not a clear goal on what this city and Pima County sees in this future for transportation that incorporates the needs of the people and businesses. I have not seen any major improvements in the last 27 years that I've lived here. It has stifled growth, in my opinion, of this town. It has taken me longer to take my children to school and to get to work...therefore wasting resources such as time and fuel. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Ina 85704 // Years here: 27 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 55. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity of culture | Diversity of culture offers windows into our local and regional history and its practices. Diversity offers all of us the opportunity for increased tolerance in an increasingly multicultural world. |
| U of A | A strong intellectual presence draws the better intellectual minds and in turn, a stronger and more well rounded community comprised of family and corporate entities. |
| Ease of participating in the natural geographic beauty | Well organized and clean recreational facilities in order to most enjoy Tucson's natural beauty (mountains, desert, etc.) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| DRAMATICALLY improve schools | Stronger minds frequently fuel a more progressive local community development. Schools are a key ingredient to the intellectual development of our next generation. Without this support, our community will lack in vision and progress. In turn, this will discourage those with positive energy from integrating into our community. |
| Increased incentives to draw community supportive corporations | Without a vision and plan of corporate development and the financial support that attends it, Tucson will suffer from lack of business and community growth. It seems that our community has taken an anti-corporate, anti-growth stance that can only serve to damage our present and jeopardize our future. |
| Roads | A proactive, rather than reactive approach is necessary. This may be more achievable in the future IF we can draw in more financial support through residential and corporate growth. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Orange Grove 85704 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 56. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate mountains | Physical surroundings and access to southern Arizona. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 | |
| Survey: 57. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It provides City amenities while still being accessible | I grew up in New York City and I enjoy certain things about City living; shopping, theatre, arts, movies and ethnic diversity. Tucson has these things without the intimidation factor which is present in a huge City like New York. |
| Easy access to nature and wildlife. | Even though I grew up in a big city, or maybe because I did, I especially enjoy nature. The desert and mountain environment here is a constant source of comfort and pleasure. |
| The weather, most of the time. | While I don't really enjoy it when it is very hot here, I do like not having to deal with cold and snow. The winters are great and the weather during the fall is magnificent. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The City management needs to start thinking more like a big city. | The small town planning has to stop. It is a source of anguish to see how traffic is handled, how the streets still are built as if this is a small town. There is a huge amount of traffic out there. There needs to be better planning. |
| We need to diversify the income source. | Again, it's a matter of better long term planning. If all your income is from sales tax and something occurs, like this current financial crisis, then you have no way to make up for budget deficits without cutting services to the Community. |
| We should have annexed more territory when we could have. | Again, the small town mentality prevailed in such a manner as to cripple the City's future growth. I don't believe improving the City's financial profile will take away from it's charm. It is pathetic to see the run down nature of the down town area. I work downtown and I see it every day. |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Greasewood and Silverbell 85713 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 58. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural environment | The trees, parks, open spaces, etc. that sustain Nature: birds, ( small & raptors) round tail squirrels One of the remarkable statement I heard from a visiting New Yorker: "You have birds here. I hear them sing" !!! |
| People are friendly and supportive of others | Americans of less fortunate fellow citizens. |
| The multi-cultural diversity | This is the HISTORY of Tucson....its life style seeds: Ranching, farming, Native Americans, Anglos, Hispanics, Asians, Ect. People learning to live, help, respect each other. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| EDUCATION | Education leads to sustaining the environment, respecting others no matter color,creed, or religion |
| Planned growth & development of land | Urban sprawl consumes natural resources needlessly, breaks continuity with total community sense. Ends is territorialness |
| Support for the ARTs & Sports in schools | Music, Dance, & Sports has been the means cultures and societies grew, learned form each other and others learned about another culture & society all through History> Civility!!! |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Home near: Speedway Camino Seco Broadway 85710 // Years here: 41 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 59. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | Peaceful |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Politics | Nothing changes without political power |
| Date of survey: Oct 16, 2010 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 60. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Rustic Beauty | I like being surrounded by the mountain ranges. I like being able to live outdoors all year long. I like being able to go from desert to pine trees in a half an hour drive. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better schools | Education is the key to so many problems... |
| Secure the border | To help change the |
| Date of survey: Oct 17, 2010 | |
| Survey: 61. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural beauty of the desert and mountain ranges | It gives one a feeling of openness, expansiveness and spirituality. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Political and civic leadership | There is a huge void in leadership and a resulting lack of vision. Our politicians and civic leaders keep trying to be all things to all people. There is no political will to bite the bullet and do the things that are necessary to move our community forward. |
| Our city...in the middle of all of this natural beauty...has become an ugly city. | The streets, medians, graffiti are a testament to government incompetence. There seems to be a lack of pride in our city. The city and county set a horrible example. Why should a property owner care about maintaining their property when the city and county don't. How can we even begin to attract new business and industry when the first impression of visitors is negative. |
| Change the form of government to strong mayor, council. | Our current form of government does not inspire or promote political leadership. The proposed charter amendments are step in the right direction, but don't go far enough. Get rid of the city manager form of government! Cities with strong mayors get things done and fix accountability. |
| Date of survey: Oct 17, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Wimot 85711 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 62. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Proximity to Mountains | The ability to escape heat in summer months, and the vista provided year around. |
| Good University with graduate programs, including medical school | Provides higher levels of education and employment |
| Marana/Oro Valley | A forward thinking growth community, trying to create a more business friendly atmosphere for small business. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Eliminate barriers of business growth | Jobs are being lost due to inability to grow and establish business. Too many tax issues and administrative roadblocks. |
| Stop electing anti small business progressives. | The political atmosphere is what is destroying Tucson. Same people continue to make the same poor decisions that chase off investors. |
| Move all business north to Oro Valley and Marana | Let the progressives and anti-business crowd destroy themselves in downtown Tucson. I would either move North out of Tucson (and even Pima County), or just move out of Southern Arizona all together. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Thornydale and Cortaro Rd. 85742 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 63. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Local businesses | Contribute to a sense of community and place; differentiate Tucson from other cities. |
| Small town feeling | Seems like everyone knows each other here; makes it easy to get involved and feel connected. |
| Cycling/outdoor trails and parks | I love cycling and running and Tucson's weather makes it easy to do this year-round. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Negative attitude about ourselves | Tired of hearing people complain about Tucson; it isn't that bad! |
| More running/cycling trails and parks | Want to be able to expand places where I run or cycle. |
| Streets | Would improve people's quality of life |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Park/22nd Street 85719 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 64. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | More time to enjoy the outdoors |
| Variations of altitude | Can drive an hour or so in any direction and see lakes, or mountains |
| Houses Davis Monthan | We can be proud that we are supporting the armed forces |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Put the border patrol on the border | Illegals come through our area making it a little scary |
| Attract outside business | Helps economy |
| Attract tourists from other countries | Helps economy |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Ft Grant and I-10 85643 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 65. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It's not Phoenix | Tucson recognizes that it is in the desert and doesn't try to be an LA wannabe. It's not as rushed as Phx. |
| I like the weather and environment | Lots of sunshine. Seeing the mountains everyday. |
| Offers big city events and still feels small | The university and downtown area offers many good events - cultural and sports. At times feels like a college town. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| County and City government | Too big. Too bureaucratic. Lack of leadership. Too high of taxes for the services provided. County and City often too focused on what the other is doing rather than focusing on themselves. Can be more business friendly while still protecting the environment. And what about that downtown revitalization????? |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: River and La Canada 85704 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 66. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather and sunshine | Spending time on the east coast made me realize how important sunny days are to me. Tucson provides plenty of sunny days! |
| Friendly people | Tucson is a welcoming place, and people are warm and friendly. |
| Simpler life | Life in Lost Angeles was stressful - traffic, crime, cost, government / economics, etc. From the moment I arrived back in Tucson, layers of stress started disappearing. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better government / representation | For too long, it has seemed like Tucson is run by the government versus private sector leaders, although this may be starting to change. We need better government leaders that will plan for the future, make sure things get done, and build a vibrant, economically sustainable community where young people want to live and have competitive choices regarding job opportunities. |
| Supportive business climate | Tucson seems to be anti-business. Businesses have choices for where they locate and grow, and we need to be a place that can attract and retain the best companies in the world. No one seems to be focused on business retention and expansion. |
| Transportation and infrastructure | Why don't we have better transportation -- including public transportation? These things are important today and will become even more important quality of life issues in the future. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: River and Oracle 85704 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 67. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor activities (hiking, biking, etc) | It is what makes a good work/life balance possible. It's great for finding things to do with my family (kids included). |
| Small town feel (the people) | It's fun to run into people around town...it makes it feel like home. |
| U of A | The U brings so much excitement to the town. It makes Tucson unique. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More corporate business | Tucson needs more businesses to find their home here. We need it to keep young talent from the U, to make a vibrant downtown sustainable. All things that would make Tucson a better place to live. |
| Traffic | Unless we want things to get worse, we need to find solutions to our traffic problems. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine and La Canada 85755 // Years here: 14 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 68. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Great city, small town atmosphere | Friendliness; people in Tucson love Tucson. |
| U of A | The U of A is vital to our city in multiple ways! |
| Diversity | People are attracted to Tucson from all over the world. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education | Education drives economic development. |
| Safety | Much more anti-crime, anti-gang prevention efforts... |
| Economic Development | Make this the TOP priority to attract & retain better job opportunities. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Broadway & Houghton 85748 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 69. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The history and old buildings and old houses! | I was born here and it makes me very sad when parts of Tucson's history are torn down. However, the Walgreens store downtown (the renovation of the old Walgreens) is a giant step forward!!! |
| The beautiful mountains | Self-explanatory |
| The small old neighborhoods and the camaraderie | As much as Tucson has grown, it still seems to have some of the small-town feel to it. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Celebrate and keep its history! | I don't want to lose Tucson's history --- it's what makes Tucson Tucson! |
| Stop the crazy and unplanned growth! | If we're not careful, we'll end up being another Phoenix. |
| Invest in education | We need to be careful in Tucson and in Arizona --- we're losing our grip on education, and education is what's going to sustain us and make us all successful. It's what our future is about. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Pima and Alvernon 85712 // Years here: 52 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 70. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Friendly community (interpersonal relationships amongst community members) | Tucson is very much a big, small-town - I love the neighborliness of people, both in personal and business interactions. Everyone seems very willing to help each other and work together. This camaraderie and team spiritedness is valuable to me. |
| Laid back pace/attitude (although there are still lots of busy working people) | Tucson seems like the best of both worlds because there is a very laid back relaxed atmosphere but you still have serious professionals who work hard and are innovative in their businesses. It is important to me for quality of life to have this balance. |
| Opportunities for diversion (recreation and arts-related) | I think it is important to have ways to unwind, both in the great outdoors and via cultural events/experiences. Tucson offers both types of recreation. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Tucson needs to be a more friendly small business community | We need small businesses to help the region survive and grow. The Tucson community needs to support businesses and make it reasonable for them to operate here (instead of putting up obstacles and having negative attitudes) |
| Government's way of handling issues locally | I worry that the face of Tucson is the divided political scene and that outsiders perceive that we are disorganized and backwards in the way the City is run. This will not be good for attracting new businesses, investments, visitors, etc. |
| Education system | If we could get kids started on the right path early on we could avoid many of the societal problems we face when they grow up with no guidance, direction, goals, etc. We need to invest in the future and we are not nearly doing enough now. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Broadway/Swan 85711 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 71. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| La Encantada area | It is a place that showcases the natural beauty of Tucson and is a place where people can meet up, so it supports community. |
| The UA area | Gorgeous campus, fun restaurants, youth |
| Outdoor activities | Showcases Tucson outdoor beauty, lots of things for families to do |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Traffic is becoming worse on the surface streets and there is no freeway alternative. We are only a few years away from total gridlock on our streets. Also the streets are in poor condition from all the constant use. |
| There is nothing to do | The only thing to do on the weekend is go to the La Encantada area, the movies or do outdoor activities (which are out during the summer months). Downtown is still too dangerous. I would never take my family there. Parking at the UA is a pain so we don't go there either. |
| Education is horrendous | I would never send my kids to a Tucson public school. I would rather scrimp and put them in private school than settle for a mediocre educational experience. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Years here: 5 | |
| Survey: 72. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I like the eclecticism | I think it's very important to expose my children to many cultures |
| Charter Schools | My children are blessed to attend a phenomenal Montessori school - if we had to pay tuition it would be a challenge |
| The weather | With the exception of summer - we have gorgeous weather |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would keep it cleaner | I'm not sure how to curb this issue |
| More funding for schools | Our kids are our most precious resource and I believe that the public schools are failing |
| Green Incentives | We are in position to harvest solar energy yet few people take advantage due to the excessive cost. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Speedway & Greasewood 85745 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 73. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | I was born and raised here |
| Sense of community | My family and friends are here |
| Climate | Weather doesn't normally prevent you from doing what you want to do. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | It is too difficult to get across town so I can't take advantage of all the community has to offer |
| Economy | Tucson has become a service based economy which doesn't make it desirable for our children |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Broadway/Camino Seco 85710 // Years here: 52 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 74. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity | Lots of different backgrounds |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better traffic flow | Hard to get around |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 | |
| Survey: 75. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| University centered community | My children have received an excellent public school education and believe they will continue to college and beyond. The intellectual and arts community is very important to me. |
| Outdoor opportunities | Hiking, biking, entertaining and relaxing outdoors. |
| Multicultural | Enjoy all the racial and ethnic diversity in Tucson. We are living in a world culture and I enjoy the challenges and benefits of that. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Public school system | 48% of Tucson's Hispanic students do not graduate from high school. There can be no economic development with uneducated and/or untrained workers. |
| Establish leadership in solar city concept and solar technology | We need to brand ourselves as a city and stick with it. I have had so many people question why we're not the #1 community for solar use and development. |
| Better civic leadership | I am not sure our Mayor and City Council view themselves leaders - they tend to follow. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Swan and Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 76. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural beauty / Climate | Hiking trails Intimate garden settings - TBG, Tohono Chul, AZ Inn, etc Diversity of mtns, birds & wildlife Golfing opportunities I can be outside every day here |
| Arts / Cultural Events / People / Farmers Mkts. | We are fortunate to have so many festivals and arts fairs, Museums and Zoo GOVAC, UA Presents, TSO, ATC, Center for Creative Photography Day trips to neighboring communities If only we could have a couple farmers mkts similar to Santa Fe....wow! |
| Adult educational opportunities | UA, PCC (miss the classes to see AZ historical sites), Learning Curve Desert Museum, TBG, Tohono Chul, OASIS, OLLIE, City tours, WNPA, Postal Service Museum, etc |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Save open spaces / make green (natural) zones throughout city and around region | Tucson has not historically been known for good planning. We need to latch hold of the concept of not only ensuring artwork is available with new projects, but also that there are consistent green (nature) zones or parks made available as we grow and develop and do so in town whenever opportunities arise. |
| Safety | I believe that Tucson is getting a reputation for not being safe due to gang activity and drug runners. Homicides, shootings, and assaults seem to be a nightly item on the news. |
| Make significant progress on Rio Nuevo or quit talking about it | It was disheartening and is now irritating to hear discussion about this project. This community had many ideas for projects that were not grandiose, but that highlighted our wonderful heritage. Now it is discussion about a hotel or no hotel and who did not follow-through on their commitments and there is a great deal of finger pointing it seems. What was energizing and exciting is no longer. |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: El Conquistador and Oracle Rd 85737 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 77. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Availability of hiking, wildlife, vistas, archeology | I love to hike in all the mountain ranges and take walks around the area. Also enjoy the history |
| Museums, special parks, gardens, events | AZ Sonoran Desert Museum, Art Museum, Mini-Miniature Mus., etc. - Tohono Chul Park, The Botanical Gardens - Tucson Symphony, Opera, UA Presents, etc. - rodeo, gem show, etc |
| Astronomy | Kitt Peak, Mt Lemmon Sky Center, UA astronomy programs, Mt Hopkins, Mt Graham |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Politics | Because of No action many of those with clout have let Tucson area falter, ie: baseball, downtown, etc. This weakens the ability to draw people to our area |
| Date of survey: Oct 18, 2010 // Home near: Oracle Rd and 1st AV 85755 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 78. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | No snow. Can be outside, hike, ride bike 3 seasons of the year. |
| Lower cost of living than previous city | We can live on one income. My husband works and I can work part-time and be with our children during the day. |
| Casual/easy going life style | Not a crazy pace, traffic and commutes are reasonable. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Schooling | We have a 7 year old (2nd grade) and 4 year old (pre-K). We came from Northern Virginia. Education was a priority for the community. So many cuts to our already struggling system. Title 1 School receive additional funding that our "non-needy" school don't qualify for, but the current budget doesn't provide the schools the support, training teachers need. |
| Increase sense of community | All back yards have walls around them. Neighborhoods in Oro Valley are not like the ones we grew up in. More opportunities for kids to play and neighbors to meet each other. |
| Apathy | I wish more parents were motivated to make the community better. I wish more parents would get involved. Same parents contribute to school and community events. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Moore and La Cananda 85755 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 79. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| People-Sense of Community | The Oro Valley area, is really a great community. Everyone is willing to help each other out, says hi to one another and when someone is in need, it seems the whole community pulls together to help and pray for them |
| Everything is pretty close | You can stay in your area of Tucson and get all the things you need without a lot of travel, groceries, coffee, clothing, Target, schools, etc. |
| Everyone works hard, but has time for each other | Moving from a big city, people were very busy all the time (and we are here to), but here it doesn't seem the stores are as crowded or the parking lots. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| EDUCATION | I realize much of this starts at the Federal Level and State, but we need to make our public schools the best there can be. I don't think we should be focusing on charters, private and everything else, focus on the public schools and make them the best!!!!! |
| Sports for kids | I would love to see more field space and parks for the kids to play at. Mostly field space, seems like everyone is always fighting over space to play the games. Kids need there sports and should have a local hometown place to play |
| Transportation | We need some more freeways or expressways |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: La Canada/Naranja 85737 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 80. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Easy access to nature & integration of nature in my lifestyle. | I'm a healthy, active outdoor person and the natural local beauty is an easy integral part of life here. |
| Diversity of education opportunities. | As a citizen who likes to grow continually and to participate in a positive manner in my environment, I enjoy community events that draw various ethnic & cultural groups together to share our uniqueness & our common commitment to our community. |
| Interaction & cooperation between the military and university and immigrant elements. | Integration of all major interest groups into a cooperative whole is important to the integrity, cultural richness and security of our population. Pulling our energy together for common good & not overly-focusing on our various competing needs or agendas is essential to our progress. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Stronger, funded and well-organized youth programs. | Our youth is our back-bone & our future. In the absence of solid community-supported events, energy is fragmented, segregated & it's difficult for our youth to feel a sense of 'community'. |
| Public forum sharing what's done right by folks & groups in the community. | Currently, the news is mostly about negative events and that is not what fuels our wonderful life here in Tucson. |
| Attract clean, healthy, well-paying employers & jobs. | Other than medical staffing, we cannot attract or retain bright, progressive, active and involved citizens without a commitment to make a reasonable lifestyle possible here in Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Swan and Camp Lowell 85712 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 81. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| My beautiful mountains. I enjoy the climate. | God creations. Everywhere I look I see the beauty. |
| University of Arizona sports. As a UofA graduate, I am very proud of my wildcats. | Well, it started with Coach O. I am a crazy UofA basketball fan. I love all UofA sports but enjoy the bball the best. |
| My friends. The people. | Kind, compassionate, caring people. They come from all parts of the USA and other countries and we combine to be nice neighbors and friends. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education | I don't feel the State of Arizona has given Education the attention or budget it deserves and frankly needs. Since Arizona is either 49 or 50th in the country we can only improve! |
| Teacher Compensation | We need to retain the fabulous teachers we do have. They are working under such dismal circumstances. They keep getting reduced and stricken down. We tell them that they are doing the most important job but yet don't supply them with the tools. They are continuing to get more children in their classes but they don't get any compensation for their hard work. Wrong! |
| Roads. We need better routes around town. Why can't we come up with a way to use the wash. | When you try to get any where in this town it's hard. We have terrible roads and the traffic is the pits. Since our washes stay dry and useless most of the year ... why don't we use them for some sort of transit around town. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine & First Avenue 85755 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 82. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I love that we can do things outside all year round. Yes, it gets hot in the summer, but you get used to it. |
| Community | People are from all over and bring amazing things to Tucson. I'm from here (not born, but moved back to mom's home town after a year). Different cultures and backgrounds are what makes Tucson Tucson. |
| Closeness | I love the small town feel of a million person city. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Roads | I dislike the fact that we don't have cross town freeways. Is there a fast way to go from the NW to the eastside? |
| Local government | They can't make a decision to save their lives. I guess we could improve this by getting new people in! |
| Rio Nuevo | Embarrassed at the fact that nothing is happening but our local government not making decisions. The snow birds in our neighborhood are always laughing that nothing has ;changed from last year to this year! |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine/First 85755 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 83. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The beautiful landscape/mountains | I love to hike and get out into nature. I feel more calm and at peace when I am hiking. Having nearby trails that are easily accessible is important to me. |
| University of Arizona | I love being a part of a community that has a central organization to rally around. Whether it is about sports, academics, arts, or research, the UofA provides Tucson residents an organization to follow and believe in. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | While I like keeping a small town feel in Tucson, our infrastructure is severely behind in development. Our traffic system is outdated. We need a major east/west and north/south mode of travel (rather than stoplight streets). |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine/La Canada 85737 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 84. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The non pretentious/laid back culture | It is a comfortable place to raise a family |
| People are fairly friendly | It is easy to meet new friends/for kids to make new friends |
| Diversity of activities | There are many different things to do to keep a family active |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lack of parks/rec facilities and activities | More parks and open areas would allow for more exercise for children and bonding between families |
| The zoning is strange-houses next to storage facilities etc | The lack of true neighborhoods makes it hard to have that family/neighborhood kind of feel |
| Crime/tagging | Tagging decreases the beauty of the city and crime affects quality of life |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Sunrise/Sabino Canyon 85750 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 85. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I can go outside and do something |
| Availability of Arts | I enjoy watching/listening to individuals who do things well. i do got to Phoenix a couple times a year but stay mainly in Tucson. |
| University of Arizona | It is a leader in several fields and we benefit |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Roads | The not in my neighborhood is going to doom Tucson to poor or unrealistic transportation decisions |
| Local government | Individuals do not have an enticement or accountability platform |
| RIO Nuevo | Money does not grow on trees. The political game has allowed some to get rich and denied others from trying to build in the downtown area. There are a lot of successful models to follow. We missed the boat. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: 36th Street and Mission Road 85713 // Years here: 39 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 86. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Its natural beauty | Beauty: whether I am out walking in it or viewing from inside my home makes my days so much more peaceful and centered |
| Great grocery stores & farmer's markets | Where and how we get our food is very important to me, so the fact that we have vital sources of real food makes me happy |
| Our libraries | Our library system makes sense: self-check-out, long enough check-out times, bargain book sales, programming for all ages - it's a vital part of my daily routine |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More hiking/walking trails and parks with shade trees | Tucson needs more gathering points that aren't stores. I know it's hot here, but a bunch more shaded parks and trails would really provide a healthy way for people to get together. |
| More community centers | It's difficult to find a place to gather together that is free of charge. I currently run a book club using a public room at the library, but it was difficult to find an open time slot for my group to meet. We need more places to gather - free of charge. |
| More community groups | I have found it very difficult to find other people with similar interests. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Oracle Rd. and Wilds Rd. 85739 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 87. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate/nature | I am so much healthier here. I feel good here, my family also. We are able to take advantage of the natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor activities. |
| Culture/opportunities | We love the hispanic and native roots of the area, the multicultural aspects of the area, the University and all the educational, arts and music opportunities in the area. We are not ones to come from somewhere else and want to make this just like where we came from! This is a vibrant area with a lot to offer and learn from. We also bought in a good school district for our daughter and am happy with the quality of the schools - who are doing so much with so little!!!! |
| Size of the region | The one million population metro area is the perfect size - not too big and not too small. Big enough, and with a University, so have a lot going on, but not so big it is another Phoenix with its freeways, concrete and pollution. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Civic coordination | By this I mean more synergy between local governments, businesses, BANKS, University, and citizen groups for investing in job creation. There are so some good things going on - Treo and Bios5 - but not enough. Rio Nuevo should return to its roots - what it was designed for. I want to see the region prosper! |
| Wingnuts out to decimate important govt functions | We need to elect people to the AZ legislature who will stop bleeding the state of all that state government needs to do well. We need to support education, infrastructure, etc. and reform the tax code/rates to meet goals. Right now the state is an embarrassment. It turns off investors and visitors. |
| Improve the marketing of the region | There is soooo much good, but it is not that well known. We need to better the convention center without going crazy. I want to see the region prosper for my family. We need to keep our young people. We need to keep the gem show. We need to find a ball club for TEP. I could go on. |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: 1st and Oracle 85755 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 88. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Access to art of all types | Connection to culture and an opportunity to have artful hobbies |
| Lots of fine dining, per capita | Good for young couples |
| Small-town feel | Easy to make connections, comfort of the town |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cleanliness | Safety, pride in the city |
| Bring in new business | Provide jobs, and a reason for the top students from UofA to stay in town |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Swan and Camp Lowell 85712 // Years here: 1 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 89. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The (still) relatively small city ambiance | Friendliness of most business contacts |
| Opportunities for involvement | As a retired person with some musical ability, several options for playing (too many, sometimes!) |
| The climate | I've always lived in the Southwest (Texas, California, Arizona since 1970), so I am comfortable with the climate here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Public transportation | Traffic gets worse as I get older, so I would like to be able to rely on a more efficient public transportation system by the time I quit driving. |
| The "movers and shakers" | I'd like to see somebody take the bull by the horns and turn downtown into a viable community. |
| A thriving downtown | I'd like to be able to shop, be entertained, and make medical/dental appointments in one small, pedestrian-friendly area. (Dream on!) |
| Date of survey: Oct 19, 2010 // Home near: Grant & Tucson 85716 // Years here: 40 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 90. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather | I like being warm |
| Outdoor activities | Fitness and sanity |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Fighting over illegal immigration | These are my tax dollars being used for people who have no entitlement to them. What do folks not understand about "illegal"? I have no right to education, healthcare, welfare payments and other services in other countries. Why do they have a "right" to them here? |
| School funds appear to be misused | Again with the tax dollars. Funds are being used for programs that do not benefit the greater good. Overdone athletics and Spanish programs do not teach the larger population how to read and survive in the world. |
| We need more police | Crime is terrible in Tucson. I have seen the crime rates increase steadily over the past 20 years with respect to break-ins and violent crime. We need more cops. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: La Canada and Tangerine 85737 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 91. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The people | Tucson is unique in the diversity of its people, and the prevailing attitude of tolerance (live and let live) |
| A university town | It is probably the main reason for my answer to #1. |
| It's a dry heat | I lived in Florida for 20 years. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Get out of Arizona | End Phoenix domination |
| Tucson/Pima needs a metro government | Tax advantage re state policies; eliminate duplications; more efficiency; less in number but more responsible elected officials. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Years here: 19 // Born in the: 10s | |
| Survey: 92. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town feel with many big city amenities | I like the size of Tucson, it feels like a small town in many ways because there aren't huge highways everywhere, but we do have lots of retail and attractions that you would find in a big city, we have a decent size airport that serves a wide area |
| Geography | Love the desert landscape, so unique, so different. Provides a unique and diverse wildlife, many interesting recreation activities and amazing vegetation. |
| Climate | I so enjoy the extended summer and mild winters and being able to be outdoors 12 months of the year without being buried in snow! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education | I have young children in the elementary public system and I think the state of education in Arizona and specifically Tucson is dreadful, shameful and embarrassing. This needs to become a top priority for the state immediately or young families are going to start leaving the state in huge numbers. |
| Highways/access | Would be so nice if there was one (or two) east-weat highways that cut through the city to improve access. Not sure where this would be feasible. It takes forever to drive from one end of the city to the other. |
| More big city amenities | Tucson definitely has a diverse and large enough population that it could support more retail, attractions, recreation and sporting opportunities. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: First Ave and Tangerine - Oro Valley 85737 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 93. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Winter weather | I enjoy mild weather. |
| National Forest | National Forests and Parks are close. |
| The City is not too big | Get across town in a reasonable time. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The roads | The roads are horrendous as if no one cares. |
| An east-west freeway | I like the fact I can get across town in a reasonable time, but with a freeway that time could be decreased even more. Instead I'm stuck stopping at a traffic light every block. |
| Synchronized traffic lights | Really not fun to have to stop at every block because the lights aren't synchronized. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Midvale Park & Irvington 85746 // Years here: 24 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 94. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Access to the outdoors | The opportunity to enjoy cycling, running, hiking, and wandering throughout our desert environment |
| U of a | I graduated from the u of a the university has a multitude of opportunity for almost any interest and age level my daughter will attend next year |
| People are true to their heritage | The availability of learning the indigenous culture through many celebrations and festivals that retain the past |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Election of the knowledgeable and competent | I am very disappointed in the governing of both the city and county; rio nuevo is a failure, tep failed, decisions are made regardless of the citizens' concerns |
| force an embracing of the municipalities | As a group of geographically proximate cities, we all seem to bash each other, compare ourselves to each other, and generally promote an us versus them attitude that does not foster a cooperative environment |
| Create a master plan for the county as a whole | In the 28 years i have lived here, i find it amazing that the various governments stumble along without a common vision - hence, i will most likely leave this region in five years |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: speedway and I-10 85745 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 95. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate | Allows for focus on healthy lifestyle which is supported by community events and activities at all times of the calendar year. |
| Geography | Again, supports a healthy lifestyle but offers a wide range of choice on activities (both outdoor physical and indoor mental stimulation through museums, etc.) that is not available anywhere else in this country. |
| Culture | This area embraces diversity as part of our sense of community - which is fostered in the festivals and a through being a university town. Tucson also offers a wide range entertainment which is an offshoot of embracing diversity in many ways. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Negative hispanic influence | As much as diversity is a positive in Tucson, the hispanic (mexican) influence is equally negative. It creates a public safety challenge and through recent "boycott" messages it has now had a negative economic influence. |
| Blatant socialist politics | Our elected officials too often focus only on what they see as serving the low income to the detriment of the working families who live, play and pay in this community. |
| Bring business and the working professionals to the table | Too often the social activists are setting the Tucson agenda, and not the business community or the working professionals. I get very angry when I keep hearing Tucson is a poor community - that type of publicity certainly will never improve Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Tangerine 85755 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 96. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| U of A | It is a great place to work and invites community input |
| Weather | Winters here are great |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lack of employment opportunities | There should be a way of attracting new business to Tucson without sacrificing tax/monetary advantage. |
| Encourage small business | Too many businesses are forced out by high unemployment rate |
| Healthcare and medical assistance | I have friends who make "too much" to qualify for Access or job assistance and who are physically unable to work |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Broadway Kolb 85710 // Years here: 27 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 97. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural environment | Fantastic views, outdoor opportunities |
| Good array of dining and entertainment options | Variety of opportunities provides many choices |
| Weather - except summer | Many options for outdoor activities |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Poor quality of elected officials | Impact on quality of life and economic progress due to ignorance of complex of issues; weak educational backgrounds and business experience; focus on divisive issues; inability to compromise; dishonesty |
| Educational system | Poor quality employees and increase in crime (poverty correlates with crime) - inadequate funding and poor parenting contribute to these problems |
| Crime rate | Concern about safety in and out of the home - the level and types of violence are horrific; perhaps more about the community ethic/culture than about law enforcement |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Magee 85737 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 98. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The outdoors | Beautiful outdoor environment with lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures plus low humidity makes me feel good every day. |
| The size | Tucson is a large enough community to have access to good medical care, cultural events, restaurants, shopping etc. but still small enough to have a slower pace of life and easier to get around. |
| The University | Keeps the community young and active, provides many touchpoints with Tucson residents, offers great sporting and cultural events |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The political climate | The lack of political leadership over many years has held this community back. There is an anti-business attitude and a focus more on giving out bennies to favored constituencies than on growing a vibrant economy. |
| Lack of Jobs | See #1. Without a strong economy and good jobs, the community educates its young only to see them leave for greener pastures, leaving a poor and unsustainable community in their wake. |
| Illegal immigrants | Controlling our population of illegal migrants would make Tucson a safer place to live as well as reduce the burdens on our public services and thereby hold down the financial costs on all the legal residents. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Sunrise/Kolb 85750 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 99. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cultural diversity | I appreciate the rich cultural history of the region and the ways in which the arts and culture are celebrated and featured. |
| Environment | The unique desert environment is appealing and I like the way in which Tucson, more than other desert cities, tries to embrace that rather than overcome it. |
| Collaboration | Though not everyone is yet on the same page, I appreciate that there are community leaders who are visionary and willing to reach out and work with others. The level of collaboration or, at least, the desire to collaborate is greater than in other communities where I have lived. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Transportation, especially public transportation and roadways, leaves a lot to be desired. Given the size of the community, it is difficult to get anywhere efficiently due to the lack of throughways and "express" public transportation options. |
| Regional approach to community challenges | It has been my impression that planning and decision-making on a regional level, at least in the government sector, is not well facilitated. |
| Education | Having moved here fairly recently from another state, the shortcomings of our education system here have been quite apparent. Education does not seem to be recognized as a key component of economic development here. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: La Canada Drive/Lambert Lane 85737 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 100. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environment | I like living in a place that has lots of open space, and when I moved to Tucson in 1976, that was a major factor in my decision to buy a home and start a business here... I also like the town's 'laid-back' feel. |
| Golf & recreational Opportunities | I enjoy golf, and in most places, that�s not possible during the winter and early spring. There are unlimited outdoor activities here year-round. |
| The people | Folks who move here (and almost everyone here has moved from somewhere else) have generally made a 'lifestyle' decision rather than a financial one, which generally means they're here by choice rather than being 'trapped' here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Political Environment | No transparency or accountability. We have two poor systems of government operating ineffectively in the same valley (city & county) |
| Let private capital re-develop Downtown | I've proposed putting a 'River' & 'Riverwalk' downtown, which would be an inexpensive way(compared to the other ideas being put forth) to entice private capital to re-develop downtown. |
| Lose the NIMBY attitude | Everyone loves a good idea, but nobody wants that good idea in their backyard. We need to unify behind a vision for our community, and stop small special interest groups from blocking progress towards that vision. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Broadway & Freeman 85748 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 101. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Art, music, and downtown activities | Sense of small community in a large community |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Too spread out...need more ped friendly areas | The City is still too "car" oriented...we need more "walk" friendly areas like 4th Ave |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Speedway/Country Club 85716 // Years here: 33 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 102. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Music Scene | My husband to be owns a music store, we are both musicians, grew up learning instruments. I value the quality of bands that come through Tucson, and I value the underground culture behind it. |
| Small Town feeling | I enjoy going to places and knowing people. There's a sense of comfort that comes with knowing who is who.. This applies to finding a job, to getting help taking care of your children, to what is happening in our community. |
| Volunteer Opportunities | I love that people are kind in Tucson, most people I know volunteer in one way or another. There's plenty of opportunity to grow as a city through volunteering. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic flow | I believe the community should have a non-circulating car days, policy. ex: Some days certain cars and some days other cars should circulate. |
| Better Public Transportation | If we had a better public transportation most people would use it. Suntran is just not enough we need faster transportation. Taking the bus adds an extra 2 or so hours to the actual trip |
| Bi-Cultural Education to Parents | Gather a group of volunteer to focus on better education for parents. I have a little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters and there is a big gap of communication between her and her hispanic parents. Part of the issue is the language barrier, they don't understand Facebook or Myspace or MMS or anything that our social media offers to our kids. My little sister has a double life because of this, she is getting into trouble, and her parent's don't even know it. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: 1st and Roger 85705 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 103. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The history | The blending of cultures and rich history. Architecture, great foods and traditions |
| The natural beauty | From the surrounding mountains, to desert landscapes, fabulous sunsets, stargazing. Everywhere you look there is something of interest |
| Downtown | From people watching to great events such as Tucson Meet Yourself, Blues Heritage Festival, great venues such as the Rialto, Fox Theater, great little restaurants. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown Hotel | Tucson is the same size as thriving Austin, TX. In Austin downtown revitalization is amazing with there quirky restaurants, music scene. We turn away revenues of millions a year by not have a hotel large enough to bring people to Tucson and our convention center is pathetic. |
| Fear Mongering | We must take bold steps into forward thinking. Our kids future is in the hands of a bunch of fear mongering. Keeping the past thinking will not create revenues for our city. Bring people to Tucson, celebrate our diversity and truly become a destination. |
| Education | Our state legislature keeps cutting our kids education to fix their budget and is continually cutting services to the women and poor. I want my grand kids to get the same opportunities and education as I did in the Midwest. To be at the bottom of the barrel for education spending is horrendous. We are condemning future generations to poverty. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: River & Shannon 85741 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 104. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Geographic location | Nearness to Saguaro National Park, state parks, surrounding desert, opportunities for outdoor activities. |
| Climate | Ability to partake in outdoor activities year-round. |
| Arts and Culture | Access to professional performing arts (Arizona Theatre Company, Tucson Symphony, Arizona Opera) as well as UofAZ arts (theater, school of dance,music) and smaller theater companies and musical groups. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Revitalize downtown | Downtown is the heart of Tucson and the historical center of the community. |
| More funding for arts and culture | Encourages tourism, community participation, intellectual employers and employees, quality of education, standard of living |
| Complete modern streetcar | Will encourage development of downtown and access between campus and downtown - student housing downtown |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: El Camino del Cerro and Silverbell 84745 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 105. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The cultural and linguistic diversity | The proximity of the Indian communities and Mexico; the cultural opportunities--food, festivals, community life events, etc. |
| Emphasis on environment | We respect historically-important communities (downtown barrios, Old Fort Lowell, etc.); we protect habitats; we can see the sky. |
| Small-town atmosphere | There is more personal interaction with people, including those who are in important positions; easy access (small airport) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More resources for education in poor communities | There is little acknowledgment that Tucson south of River (or South of Broadway) has talent but is poor; those families need more support for their children. |
| A more vibrant downtown | I do not go downtown very often; it seems inaccessible and not very inviting--no walking paths, little business development, everyday events (not just weekends) |
| Some sort of light rail system | This would make more parts of the city more accessible to more people. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Swan/Ft Lowell 85712 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 106. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sunshine. | Provides opportunities to be outdoors almost every day. |
| Hiking trails. | A great asset to the community that allows residents to enjoy the mountains and desert terrain. |
| Access to a great university. | Having access to an academic health center and great physicians; artistic, athletic and cultural events on campus; the intellectual vitality that radiates from a great university and the discoveries that its faculty bring to the community. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Have a decent downtown. | I don't know of a great city without a great downtown. Ours is a disgrace. |
| Freeways. | It may be too late, but it would sure be nice to be able to get across town without inching along Grant. |
| TUSD | The school district is a disgrace, and leads to the unhealthy phenomenon of families moving out of the city to be in better school districts. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Swan/Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 107. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Committed and diverse communities | Sense of urbanism in an open space environment |
| Potential for a vibrant midcity | I'm a believer in the New Urbanism |
| Relatively large youth population | Potential for retention through better jobs and augmentation of a more diverse economy |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Work for a Metropolitan governance | Empower better governance through efficiency of bureaucratic and technologic management schema |
| Merger and coalition building of the non-profit sector | Government service shrinkage can only be countered by the private sector and non-profit human service commitment. |
| Commitment to effective mass transit | One third of the Metropolitan population does not drive and yet needs a way to cost-effectively be mobile. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Country Club and Broadway 85716 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 108. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sun Tran/Proposed Streetcar | Every great city has a multitude of mass/public transit options. New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. Whether you're a visitor or a resident, the ability to enjoy a city is directly correlated to the ability to access it easily. Cars are for moving about small towns, extended trips, and insulating yourself from others; cities--and the people who love them-- deserve public transit. Cities are the people who live there. Public transit allows us to mix with our neighbors, learn from our neighbors, become less afraid of our neighbors. Chicago is not Chicago without the El. New York is not New York without its subways. San Francisco is not San Francisco without its street cars and the Muni/BART. If we had more public transit options, I venture to say we would have less animosity and more compassion in Tucson. And less pollution, gridlock, and rage. |
| Bicycle friendly | Again since cars are for isolating yourself from your neighbors, and since they contribute to obesity, pollution, and repeated moments of detached aggression towards others, they should be set aside within city limits. Bicycles are all we need as an alternative to our legs and public transit. I've been doing so for almost three years now. |
| Cost of living. | If it weren't so affordable to live here, I'd have moved to NY, CHI, SF, or SEA years ago. If Tucson wants to pretend to be a city, fine. Build more roads, bicker about cost feasibility studies over hotels and arenas, rustle up some hillbillies, and we can become Alabama West, or Kansas South. But we're not those places. We are a city of great diversity and beauty and we owe it to those who love it here to make ourselves more like the other great cities in America. I say this: More public transit options are the first step towards making that a reality. Look at any great city throughout the world and tell me how many of them where you'd need a car to move about. London, Moscow, Tokyo, NY, CHI, SF, SEA, etc. etc. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More public transit. | I didn't realize I'd be able to write more here. Again, great cities have public transportation option. Without that, we're just a collection of strip malls, department stores, and outlet stores that you could find anywhere else in America. Don't knock public transit's ability to change a city until you've lived somewhere where it's already happened. |
| Make us less like the Midwest. | We are not the midwest. Stop growing grass. Look around you: Notice the Spanish decor? The Spanish-language street names? We have Spanish-speaking neighbors to the south. Yes. They are our neighbors. What is the advice we are given about our neighbors found in every religious text known to man? Exactly. |
| Secede from the rest of Arizona. | I jest. But I think we'd get more done if we didn't have Mesa and it ilk as albatross around our necks. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Granada/Alameda 85701 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 109. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Surrounded by conserved natural parks | Opportunities for hiking and mountain biking close to home. Close to wildlife and nature. Protected scenic views. |
| Lots of local businesses, shops and restaurants | Lots of choices when it comes to eating and shopping. Not just large, national stores and restaurants that serve/sell the same things every where. Can walk and bike to may of these. |
| Living and working downtown | Short travel time to work, food, and play. Sometimes I can walk or bike. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership | City of Tucson Mayor and Council had the ability to make something great of downtown via Rio Nuevo funding. Instead the continue to lack a true leader and waffle on decisions continually. |
| More transportation choices are needed (streetcar, rail, bike lane, etc.) | I don;t want to continue to have to use my car every time I leave the house. It costs a lot to have a car and to use it. It is more fun to bike. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Grande and Congress 85745 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 110. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural desert environment | The intrinsic value of the desert's wildlife and ecology. The beauty of untouched or at least less manipulated land. The separation from other large cities and spans of land between. The way the city has many people who continue to care for the environment. The way the city dwellers here try to make the town sustainable. A value of water for the environment. A connection of people to the values the environment gives us. The strong conservation ethic is what makes the city livable for me. |
| The art scene | The aesthetics of murals, downtown culture, fringey artistic culture, art walks and events, cultural events that include music, music being included at all sorts of events, the homemade feel of the artistic movement, run down areas revived by artists, neighborhood art projects, street painting, metal sculptures marking neighborhoods. |
| Bike friendly planning | Bike boulevards, Car's awareness of bikes, Bike and ped planning included in transportation planning, enthusiasm by both bike commuters and recreationists, bike paths and signals, bike classes, BICAS where you can learn to fix your own bike affordably, fun bike related events from bike in movies to El Tour de Tucson, the acknowledgment of affordable and environmentally sensitive alternate modes |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Secure water for the environment | I will never feel that there will be sustainability or security as long as a significant amount of water is reserved for the environment. The shallow groundwater dependent ecosystems and surface waters need to help corridors to thrive. I would rather move away, change, or not contribute negatively community if it claims that there is plenty of water just because there is a deep aquifer. If the environment does not have access then it feels insecure to live there and unethical to me. The cost to the environment needs to be factored in. |
| Better funding for education | I care about future generations. I believe better education will create better safety, better training for future jobs, and more happiness among families and therefore will impact the entire community. It is currently underfunded. Classes need to be smaller. There are public schools of unequal quality in different neighborhoods of different incomes. |
| Sustainable green job emphasis - such as solar! | I came to Tucson for work primarily. Our current primary industries are dependent on unsustainable practices such as military and weapons for military. We lose many University students to other cities. We have abundant solar resources. Other states are moving ahead on this. There are technologies available that use less water to create solar so there should be no reason to move forward. We are also leaders in water harvesting and could capitalize on this if the Chamber of Commerce were to include green industry and not just developers and old standards. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Grant/Columbus 85712 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 111. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Most of the year can enjoy outdoor activities, such as walking, hiking, jogging. |
| Walking/bike trails | The bike trail that winds along the I-10 & wash between Grant & 22nd street - now paving north up to Ruthraff- great path! easily accessible- |
| Gem show | I love the Gem show! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown | Too many empty stores - need more shops and restaurants, and restaurants that stay open in the evenings |
| Downtown | Parking - when drawing people to the downtown area - should be more incentive - like free parking if you show receipt for purchases or dining. |
| Utilities | Lower utility costs for residents to match the average family income. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Grant/Silverbell 85745 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 112. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Nice weather most of the year | We moved here over 30 years ago for health reasons. The warm, dry climate was good for spouse's asthma. |
| Beauty of the area | The mountains, desert and plants have a unique beauty that is not found anywhere else. |
| Cost of living | The cost of living (specifically housing, groceries) is still lower here than many other places in the U.S. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve Safety and neighborhood watch programs | Crime (specifically senseless gang violence, homicide, home invasions, car jacking and theft) are increasing. |
| Improve mass transit in rural areas | There are some express bus routes to outlying areas such as Rita Ranch, but the poorer areas such as 3-Pts do not have this service. |
| Improve school system | A good education is key to getting a good job which impacts the life style and opportunities that you can provide for your family. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Ajo Way, Taylor 85736 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 113. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The diversity of the community. | Living in a culturally diverse community with vibrant arts and cultural offering is great. |
| It still has a small town feel. | Even though we are over 1 million in the region, we still can pick up the phone and do business with folks on a one to one basis as they do in much smaller communities. |
| The climate is great. | It's hot in the summer but not like Phoenix. It never too cold in the winter and some years you can play in the snow in the morning on Mt. Lemmon and swim in the afternoon down here in town. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better political leadership. | I wish more folks would take an active role in the political process both as voters and as candidates. |
| Better education system. | In spite of flagging state support for education, we need to be more supportive of our public schools and provide them with more resources. |
| Lack of comprehensive plan implementation. | We have dozens of long range strategic plans sitting on the shelf and haven't implemented any of them to any degree. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: River and Craycroft 85750 // Years here: 44 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 114. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The friends I have here and most of my family is here. | I have a great group of friends! |
| Great places enjoy outdoor activities, like running/walking, hiking and cycling. | River parks, especially the Rillito. Sabino Canyon, all mountain ranges around Tucson, lots of nice, wide bike lanes. |
| Music scene | Many opportunities to enjoy all kinds of music - blues festival, folk festival, Club Crawl, free/low-cost UA performances. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve the transit system and in general get Tucson to be a less car-centered community | It would be healthier if we were not all driving everywhere in our cars - cleaner air, more physically fit people, and more opportunities for socializing. |
| More opportunities for interesting jobs. | A large number of Tucson jobs are in the service industry, which is not often a long-term career goal and generally low-paying. |
| More opportunities for children to be active. | Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. We have to insure that we continue to support and improve facilities for children to play and be active. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: River & La Cholla 85741 // Years here: 27 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 115. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Relaxed, laid back feel of community. | I have lived in other parts of the country where people weren't as friendly and where the work environments were high stress and realized I don't prefer those environments. |
| Beautiful surroundings - mountains and desert - that are easy to access. | I love the outdoors and beautiful landscapes. |
| Diverse cultural opportunities - both local music and national music that's brought to town. | I am a musician and like to enjoy/experience local and national music. I have lived in other parts of the country (smaller cities) that don't bring in bands (both large and small) from around the country. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Slow sprawl and focus development on the urban core. | I want to protect our beautiful natural environment while at the same time helping lower income folks access the jobs and shopping if they have limited transportation means. |
| Bring more businesses into Tucson to increase the tax base and contributions to our community | I want to see more jobs in our community and I want to see more private money supporting cultural opportunities. |
| Better farmer's markets | I love shopping locally and have been blown away by the size of farmers markets in other parts of the country. Perhaps farms in eastern California and other regions close-by could contribute to our farmers markets. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and 4th Ave. 85705 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 116. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather | Of course the weather....that's why we live in AZ |
| Small city atmosphere | Tucson has all of the amenities of a large city but the feel of a smaller town. |
| Geography | The beauty of the mountains, sun rises and sunsets, and the outdoors opportunities given the diverse geography |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cross town access | Currently it's difficult to travel cross town. A beltway around the city would be nice. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: I-19 Duval Mine Rd 85614 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 117. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Size of the population, not huge like Phoenix | Except for Morning/Evening traffic- traffic is not as bad as Phx |
| Weather | Even when it is hot, it is a "dry heat". Few high humidity days |
| Friendly people | Most everyone is friendly-regardless of color,sex, economic backgrounds |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| A major road, similar to Baraza Parkway running from North Tucson across town to East/Southeast Tucson | I live on the NW side of Tucson. Many friends and family live out in the Rita Ranch/ Vail area |
| Better parking downtown | Garages are ok, but the street parking situation is horrible. I often visit downtown |
| Homeless situation | They are in a concentrated area of town, downtown/south Tucson, and really do no make a great impression for Tucson |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Oracle/Tangerine 85755 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 118. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| WEATHER | I CANT LIVE IN COLD CLIMATE |
| SMALLER COMMUNITY | DON'T LIKE BIG CITIES |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| KEEP ROADS UPGATED | MAKES MOVING AROUND TUCSON ALOT BETTER |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: SPEEDWAY/CAMINO SECO 85710 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 119. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural Environment | Opportunity to recreate in diverse SW environments- diversity of plants and animals and landscapes |
| Forward thinking planning | Will protect area into future and sets limits on growth to better match landscape and natural resource capabilities. Allows things like Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan to be created. |
| Quality of life | Like the diversity of cultures, weather, community size. Allows opportunity to be out year-round, interact with may perspectives, and make personal connections with place and people. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Tucson City Government | The City system seems overly cumbersome and ineffective. Restricts ability to get projects done, wastes tax revenues, has a narrow vision and talks more than does. |
| Improve transportation grid | Makes it hard to move around the City from Vail to Marana other than freeway. As region grows this will become an even more restrictive barrier. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: El Camino del Cerro and Silverbell 85745 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 120. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | This speaks for itself |
| Many events | There is always something to do unless your a couch potato |
| Sites | You can be in the mountains in a hour, access to lakes and four hours from the ocean, |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Less billboards | Unsightly |
| Better public transportation | There has to be a better way of getting around besides using a vehicle |
| Education and Jobs | I feel good education is tied to better paying jobs, AZ is poor when it comes to an education system |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: River and Oracle 85704 // Years here: 29 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 121. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environmentally friendly | I have children, so leaving behind a healthy planet is a big priority for us. We do what we can, but we also appreciate a community that is also doing everything it can, including alternative energy, bike lanes, recycling, 2nd hand stores for re-using, etc. |
| Bike Lanes/bike friendly | Bike lanes and being bike friendly contribute to a healthier environment by reducing the amount of poisonous gases in our air. |
| Solar Power | Again, we have abundant sunshine, I appreciate that parts of the Tucson community are capitalizing on this resource. ( I only wish we would do even more!) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More Recycling | Here in Tucson, we only recycle plastics #1 and #2, we should be recycling all of them. I have family in Santa Clarita, CA that have 3 bins, one green waste, one recycle and one trash so I know this can be done. We need to find a way to make it happen here in Tucson. |
| More Solar Power | If we want to call ourselves the solar capital of the world, we need to have solar on more buildings, private and public, increase incentives using this technology, build more solar farms in the open desert, have Tucson Electric Power have an abundance of pollution-free solar energy that we sell to other states! |
| Improve job prospects and quality of life | My husband has been unemployed for over 2 years now here in Tucson. The job prospects are not great, despite college education and secret clearance. We need to attract more high quality companies to Tucson to improve the job market, and improve the quality of life and standard of living here in the desert. We need to fill all of the vacant commercial buildings in town with companies ready to hire and serve our community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: 22nd st and Camino Seco 85710 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 122. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The climate | Being raised in New England, I really enjoy the winters of sunshine and all the outdoor events. |
| Controlled growth | Even though we are growing, I'm glad it's at a slower pace than other sunbelt cities. Yet, the growth we have could be managed better than it has been in the past. |
| Arts | For a area with a population of less than a million we have a pretty lively art community. There's always a play or performance to attend. Bonus is that some of these are outdoors and free! Tucson Pops, Winds, Shakespeare in the Park are favorites |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Rio Nuevo | I've always felt it was a boondoggle. Get a workable concept for downtown and do it! Govt should stay out of the hotel business. Look what happened with the hospital. Get back the Spring training, no need for new downtown stadium. |
| Paying for 2 governments | Sheriff and TPD, PPC Parks and Rec and COT Parks and Rec. Why? Combine more government agencies! |
| Golf | We have excellent public courses at reasonable rates. Spend the money to support them and stop talking about selling then. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Houghton 85748 // Years here: 31 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 123. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural Beauty | The ability to see beauty all around on a daily basis reminds me how blessed I am to live here. |
| Cultural and Historic resources | It gives me a sense of connection to the people and the past that formed the region. |
| People | A sense of community and caring. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership/governance | Without good stewardship/leadership/governance, we will not achieve our full potential. |
| Common values | We need to focus on what is good for our community as a whole and where we want to be in the future versus political posturing. |
| Downtown | Without a vibrant downtown, we will never reach our potential. A failed downtown revitalization effort is a failure of leadership, not just of our elected officials and civil servants, but of all business and other community leaders. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Stone 85701 // Years here: 54 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 124. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Bicycling opportunities | An improving bicycle infrastructure and mild climate make it easy to get around and commute to work without a car. It makes my life much simpler. |
| Local culture, 4th Avenue, etc. | Lots of diversity, many things to do, restaurants, bars, events, festivals, weird stuff. |
| Natural features | Grasslands to the southeast, mountains to the north, deserts to the west. It is still easy to escape Tucson when needed. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Construction of Bike Boulevards | We can increase ridership and fight congestion if we can convince more people to commute by bike. Bike Boulevards have worked well in other cities, especially Portland, and should be funded here. |
| Completion of River Park system | These are very popular facilities that are heavily used. They need to be completed, especially the Craycroft to Tanque Verde segment of the Pantano. |
| Reduced crime and vandalism | Garbage and broken glass in the streets, petty crimes, absentee landlords. Graffiti and vandalism in our neighborhoods. There needs to be more enforcement of these small crimes, because their cumulative effect degrades the quality of life for everyone. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Glenn and Dodge 85716 // Years here: 39 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 125. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I have felt that the people of the Tucson region are more comfortable with human diversity than any other population I have known in the cities of the East or the West, but of course this is in conflict with the current image in the wake of Senate Bill 1070, etc. Only time will tell me if the people have been driven by our Phoenix politicians into a harsher rejection of differences, but for now I still believe in Tucson�s people. | My immediate family is diverse in many ways, and we feel most comfortable here. |
| Sunshine, with occasional dramatic thunderstorms | My wife and I grew up in California and lived for twenty years in the Northeast. We appreciate the ease of living in a sunny climate and prefer our occasionally stormy weather to the drizzles we have experienced elsewhere. |
| From my home I am excited every day by the changing views of the Catalina Mountains. | I find the mountains elevating to my spirits. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| We need a stronger and more sustainable economy. | We cannot keep our young people, our most precious asset, if we cannot provide them with financial opportunity. |
| While we seem to respect and even value diversity within our community, we do not work well across differences. Until we learn to do this better we will not realize our full potential. | I have struggled to demonstrate that diversity is our greatest asset, not a liability, but the political pressures to divide our people are very hard to overcome. |
| Our city government is dysfunctional for reasons that go beyond personalities and relate to the very structure of government. | I have been deeply involved in the work that led to Proposition 401 and actively supportive of the move to nonpartisan city government, two issues not resolved at this moment. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Wilmot 85710 // Years here: 13 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 126. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Low-key lifestyle | Its easy to connect to people in business, civic and non-profit work. Its easy to meet people because they're generally open. |
| Its a balanced community | Most people are tolerant of each other and their point of views, therefore we don't lean too much toward being a liberal community or too much being a conservative community |
| Climate | I like to be outdoors year-round |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Visionary leadership | We need leadership with chutzpah and a vision and in turn we need a community willing to take some risks to make improvements |
| Laisez-faire attitude | Sometimes the lack of sophistication and energy of our residents makes me feel like I'm living in the "old West". |
| Public education | Its the base of our engine in the community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: campbell/skyline 85718 // Years here: 44 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 127. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains surrounding the area. | Beauty and atmosphere the mountains create. |
| The abundance of wildlife and plant life in the desert. | I like being close to nature. It helps one remember that man is not the only or the most important life on earth. |
| The weather, especially the monsoon season. | I guess I enjoy the excitement that the thunder and lightning create. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The downtown area. | Since it is mostly government downtown, making downtown a pedestrian zone seems like an excellent way to vitalize downtown and curb the traffic problems. |
| Stay with tradition but add some color. | Tucson has a name that is recognized around the world. However Tucson is losing its charm because of the boring business section. Add some color like we have already in La Placita. The desert is full of color; Tucson should be full of color. |
| Stop the mine. | The Santa Rita Mountains are special to the world because of the wildlife, birds and insects that rely on the area. The mine will be a catastrophe beyond measure. It will ruin the beauty of the area and deplete Tucson of its water supply. Once that is gone we all might as well leave. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Misson and Ajo 85736 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 128. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Geography. I love the mountains and the desert. | Natural beauty, exercise, co-habitation with other species. We're unique. |
| Casual quality. | I can dress up or dress down and feel appropriate at many settings. |
| History. | I enjoy the mix of cultural influences - the colours, architecture, food, different ways of life. We have a rich sense of the past, and valuable future with intelligent, committed young people supporting Tucson's uniqueness. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Protect the environment. | Keep developers from encroaching farther and farther out - and make them pave roads! Secure enough land and water resources for all native species and future generations. |
| Clean up the drugs. Reduce illegal activity. | How do you get people to be considerate to all others? We need to treat each other, really all things, with respect and dignity. People who become criminals seem to think they can have whatever they want at any cost to others. |
| Political ego. | Elected officials, appointed administrators, "higher-ups", ought to be less about themselves and their cronies and more about eagerness to improve the operations and health of our community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Ina/Shannon 85741 // Years here: 29 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 129. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Desert | It saddens me to see the desert disappearing under housing developments. If I had wanted to live in a congested urban environment, I'd have moved to Phoenix. |
| Weather | I hate snow. I like warm weather. Tucson has lots of warm days. Therefore, I like Tucson. |
| Wildlife | I like the javelina crossing the street in front of me as I drive to work. The quail chattering to each other in my back yard as they drink from the water dish. Seeing the shadow of a bobcat as it saunters through the yard. Having 1 to 4 coyotes running through my driveway. Being spell struck by the hawks, vultures, and falcons cruising the skies for a meal. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It would be nice if the powers that be recognize the fact that there is a monsoon season, and build adequate storm drains accordingly so I don't have to drive my car down the 5th street, Alvernon, Columbus rivers. | It's scary to get caught on Grant and Alvernon at night in traffic during a storm. Most of the medians do not have reflective stripes on them and the paint separating lanes is worn off, so you're almost driving blind. |
| Place a priority on quality education for all children in Pima County. | Kids are getting out of school barely qualifying for service jobs. These are the workers who will be supporting my Social Security checks and the Tucson Tax base. In addition, the price to attend the U of A is way beyond the salaries of the average non-privilege Tucsonan. Higher education is becoming an elitist dream. Working class kids who have the grades to be accepted, cannot meet the tuition requi9rements even with the scanty Financial aid that is being made available primarily as loans. |
| Broaden the job base. | Too many Young college graduates are having to choose between staying in Tucson and working retail at minimum wage because there are so few professional jobs to be had and too many people competing for them, and moving out of state in order to support themselves financially. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Tanque Verde and catalina Highway 85749 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 130. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lots of native land | I love desert areas so it is nice that a lot of Tucson is still desert areas. |
| Warm Weather | It is nice to have it hot most of the year. You do not need a lot of different seasonal clothes. Also driving is easier without snow. |
| Informal atmosphere | There is not a lot of dress-up situations in Tucson. Most cultural events are easy going. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Most public transportation | A lot of Tucson is not connected to public transportation. My nearest bus is 2 miles away. |
| For government agencies to pay attention to where you live | There is still an attitude in local government that Tucson is a small town. When they change a employment location they will send an employee who lives on the east side to work in Marana. There are more choices than that. |
| Local Governments could really support car pools. | My involvement in a car pool is interesting. Instead of scheduling the car pool for the same meeting, they will schedule us for different meetings at different times. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: 22nd and Houghton 85748 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 131. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The potential to be an affluent metropolitan area with an abundance of high paying jobs, all of the first class amenities (arts, culture, restaurants) of a big city but a small town western feel | Elected officials in So. AZ treat economic growth as if its a dirty word, they feel its someone else's job, theirs is to extract as much as they can from development/businesses in taxes and fees to fund social and environmental agendas |
| The weather | I don't like being cold |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Change the elected officials | Our elected officials do not value business and economic growth, no growth is the same as death and decay, this doesn't bode well for me or my children |
| The environmental extremism | Our natural environment is important but what about "natural undisturbed open space" helps me? Tacking this land off the tax rolls means more taxes I pay. |
| The no growth attitude | Neighborhood groups drive the agenda at City Hall and its bad for business which means bad for jobs and prosperity |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: LaCanada and Tangerine 85737 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 132. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Desert, Mountains: the environment | Ability to hike, photograph |
| Diversity of cultures | More interesting place to be- exposure to new and different foods/manners/languages |
| Small town feel in a big region | Friendliness, sense of "knowing" and being known |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Summers are too long (I know, wishful thinking) | HOT |
| Petty politics | Would like to see business and governments work more cooperatively for the Greater Good of the Community- too much sniping |
| Roads/transportation | The RTA is a good first step and has made decent progress, but it is hard to navigate the rough roads |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Manville and Sandario 85743 // Years here: 37 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 133. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Our landscape and nature | I feel Tucson is one of the most beautiful cities with our mountains surrounding us and the iconic saguaro. We are a very unique and delicate desert. |
| History and culture | Tucson roots and abundance of museums to learn and share about Tucson's history is fantastic. As a community I feel that we should always strive to protect our history and culture. |
| Culinary experiences and the diversity of cuisine | I am a foodie and have such pleasure enjoying our locally owned and operated Tucson Original restaurants. We need to foster and support these restaurants. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| City Council | It is very difficult supporting a city council that struggles so in creating and keeping a vision for our downtown. We have so many treasures downtown this should not be so difficult to make it easier to want to be downtown. |
| Annexation | We need to approve annexation of many of our outlying communities to increase the operating tax base of the City of Tucson. Working relationships with the County |
| Working relationships with the county | It would be a great day when we have support from Pima County on pro growth developments |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Houghton road and Tanque Verde 85749 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 134. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The physical aspects (i.e. geography & climate). | The natural beauty of the area and the weather suits the way my family likes to live. |
| The cultural diversity. | The mix of cultures in our community make it a much more vibrant place to live. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lessen the degree of governmental supervision. | Not only is the level of governmental supervision too burdensome and complex it is too expensive and can longer be afforded by the community. |
| Learn to come back to a more respectful debate. | It has been politically correct to speak of "tolerance" for decades now but we have seemed to have forgotten that we should expect no more from others than we render to others. It seems the new norm is to expect more of others than we expect of ourselves. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Speedway Boulevard & Wilmot Road 85711 // Years here: 51 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 135. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor recreation | Highly active and enjoy the outdoors |
| Climate | Enjoy warm weather and sunny days year round |
| Diverse landscape | Variety of trees and plants |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Freeway system | Difficulty commuting through the city |
| Improve downtown | Provide greater availability of attractions |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: ft. lowell and country club 85716 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 136. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The outdoor lifestyle | I love to mountain bike and be outdoors. You can do that year-round here, without frost-bite. In the summer, you can visit Mt. Lemmon to get out of the heat. |
| The excellent colleges | One, I enjoy taking classes at Pima for my own education. Not every town has a great community college. Two, the University of Arizona is an excellent research college that brings a lot of attention to Tucson. |
| Proximity to larger communities | It is nice to have Phoenix close with its sports teams, shopping, concerts, but not have to live there. Tucson is also relatively close to San Diego which is another great place to visit. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The no-growth attitude | Tucsonans don't seem to realize that without growth, new businesses, there won't be a Tucson. We need more businesses in Tucson to improve the economy and then keep it going. My husband has been out of work for almost 2 years, with no relief in sight. |
| The public education system | While the colleges are good, the rest of the schools are awful. If you want a good education for your kids, you have to send them to private school. More money needs to be spent on education. |
| The safety | I'm originally from Idaho. There, I never worried about walking after dark, how safe the part of town I was driving in, and I could sleep with the windows open. It wasn't crime free, but much safer. And yes, there are a fair number of illegal aliens there, they do a lot of the farm work. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Ruthrauff and La Cholla 85705 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 137. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Proximity to Santa Catalina Mountains | I like hiking and backpacking in areas that feel remote, despite their proximity to town. |
| Cultural diversity | Variety of cultural events, food. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Create a single urban government | All residents would share the cost of city facilities. Planning could be more uniform. |
| Concentrate new development for a more compact city. | Present development patterns are driven by the profit motive, not by the need to create an efficient city layout. |
| Intensify education on consumption issues: water, driving, air quality. | The water supply will eventually fall short of demand if the city continues to grow. Traffic congestion will worsen, and air quality will deteriorate. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Grant/Park 85719 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 138. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The People | They are friendly, giving, easy going |
| Arts, culture, nature | Variety in what there is to do in Tucson |
| Weather | Other than the dog days of summer, it's a great climate to live, play and work in |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership | There isn't a cohesive group of individuals who are leading Tucson. No there's no unified vision of what a future Tucson should look for and their is no will to see it through - despite the objections of the minority who may not buy into that vision. |
| Transportation | Pot holes, rough roads, congested roads, mass transit |
| Acceptance of tourism as a major part of our economy | Tucson is never going to be a corporate hub - so while we still need to work on attracting more business to our community, we need to come together as a community and promote the commodity that we do have - tourism. nature, culture, restaurants, history, resorts, weather |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Swan /Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 139. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor activities | Preservation of outdoor space, easy hikes, etc. |
| Easy access to activities | Minimal commuting time, can walk to lots of restaurants/activities, easy to bike |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Increase public transportation | Minimize reliance on cars |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Campbell/Speedway 85705 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 140. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I like that it is really hot much of the year | The heat keeps all the posers out of town |
| Wildlife | It is nice to feed them so that we may enjoy the close proximity |
| The Tucson Tea Party | Their ridiculous antics are a joy to behold |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would put more toilets at the county/city parks | My wife doesn't like to hike because there are no restroom facilities at many of the trail heads |
| Term limits for the Board of Supervisors | Leadership needs a good punch in the face every now and then to shake things up |
| Eliminate public libraries | I don't use them so I don't think I should have to pay for them. Besides, hard copy books are so 20th century |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Ina 85718 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 141. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains and parks all around | I love to hike in the mountains and the various parks surrounding Tucson. |
| Diversity | I grew up in a culturally diverse part of the country (NJ) and don't feel at home in areas of the country that lack a diverse population. |
| Sunshine and heat | I lived in cold northern places and prefer to be hot over cold. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More bike only routes | I like to commute to work by bike, but often feel like I am taking my life into my hands even on bicycle routes. I would love to see something like the 3rd street bikeway north of Speedway. I would also love it if there could be more of the stations for requesting a light change from one's bike. There are certain intersections along my route, where the light only changes if a car comes to the intersection because a bike is not heavy enough to make the light change. |
| TUSD | I don't have children, but if I did I would be very hesitant to send my child to public schools based upon how "well" the schools are performing. |
| More enforcement of auto traffic violations | In reference to #1, but also to make Tucson safer for pedestrians. People shouldn't get hit by cars when they are crossing the street in the crosswalk with the green light. People drive crazily in Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Pima & Columbus 85712 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 142. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Landscape | I love being able to see 4 mountain ranges from in town. And I love that in 15 minutes you can be out of town and hiking in the desert with no city noise and only saguaros and other desert plants around you. |
| Small town feel | I like that I can go to events downtown and I will always run into people that I know. |
| Independent stores | I like that there are many opportunities to shop at local stores and that you can get to know the owners and feel good about supporting them. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | I would like to get around town easily and safely on a variety of public transportation like you can in cities such as Wash D.C., Portland, Boston, Philly. |
| Small town mentality | As much as I love the small town feel, it is time the city grew up and claimed it's own as a city. Our downtown area is so small and we can't even get it together. Comparably sized cities feel much more like big cities than we do. |
| Poverty | The pay scale is low here, but the cost of living isn't that much better to make it comparable. There are too many people homeless and wandering the streets and we should figure out a way to get all the social service agencies together in one location downtown as well as provide housing, job assistance, recreation, etc. in one location. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Stone/Speedway 85705 // Years here: 17 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 143. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The blue sky. | I like the clear blue sky of Tucson. When I was away from Tucson, in Germany, it was depressed by the grey sky. |
| I love the heat. | I don't like to be cold. The winters are not too bad and I love the rest of the year. |
| I like the desert. | I like looking at the desert. My parents have land near Tucson and the land holds very dear memories for me. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| City government. | I don't care for the way the City and the County are always at odds. Get rid of Huckleberry and the Mayor and council and start over. |
| The roads. | I love to drive and look at the City. I like Tucson and like to take drives. But our roads are awful. |
| Public transportation. | Our bus system needs to be expanded and improved. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Magee 85704 // Years here: 45 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 144. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Southwestern architecture wherever you can see it. | The slower paced (compared to NY) social environment and the more relaxed business attires, the less stressful and less killer approach to business. |
| That the developers have been slowed down from building in the foothills and in the environmental pathways of our own endangered animals. | I am sick of developers filling up our foothills with more and more new construction for rich mid westerners to move in and buy and add yet more swimming pools to their back yards when water is so scarce. I am also sick of these rich homeowners bellyaching about bears, snakes, bobcats and lions in their foothill backyards. Just where are these animals supposed to go when their habitats are full of swimming pools??? |
| I would like to see more infill construction and more southwestern architecture | I believe that more southwestern architecture will help to define the kind of City that we are, will add to the beauty of our City and will prevent skyscraper buildings from ever being designed or built here! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Infill, beautify and listen more closely to downtown communities. | A great deal of our Tucson heritage is found in the older buildings and neighborhoods of the downtown area. The downtown Riverwalk Project just took away all the funds that were allocated for sidewalks and street lights for Barrio Viejo! How are those residents supposed to keep up their neighborhoods??? |
| Synchronize street lights to cut down on stop-go driving. | For those of us that public transportation does not work for, the next best way to participate is to have synchronized lighting leading up to the freeway entrances to help cut down on the go-stop pollution. |
| Encourage real estate agents to show and sell more homes in the central parts of Tucson and keep more families more centrally located. | This is important because it will keep developers from continuing to go east and north and raping our foothills to offer new housing to buyers. Developers need to be more thoughtful of how many new faucets they apply for when building for the flood of mid westerners and easterners coming to Tucson. We need to think of building enough to accommodate our younger generations as they grow their families and stop attracting the flood of outsiders. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Mission and Valencia 85746 // Years here: 63 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 145. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | It makes me feel happy and lets me enjoy more outdoor activities all year around. I hate the cold. It is depressing. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would have more of a variety of restaurants, shopping near valencia. | I don't enjoy driving so far and I like to shop. |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Valencia westover 85746 // Years here: 39 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 146. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The sense of community | I have a lot of good friends here |
| The Sonoran Desert | That I can get to the outdoors easily and be active outside |
| Lifestyle | I easily can get where I need to go, there are lots of inexpensive things to do and quality educational and cultural events |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Willingness to invest in the community | I need clients that want to spend appropriate amounts of money on new projects |
| Willingness to give up something to get something better | The response to any plan is so negative nothing ever gets done or it is so compromised it should have never been done. |
| Improve the commitment to public education | Without a quality public school system new companies with high paying jobs won't come here and items 1 and 2 will never change |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Alvernon 85711 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 147. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Its diverse people and tolerance of diversity | I like that Tucson is a kind and friendly place to live and to visit. |
| Its relaxed lifestyle and dress code | I hate to dress up and I like that we live a little slower paced than, say, the East Coast, where I lived and disliked that people did not take the time to say hello and smile. |
| Year around motorcycling (and outdoor activities) | Woo-hoo! 'nugh said. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More mural art so we could have mural art tourism | We have the walls, diverse neighborhoods, and the talent! This would include the UA campus which could just as well be Ohio State if it did not have palm trees along its roads. |
| I would end rodeo day off at school and make it a day off for Tucson Meet Yourself and make Tucson Meet Yourself a week long event | It is a fantastic showcase of all that Tucson is and could be a money maker if organized better. |
| I would make motorcycle/scooter specific parking downtown like some cities do | Encourage this often ignored way to reduce the carbon footprint, my cycle and I take less space, use less gas, emit less fumes and it is a fun way to commute and go downtown for fun (if one had reliable parking and did not feel bad taking up a whole car space). |
| Date of survey: Oct 20, 2010 // Home near: Rudasill and 1st avenue 85718 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 148. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Good variety of cultural events | Symphony, museums, great public and community radio, good theater. |
| Size | No so small that it can't support good cultural stuff, but not over run with freeways either. |
| The university | Attracts young people and educated people, and provides great diversity, as well as things for the public to do: museums, Centennial Hall, Music school, dance, theater, festivals |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The city government | Why does it seem so problematic? Business people (I"m not one, but I read the papers) have complained for years about the difficulty of working with the city. Can't they resolve that? Rio Nuevo has become a joke, is it the mayor's and city council's fault or the RN board? I genuinely don't know and am frustrated about it. When I have personally worked with city officials i find them all individually to be intelligent caring people. But when you put the whole thing together it just doesn't seem to work. Departments that operate independently seem to work really well: the Zoo, the Library (Oh, I forgot, that got transferred to the County), Tucson water. |
| Public Education | I would put so much effort into public schools, including good PR and, yes, money, that people will prefer them to Charters. Shared K-12 is what made generations of Americans all American, with a shared set of values and goals. |
| Public safety | I've lived in my current house 8 years and it has been burglarized 4 times. My car was stolen from in front of a busy restaurant on Speedway in broad daylight. Do I have to convert my home and car into fortresses to live here? I've been pouring money into windows, gates, security doors, alarm systems, etc. I'd rather pay more taxes for better drug prevention/police work. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Wilmot/Fifth 85711 // Years here: 24 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 149. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate | I don't really like cold weather, driving in snow, etc. |
| Culture | The diversity brought in through the university, high tech companies, religious refugees, etc. adds color to our society, exposure to new beliefs, introduction of new types of food, etc. |
| Proximity to good hiking, mountains to escape the heat | I like to stay active. In the summer you can escape the heat by going to the mountains and still be able to exercise outdoors. In the winter, there are hiking/biking/walking trails all over town. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Manage the growth for sustainability | I'm concerned about water usage. It seems like there should be calculations that show average usage per household, golf course, etc. Then based on this information you can determine at what point we can no longer sustain the growth. Right now I don't believe this is even looked at when large builders come in, scrape a huge area of land and mass build. We also need to review what types of businesses move into the area. In Phoenix and Albuquerque there are huge semi-conductor plants. They bring in jobs, but they also use a huge amount of ground water that we can't afford to lose. This needs to be prohibited. |
| Focus on jobs tailored toward our community | We really need to focus on creating job opportunities to sustain the growth in the area. I find it embarrassing that the large solar companies in Tucson and Albuquerque are owned by German companies. We have a natural resource that could be tapped into for many jobs, yet we actually have neighborhood associations that prohibit solar due to aesthetics. This has changed recently, but the mindset is still there. It really needs to change, so solar is a requirement especially in building large communities and large buildings. The energy can be harvested and possibly even sold to California where they struggle with "brown outs". |
| Education | We have a good university. Statistically, I understand most of the students in high-tech fields are foreign nationals. We need to change our high-school graduation standards to enable our children to move into these fields and therefore bring the technology and innovation back home and keep the jobs here. Maybe the state could create a program where students can work 18 months in community service and then get credit to attend university for free or at 25% fees. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft/River 85750 // Years here: 37 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 150. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The great scenery | Because I can enjoy it at any given moment, on any given day |
| The great places to visit | Because when I have a day off...I don't want to just sit around |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The politicians/city government | Because they are idiots, and don't know what they're doing |
| Get more convention type facilities | It would bring in more revenue |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Picture Rocks & Sandario 85743 // Years here: 36 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 151. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Community support | Several projects I have had the last few years to benefit the community have had tremendous support. |
| Small town feeling | I have lived in major cities and they are like a treadmill going constantly with little community interaction. |
| Slower pace of life than other large cities | I hate traffic, traffic traffic and fast pace in most cities the size of Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Local government | The existing local government does not understand business and what it takes to stimulate businesses to get established in Tucson. |
| Better support of the arts. | I am an artist and it is very difficult to make a living as an artist in Tucson. |
| Cross town traffic access. | Service streets get so backed up and the stoplights on the main thoroughfares during the day make it very time consuming getting across town. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Stone/University 85705 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 152. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural open space and gorgeous mountain backdrops | Aesthetically gorgeous area that provides a sense of freedom, reflection and connection to the natural world |
| Opportunity to see wildlife | Seeing animals in the wild is awe-inspiring and adds to the quality-of-life of this community |
| University town | Opportunity to take classes, go to great lectures, see wonderful performances, and to be stimulated by academic discussions and workshops. The community benefits from the cutting edge work of the university and the fostering of educated professionals |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sprawling development | With sprawl, you lose the sense of place and the unique identify of the Tucson region. You also destroy the resources that make this area so desirable and attractive. |
| More emphasis on architectural design and landscaping | This community deserves great architecture and landscaped plazas, walks and main streets that make it comfortable and fun to be outdoors year-round |
| Need light rail or rapid transit bus system | Roads are ugly, destroy open space, inevitably get congested and have to be widened, and are time consuming and costly. I want to be able to travel in an efficient, safe, rapid manner to various destinations around town |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine/La Canada 85737 // Years here: 18 | |
| Survey: 153. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather | Being able to lots of outdoor activities most of the year. |
| Rich culture | Diverse heritages |
| The small town feel | You can know almost everyone or a friend of theirs |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Make Tucson a business-friendly city. | The current City Council does not encourage businesses to come to Tucson. It appears that they have never run a business. |
| Better road maintenance | The roads are in need or overlays or complete re-builds. |
| Making sure that the is complete funding for transportation, parks, police and fire before any sending is spent on special interests or charities. | If we can't completely fund transportation, parks, and police and fire, we have no business giving money to special interests or charities. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Speedway/Craycroft 85711 // Years here: 54 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 154. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Mild, not as hot as Phoenix, especially in the evenings (we cool down more), and the highs are not as hot so we can spend more months outside with our kids (hikes on weekends and sports activities during the school year). |
| Nature - the natural desert | Tucson embraces the fact that we live in the desert and our front yard landscapes in residential settings and the professional landscape designs in retail/commercial properties show this. |
| Proximity to the mountains. | In Tucson we have all 4 regions of mountains very close to us - usually within 30 minutes maximum drive time to be IN the mountain regions enjoying picnic areas and hiking trails or tram rides or sunset lookouts. You are never far from an outdoor experience! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Bureaucracy of our government/city council | The politicians of our community are an absolute joke and a group of self-serving egos. I've attended city council meetings for various issues and they speak in a different language than normal people. Politicians like to hear their own voices and it takes them about 100 sentences to make a point, whereas a true business-minded individual might take 5 sentences to make the same point. |
| Business and job environment | Large corporations and large retail entities often choose other cities over Tucson because of the "red tape" they face here, the lack of ability to make decisions quickly, and the unwillingness to give deep tax breaks that other cities are willing to give. We lost Spring Training! We lose large retail chains! We don't expand in big business!l |
| Education | I have children who are elementary-school ages and would not even CONSIDER putting them in any of the public schools of Tucson. Our schools are in the news quite often and rarely for positive reasons. I truly believe that charter schools will take over the system if supply and demand prevails. Not everyone has the financial means to afford private school as I do (we choose to spend nearly $7000 - $9000 per year on our children's education and do not take any fancy vacations), but with charter schools as a free option, I'm encountering more and more parents who are choosing the charter schools over their neighborhood public schools. STOP REWARDING MEDIOCRACY in our schools. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Camino de Oeste 85745 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 155. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains | Hiking and beauty |
| Sunshine | I love the sun |
| Biking | I love people getting healthy and the bike events, esp. urban assault. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| People | I just think people are not as friendly here as they were in Texas. It is too "all my own". |
| Cross town freeway | Traffic sucks here. we need better transportation grid |
| Public trans. | Better public transportation - light, fast rail. Make Tucson like Portland. our buses are not very good, they are ugly and they don't run to the suburbs frequently enough. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: oro valley - tangerine and rancho vistoso 85755 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 156. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Aesthetic beauty of the surrounding mountains | The Mountains are very calming and provide recreational opportunities. |
| Friendly and welcoming people | Tucson is a melting pot of sorts - people looking for a great lifestyle and to enjoy life. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 | |
| Survey: 157. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Easy to live here - minimal traffic for city this size | Although we don't really have a freeway system, the traffic is easily manageable. Doesn't take too long to drive from one side of town to the other. |
| Weather, natural beauty | No matter where you are, in which direction you are headed, the view is great. And the weather can't be beat. |
| Lifestyle - easy, not formal | Tucson offers a wide variety of activities; the arts, sports, and lots of architecture! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Condition of the roads | The re-work seems short-lived, and the road conditions become really bad before they re-work them again. |
| Really focus on down-town re-vamp | I would love to have more to do downtown. The historic buildings are wonderful and should be put to good use. |
| A few better parks | Probably too expensive to keep up lots of parks, but the good ones are crowded. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Swan 85711 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 158. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I'm from the Midwest, and the cold will break your spirit. Tucson is hot in the summer, but that is a lot easier to take than winters in Iowa |
| History-people-culture | It's a fascinating place for me, with the mixture of Native Americans, Mexicans, and everybody else who lives here. |
| Mountains and desert | I love to be outside, and the infinite variety of places to go here is awesome. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Secede from the state of Arizona | For some reason Phoenix is possessed by demons, who then make the rules for us. |
| The lack of public amenities | Severe shortage of places for people to congregate, other than parks, that are shady, attractive comfortable for families. |
| Build the promised cultural attractions downtown | The failure to follow through with the most important pieces of Rio Nuevo has created a very ugly atmosphere of mistrust of govt., even by those of us who wholeheartedly supported the package. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: 12th and Valencia 85706 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 159. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| People care about Tucson | They do what they can do make it a better place |
| People know each other | It is still small and people who know each other care about each other. |
| I like that Tucson attracts people who like to work out. | I like to bike, run, swim, hike, and there is a ton of people in Tucson I can do this with |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better education | My kids need a solid education |
| Better jobs | Good jobs help support the community. |
| More trails and bike paths. | It would give me and other more places to workout. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Anklam greaswood 85745 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 160. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Convenience | It doesn't take long to get what you need. There is always a store nearby. |
| Parks | Variety of city parks and National Parks to go to and spend the day. |
| Beauty | Tucson is surrounded by 4 beautiful mountain ranges. The desert landscape is also beautiful. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Road construction | I know road construction is needed, but I think there needs to be a better plan in place so there is limited construction during rush hour traffic, especially on the freeways. In town, parallel roads should not have simultaneous construction. We need better alternate paths. |
| City Council | We need to have a more experienced and people oriented city council to represent the people of Tucson |
| Crime | There is a lot of crime in Tucson. we need more police officers so that they can patrol neighborhoods and high crime areas more often. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Trico and Marana 85653 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 161. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Being able to see the mountains everywhere i look...small buildings to allow me to do this | Looking at the mountains helps to put things into perspective for me. They remind me everyday there are things greater then myself. I also like how the houses and other establishments are one level so that i can see the mountains. |
| I like fourth avenue. | I enjoy the creativity that people bring to the stores there. However, over the past couple of months it seems like it has been getting a little to violent there and I no longer visit there after dark. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 | |
| Survey: 162. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Access to Wilderness & Weather | We have beautiful land, extraordinary wildlife & weather that supports healthy outdoor activities and appreciation of nature; hiking, golf, picnics, outdoor community & social events |
| Diversity | Melting pot of many different cultures and interests; Southwestern art; Education UA biotech and Solar center, astronomy; 4th Avenue Street fair; Tour De Tucson; Soccer Tournament; Gem Show, etc. |
| Culture | People are generally courteous, friendly, considerate and helpful to each other |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Jobs, Economic transformation | Governments need to focus on creating a sustainable and robust economy to generate resident well being, needed tax revenues for services vs. tax and fee increases, retain our UA graduates. Focus on development of orders for large scale solar electric facilities would be a way to do so, also reduce water usage/reduce environmental damage and related subsequent costs to taxpayers/government |
| Maintenance of existing infrastructure before expansion | City of Tucson does not budget to maintain infrastructure(Repair potholes to prevent loss of foundation, loss of roadway, and cost to replace at 10x cost to repair |
| Responsible/accountable Government leadership | Similar to private sector where lack of performance results in significant consequence/extinction, Tie compensation to quantifiable performance metrics(job creation); Pay for performance not explanations...base 1/2 salary on achievement of goals(incentive compensation)...if chronic failure, allow termination. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Swan & Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 60 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 163. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | The weather is beautiful most of the time. Easy to plan activities outside to enjoy the environment and scenery. |
| Environment | The people who live here are friendly and enjoyable. There is lots of culture. I love the university and it's many offerings for sports, art, history and theater. |
| Food | There are lots of great restaurants (especially mexican food) that are run by local people. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Economy | Tucson is a wonderful community that could support a large industry. We have Davis Monthan and Ratheon, but could support other larger industries. We also have a wealth of craftsmen. People need to work. |
| Schools | We need consistent quality leadership to provide this type of education to Tucson's youth. |
| Homeless | We need to look at some type of facility for coordinated health care, treatment, job training, feeding and housing that will address individual needs and transition people back into the workforce. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Speedway/Craycroft 85711 // Years here: 46 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 164. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| NOTHING | There is nothing in this town for to keep kids busy. |
| NOTHING | There is nothing in this town for to keep kids busy. |
| NOTHING | There is nothing in this town for to keep kids busy. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 | |
| Survey: 165. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather/climate | The fall and winter months are especially nice because of the mild temperatures. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More retail businesses in the downtown area | For tourists, visitors, and employees working in the downtown area, there is nothing there to attract them. The majority of retail businesses are not in the downtown area. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Broadway & Wilmot 85711 // Years here: 54 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 166. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Is the desert area, air is clean and blue skies | Nothing like waking to birds singing and taking a deep breath with clean air and blue sky. What a great way to start the day. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic flow | Horrible traffic flow, seems like way too much time spent in long queues at red lights. |
| Safer bicycle routes | I use to ride my bike 35 miles a week for exercise but stopped do to drivers (cars) not caring and cyclists who do not obey laws while riding. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Grant & Swan 85712 // Years here: 24 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 167. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sunset | I can relax and enjoy the evening after work in the patio |
| People are friendly | It is easy to carry a conversation with a complete stranger |
| Weather | If it gets to hot you can allays drive to Mt Lemmon to cool down and enjoy other scenery |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Bring more activities | Have more activities that will benefit the youth in our community, to educate and inform on the issues in our state |
| Get more police | We need more police force that are better trained |
| Discrimination to Mexicans | A very large Percentage of our income comes from the Mexican Consumer they deserve respect |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: 1st and Rudasill 85718 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 168. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather/Cleaner air | It's great having mild weather most of the year, although summers can be very long. While not retired, I am older so the mild weather matters a lot Sometimes dust can be a problem, but otherwise the air is cleaner than many other major cities/communities. |
| Scenery/Wildlife | The Greater Tucson area is extremely scenic from Sonoran desert to mountains to big sky. We have some of the best sunsets in the world. You don't have to live way out in the country to see a variety of wildlife day and night, and dark skies offer terrific star gazing. |
| Friendliness/Small town feeling | People here are pretty friendly, and drivers are nowhere near as rude & aggressive as other major cities. While there are many cultural events, restaurants, museums and activities, the area still has a small town feel, maybe due to the fact that Great Tucson sprawls over a large area. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Border Control | Lack of border control has severely impacted funds & services for legal residents. It causes higher taxes to pay for services to illegals, and it depresses our wages. Illegals clog hospitals and overwhelm health care services. Our children are short-changed on education. The morgue has refrigerated trailers full of bodies; again all costs borne by residents for investigation of death, storage & ultimate disposal. |
| A faster way to cross town west to east | It's difficult for anyone to get across town due to the lack of foresight of not building a freeway or expressway years ago in the mistaken belief it would control things & contribute to a hometown feel. It may not be possible to build a somewhat closed-access roadway east to west, but it is really needed. |
| Better roadway construction planning | It can be impossible to get around town due to multiple construction projects that are concurrent. Example: LaCanada is a major north/south route that has been torn up for about 2 years, and if Cholla is started before LaCanada is done it will strangle the northwest side. Also, intersection improvements are slated for Ina-Oracle, and Oracle is now carrying a heavy load due to LaCanada. The County should not tear up or cause more than one roadway to be functionally impassable at one time. When police are on site, they just sit in cars and don't direct traffic, which sure would be helpful! |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: LaCanada & Overton 85704 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 169. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Southwest flavor | Tucson is the epitome of the southwest. No other city has the same feel of blending of the Mexican and American cultures. |
| The scenery and mountains | What more is to say. The mountains can be seen from everywhere, and provide relief from the heat. A short trip in any direction gets one out of the city and into the country. |
| The feeling of community | Tucson has a community that bands together when it needs to. You can go anywhere in this city, and feel welcomed. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Water usage | Water is the one thing that will kill this city in the long run. If we cannot use less fresh water and use more reclaimed water, we will draw the aquifer down to levels that are not sustainable. One bad long term drought, and this city is in trouble. |
| Sustainability | We grow little food. Have little access to water. We have to drive everywhere. The mass transit system is lacking. We harvest very little storm water. We manufacture very little compared to other cities of this size. |
| Lack of walkable communities | Many parts of the Tucson area are not set up for people to get about without a car. This is mostly in the outer areas. Tucson, like Los Angeles, needs to learn to grow upwards, not outwards. There are many parts of this city that do not even have sidewalks adjacent to major roads! |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Ina and La Cholla 85741 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 170. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Beautiful mountains and desert | Close access to mountains and surrounding desert with good roads to get there. Also |
| Good weather, sunsets and monsoon rain | Enjoy the beautiful sunsets and the smells, clouds, strength of monsoon rains and that don't last that long. |
| Good hospitals, doctors, retirement centers | Good hospitals and doctors that are close to home and work like Northwest Medical Center. Good beautiful retirement centers that take care of the elderly like Fountains of LaCholla. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Eliminate the big brother City and County photo radars | All photo radar in the city and county need to join the State by eliminating all photo radar. These robot machines need to be replaced by police officers who catch the violator in the act of the violation. |
| Finish the road widening projects. | The Regional Transportation Plan is good to upgrade and widen the roads, but it takes too long to complete the projects. Also need bridges built over the CDO wash at Overton and also at LaCholla to allow traffic to move during the monsoon rains. |
| Reduce taxes | The sales tax was increased again to 9.1 percent and hopefully not again after the 11-2-2010 voting. Property tax is too much with the majority again going to education which also is too much. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: LaCanada x Overton 85704 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 171. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Its setting and feel. | The fact that we live in a community where most feel it is important to not only plan for development in the future, but doing it in a way that protects the beauty of this area. One of the important reasons I like living here are the natural open areas that are so close to where we live and accessible |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Infrastructure - lack of. | There needs to be a better infrastructure plan. With a growing community, we cannot rely on just our own individual vehicles. This is why we are in the traffic mess we are in today, with an RTA program readily admitting that those monies are like a down payment on a much larger and costly problem. There should be a light rail or similar transit system available for this community. |
| Better paying jobs. | I wish more comprehensive focus be given to attracting larger industries with better paying jobs, offering higher skill jobs. It would be an incentive to retain students coming out of our own universities. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Harrison 85748 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 172. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I do not like the snow |
| Weather | I do not like the snow |
| Weather | I do not like the snow |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Freeway on Grant to go West to East on Houghton | It is a pain to get across town. Too much traffic |
| Freeway on Grant to go West to East on Houghton | It is a pain to get across town. Too much traffic |
| Fun Park | Kids need more activities |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Prince and Flowing Wells 85705 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 173. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The sense of community | Although this is a large city, it still has a small town feel about it. People within a particular neighborhood know each other and for the most part care about their neighbor |
| The diversity of the community | Due to the U of A, Pima CC, DMAF, retiree's and Ratheon (sic), we attract people from all walks of life, culture and religion, so we're given an opportunity to learn from one another. |
| Natural habitat and weather | Now who can complain about the great weather, mountains, and etc. All of God's natural wonders gives us the privilege to be out in our natural environment |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lack of employment opportunities | The need to provide employment goes hand and hand with improving the region and state. It would also give the young graduates from the U of A and etc. a reason to stay and improve our community, not take their education and ideas somewhere else because there's nothing for them here. |
| Local government is out of touch with the community | Both County and City governments, sit and dream of what they'd like, and only listen to the squeaky wheels who are more interested in keeping things as they are, and not moving ahead. Additionally, they're afraid to make the type of tough changes that are required to move the community into the future. |
| Infrastructure neglect | Do I really need to go into details? I jokingly say that I have to drive an SUV, because our streets will swallow up a small car. Regardless of what they say, just check for yourself, but certain parts of the region get more attention than others, e.g. Foothills, and far east side, because that's where the money is, and they fill the elected officials campaign funds. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Prince/Roger 85705 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 174. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Arts/cultural events/heritage | Tucson is a multicultural community which offers so many artists, cultural events, University/educational opportunities. |
| Scenic beauty | We are surrounded by mountains, a huge variety of flora and unique plants. |
| Small town feel | Even though we are 1 million people, I am constantly surprised by the close-knit groups and overlapping networking of people I know. Everyone knows someone I know!! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | We really need an East-West freeway or corridor. |
| Education | The majority of our school districts are below the standards that I would like to see. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Houghton/Tanque Verde 85749 // Years here: 32 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 175. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Its casual style | Came from Midwest Rigid dress code. Rigid everything |
| No slums | No riots. 4th Ave after the college basketball championship game doesn�t count. Tucson is pretty integrated. |
| Winter weather | The weather in the winter is awesome. Its those 4 months of incredible beautiful weather, and a little bit of rain that allow me to spend any time outdoors. The rest of the year - forget it. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Local leadership / government | Its as if the elected officials have never been anywhere else. They make such poor decisions. Rio Nuevo - need i say more. And other money pit schemes. |
| Education | Its pathetic. We are ranked #49 in the nation. And they keep slashing funding. Where would any of us be without a good education - - on the system - - or in jail. |
| The high cost of housing | Low wages, poor education, and high cost of living. Now I cant get the kids out of the house and on their own, cuz they cant afford anything. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Ft. Lowell / Campbell 85719 // Years here: 37 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 176. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Ease of commute and transportation from one end of the city to the other | Lifestyles are becoming more hectic and ease of movement within the city is important in getting things done |
| Cost of living is good, not cheap but OK | One must survive, so cost of living is important to be able to live and pay bills |
| Pima county govt for the most part is receptive and getting better with customer service for constituents | Government is very hard to navigate. who does what, and government needs to be utilized by constituent to meet their needs, we must demand transparency and ease of navigation |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown is run down and dominated by the homeless and criminals, that needs to change | Downtown is the heart of any city and people should be able to live here and move around without fear, at any hour, not just 8-5 |
| Bring businesses and restaurants to downtown | Build a mall like in Providence RI and Sacramento CA, or a park with benches and landscaping for people to socialize and shop, Tucson has so much potential but no business friendly environment |
| Government buildings are old and run down, landscaping is dead/not well maintained | Invest in government buildings curb appeal, and maintain landscaping to set an example for the rest of the community, take pride where you live |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: sunrise and sabino canyon 85750 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 177. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Sonoran desert and climate | The uniqueness of the surrounding desert area to anywhere else in the USA |
| The cultural arts events available | The Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the AZ Friends of Chamber Music, the U of A music and dance and drama, the Rogue Theatre, the Tucson Museum of Art, the Center for Creative Photography, and many more fine organizations |
| Tucson is liberal and multi-cultural and accepting | The people who largely make up this city are friendly and take pride in its uniqueness |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve the condition of the streets and the street signs | I drive around Tucson, almost daily. The streets are in bad shape. I do not like freeways and I'm happy there are non bisecting our city. |
| Continue to make downtown Tucson more vibrant, livable | The heart of Tucson is its downtown area. I have been saddened to see the waste and inefficient use of the funds allocated to the Rio Nuevo. It's tragic when leaders cannot work together for the common good. Often I attend events and volunteer in the downtown area. |
| Enforce rules to protect our desert from further development | The natural beauty of the desert is the most important resource in Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Fort Lowell and Columbus 85712 // Years here: 13 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 178. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It is still a small town. | There seems to be only 2 degrees of separation in Tucson. Very comforting. |
| The weather. | I really do like the heat. |
| Activities | There are so many (too many) things to do in Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown | We need a downtown that is vibrant. They have new living areas, but no grocery stores? We have places to visit, but poor parking. Etc. |
| Education | Education is a mess. Our graduation rates are dismal and our legislators are idiots. |
| Incorporate more of the county so we would receive a fair share of our tax dollars. | All infrastructure could improve if more of our tax dollars returned to Pima County. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: River and Campbell 85718 // Years here: 45 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 179. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate | I love to be outdoors, not cooped up in a house during the winter months. Diversity of the landscape. Mountains, desert, etc. |
| Culture | The Southwest culture with the hispanic heritage is appealing. |
| Universities | Our three main Universities with their National / World acclaims. Research capabilities and diversity of the schools. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation System | The concept of "if we don't build it, they won't come" doesn't work. People will continue to move hear and we must plan for them. |
| Business Climate | We have an enormous "brain drain" from our University. There must be a business structure that keeps this talent hear in our region. We need a higher quantity of professional jobs. |
| Political Climate | I have lived here for 30 years and we're still fighting about the same issues today as we were back then. We need true leaders in our community. It's time to vote in people that want the best for our entire region, not just their neighborhood interests. We need visionaries from the public, private, and educational sectors. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Lambert & La Canada 85737 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 180. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The beauty of the desert and mountains | The sense of wonder and awe. |
| The community's left-leaning bent | I am aligned politically with most of our area's leaders. |
| The weather | I don't have to shovel snow in the winter. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Line neighborhood streets with trees | Whenever I travel to Phoenix, there is an abundance of trees that shade streets and sidewalks. Few of Tucson�s streets are shaded in this manner. This makes walking and waiting for the bus hot and uncomfortable. More trees might encourage less use of automobiles. |
| Reign in Home Owner Associations! | Home Owner Associations are often more about harassing residents than about improving the community. Why should clothes lines be banned anywhere, when using them lessens our dependence on non-renewable energy sources? This but one example. Why can HOAs negatively impact our efforts for sustainability? No swamp coolers; trees can't be taller than your house, no clothes lines, etc. Their rules are arbitrary and idiotic. Working people raising families often don't have time to serve on HOA boards that are typically ruled by people who have nothing better to do than scrutinize their neighbors' yards, search for any little thing out of place or out of compliance and then bombard residents with irritating mail. |
| Free parking garages downtown | Efforts to bring more visitors downtown will not happen until there is easy, free parking. People who are unfamiliar with downtown already are somewhat apprehensive about one way streets, diagonal roads, etc. In addition, they do not know where easy parking is and too many meters downtown do not provide adequate time to get anything accomplished. I suggest that a free parking garage or lot be available directly adjacent to downtown with free trolleys or shuttles or a parking facility directly in the downtown area to allow people easy free parking. For some reason, people hate to pay for parking and will avoid places where they have to pay. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Silverbell and Sweetwater Drive 85745 // Years here: 33 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 181. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity of culture | I find it enjoyable to have a variety of activities to pursue whether it be eating at a Mexican restaurant, fine steak house, or upscale restaurant (think La Encantada) |
| Environmental Awareness | I appreciate Tucson's dark sky initiative, desert conservation plan, bright starts, multitude of hiking trails and outdoor activities in the Catalina mountains. |
| I enjoy working downtown | I can walk during lunch and finish personal chores during this hour as well as visit the library (still free!) or sample great food at the farmer's market or Tucson Meet Yourself |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Encourage more urban development downtown | Downtown suffers because there are not a lot of people living downtown. Condos above stores is a great idea. People are located near activities so they can walk to events. Additional population density downtown would provide more business for the downtown core. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: El Camino del Cerro/Camino de Oeste 85745 // Years here: 17 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 182. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It's where I grew up | It's where I grew up -- lots of fond memories |
| Catalina Mountains | I do love seeing the Catalina Mountains every day, but am dismayed that the houses are creeping up the slopes. |
| Winter climate | I don't like the colder weather, but have finally gotten to the point where it's too hot here in the summers for me. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cities and County governments cooperation | The cities in Pima County and the County government need to understand that more will be accomplished by cooperating and working together than by the constant bickering, lawsuits, etc. that only leads to wasted money and hard feelings. It's ridiculous. |
| Focus more on getting rid of crime | People are starting to be afraid to go out at night. The meth, gangs, smugglers, etc. are giving this town a bad name and making it so that people are having second thoughts about moving here. |
| Improve the schools | I'm tired of AZ being on the bottom of the list for educational excellence. One reason is because retirees vote down propositions and overrides for schools, etc., because they have already raised their kids. Another reason is because we have a large immigrant population that doesn't even try to learn English. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine and Oracle 85739 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 183. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | T shirts and shorts for most of the year |
| Outdoor activities | Quality of life |
| Wildlife | Quality of life |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Economic diversity | Creation of more skilled jobs |
| Roadway system | Consider Ina / River to be thoroughfares without stops. NOT, I repeat, NOT in the vain of the road to nowhere (aka Aviation Corridor) |
| Better BBQ joints | Quite simply, this town could benefit from better BBQ joints |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft / River 85750 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 184. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town feel with good amenities | Lots of personal relationships, community collaboration and connections. Feeling personally important to local businesses. |
| Beautiful surroundings and opportunities to enjoy these | Great environment in which to live and work, abundant recreational opportunities for all interests |
| Cultural history | Tucson's history and culture is embraced by the community and embodied throughout in both physical forms and activities |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Eliminate government bickering | Tucson has been repeatedly been hamstrung by the inability of our political leaders to work for the greater good of our community |
| Improved transportation | With the repeated failure to build a viable roadway system when it could be done cost -effectively accomplished, Tucson is saddled with an inefficient system of surface streets that need to be supplemented through light rail and express-type roadways. |
| Clean up the I-10 corridor | The I-10 corridor is unattractive gateway to and through Tucson. An improved image of our community will help stimulate future quality development and pride in our community |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Sweetwater / Camino de Oeste 85745 // Years here: 32 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 185. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown Festivities | I like the diversity of events that occur in our beautiful downtown area. Like the Meet Yourself, Downtown Saturday nights, Christmas Parade, Various ethnic festivities, etc. |
| Weekend events are plentiful | There are great options to be able to visit various areas and events around town. |
| Geography | I love living downtown, working in the North side of town, can visit Mt Lemmon, Sabino Canyon or go to Mexico all within an hour away. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Street capacity | Our streets are still intended for a smaller city while Tucson is growing exponentially. We desperately need rapid transit system. There is no good street to get to the East side of town because Aviation goes too south. |
| Rail system to Phoenix | We need a fast way to get to the Phoenix metro area to decrease the automobile traffic on 1-10. |
| Better Advertisement of Downtown events | I live downtown and it'd be great if the Marquis outside of the TCC would be located near the street either on Convent, Granada or Congress rather than near the ticket booth which is difficult to see. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: 22nd and 10th Ave. 85701 // Years here: 45 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 186. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The surrounding mountain hills | The preserved mountain hills and tops add to magnificence of the greater Tucson area. Also, the water consciousness starting with diversification of sources, conservation efforts by Tucson Water and Water Reclamation and bio solids recycling efforts by Pima County. |
| The laid back life style | No traffic snarls such as in Virginia, new York and L.A. |
| The University of Arizona | It brings the best of academia, diversity, Arts, Sports, services and pride. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Add a traffic highway belt. | It will make it easier for me, living central-Northwest, to do business on the east side of town, provide more entertainment activities to my family and keep in touch with my friends on the east and northeast side of town. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: River Road and La Canada Drive 85704 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 187. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Desert and mountain mix | Fell in love with it |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 | |
| Survey: 188. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Desert and Mountain Mix | Fell in love with it |
| Still small town compared to Phoenix | Did not want to live in big town. Lived in Denver and Seattle |
| Wildlife out my front door | Neat to see wildlife in your street or front yard and still live in an area where an assortment of jobs can be obtained |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Some of the politics of city and county | Seems like everyone is radical. Would get more done if some would give just a little |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Ajo and Kinney 85713 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 189. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Nature and Climate | The continual visual access to the beautiful mountains, the easy physical access to beautiful natural sites. The year around possibility for out door activity and bicycle commuting. The year around possibility for out door activity and bicycle commuting |
| The diversity of the community | The ability to meet people of different cultures, to hear different languages at the grocery store. |
| The arts | There are a lot of opportunities to enjoy the arts: Opera, Art Galleries, Plays, street musicians (occasionally) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership | We have no strong leader that will articulate a vision and work to achieve it. |
| Common Plan for the region | We are all one social and economic unit, the artificial jurisdictional boundaries are both the result of, and continue, us vs. them arguments. When Lake Mead runs dry...we are all in a heap of trouble if we don't have the answer to the following two questions: What is the reason for Tucson to exist? and why do we want to be hear? These are not rhetorical questions, archaeologists love to sift through the desert sands to research ancient cultures, because the desert preserves the remains...and there are plenty of them! |
| Alternative Transportation | Even though we have escaped the strangulation of freeways, we are still car bound. We publicly support car travel ("free" streets and parking) and do not support alternatives. If you go out to dinner at a nice restaurant and have a glass of wine and you drive home, you are at risk for DUI. And your only alternative is to take a taxi. Where is the bus system? Develop an effective rapid bus system with local feeder routes. Work with the other public transportation system, the school buses! If there was one effective public transportation system including the resources currently spent on Suntran and the school buses, we would have a great alternative...and keep providing those bike lanes for those of us who what to stay fit while we get around instead of driving to the gym! |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Grant and Craycroft 85712 // Years here: 47 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 190. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Beautiful Sonoran Desert | I can go from downtown Tucson to the middle of pristine desert in 10 minutes for hiking, biking, and wildlife watching. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mass transit | I hate being stuck in traffic. I would like to have more opportunities to ride public transportation, or urban trails |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: stone and grant 85705 // Years here: 41 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 191. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather and geography | Pleasant climate and aesthetically pleasing natural environment. |
| Proximity to San Diego, Las Vegas | Close to family and friends in those locations (CA and NV) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Political balance. | Current political power structure is out of balance and ineffectual. |
| Increase the # and influence of basic/primary employers | The private sector in the region is too small and not vocal enough. |
| Consolidation of unincorporated areas into one or more municipalities. | This should begin with a consolidation of City of Tucson and Pima County, it should extend then into incorporating the rest of unincorporated Pima County into one of the existing cities. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: La Canada and Naranja 85737 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 192. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Undeveloped desert and mountains | Open land with relatively intact ecosystems are important for me to spend time in. I wouldn't willingly live anywhere where this wasn't the case. The Sonoran Desert, Sky Island Mountain Ranges, and rivers like the San Pedro and Santa Cruz are truly unique and significant at a Continental scale. I do all I can and encourage others to do all they can to protect them. |
| Proximity to Mexico/tribes/multicultural | My culture is wonderful, but so are others. I always want to have the opportunity to explore, interact, and exchange with people from other cultures. Mexico is a wonderful place. The Borderlands are wonderful and full of amazing history, but impoverished, polluted, and a place of disproportionate violence. I want to be here to help improve that situation. |
| Progressive, creative environment | I love the University, the arts, and culture that Tucson offers. In general, the progressive atmosphere both politically and religiously really makes this a more happy place to live, a place where I'm not constantly having to battle with the people to convince them that I am not a criminal because I love someone of the same sex. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Anti-intellectual, anti-education atmosphere in region surrounding Tucson | A good education, free speech, freedom of thought with healthy, emotions-aren't-facts, mutually respectful discussion are the foundations of a strong democracy. There has lately been an erosion of this by people promoting fear and greed by whatever means to compel others to follow their emotion- and control-based agenda. |
| Requirement that Tucson always plan for growth | Growth is not required to have a healthy environment for humans. In this region, with scarce resources and fragile ecosystems, unchecked, unlimited growth is a very bad idea. |
| Environmental focus grossly insufficient re: water/reduce-reuse-recycle/public transportation/renewable energy/conserving wild lands | Though we may be slightly better than other cities, Tucson and its region have an environmental focus that is grossly insufficient given the fragile nature of the desert and mountain ecosystems in which we live, the extremely limited water resources of the region, and the real possibility of doing it all very differently while saving money! |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Grant and Mountain Avenues 85719 // Years here: 24 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 193. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Quite | From a big metropolitan area growing up and it is nice to digress from the commotion of everyday things. |
| Nice scenery (Mountains) | Where I'm from there isn't any mountains and the sunsets and sunrises are amazing against the backdrop of the mountains. |
| Weather | Other than the brutal summers the other seasons are outstanding. You could easily go the whole year in shorts and a big winter coat is not required here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Highway | Add additional loops to minimize travel time around the area. |
| More entertainment for kids | The youth don't have community centers, arcades, or skating rinks around town that they hang out. This is a social outlet that I think is important and it is lacking at the moment. |
| Sports Complex Facilities | A place for numerous sporting events can be housed here. Will generate revenue to the area. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Rancho Vistoso & Oracle 85739 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 194. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Nearby things to do for outdoor activities | Within a short 15-30 min. drive time you can get our of the city and into nature for hiking, biking, etc |
| People are friendly | Doesn't matter where you go you will always run into someone you know. Most people are from someplace else, thus they are interested in making acquaintances. |
| You can live in the dessert with land around you to experience the desert | I have a home in the foothills with an acres and often get to see the local wildlife; coyote, javalina, lizards, snakes, bobcats, etc. I love seeing the cacti and the mountains |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | I do not like that we HAVE no other options than surface streets to traverse the city. We are now over a million population--some people still think we are a small town and we will soon choke on our own emissions. We need freeways to deal with traffic now and into the future---we cannot sustain our population base without building freeways! |
| Lack of leadership in elected offices | Really! Need i say more! When you allow one or tow "neighbors" to vocalize and stop an adjacent commercially-zoned property from redeveloping within its zoning code or allowing it to revitalize to meet its full potential due to one or two vocal neighbors, that does not who any leadership in how the City staff or City elected official handle the center core. Shameful. |
| Get the City to hire the right people to work on annexation | If we hope to get more of our share of the tax revenues paid into the state, we need an effective communicator to get the community to embrace annexation. However, with the current state of our wimpy elected officials, we will not have any chance to have anyone want to be a part of that City! |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: 1st Ave/Orange Grove 85718 // Years here: 48 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 195. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown art/community | The culture and flavor of Tucson, primarily in the older, more established areas including downtown and university area. There is a vibe associated with these areas that is uniquely Tucson and separates us from other towns/cities. |
| The access to nature. | Having the 4 Mountain ranges all within a days drive for outings, hiking and family activities. |
| That we are more progressive than the rest of State. | Living in a red state is difficult for progressive thinkers, and Tucson is the closest thing Arizona has to a progressive outlook. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Public transportation. | Tucson is so spread out and unfriendly to non car users. It desperately needs an updated metro style public transportation system to enable people to better access it's gifts. |
| Make downtown more user friendly. | Every city that I visit has a vibrant, tourist friendly downtown that represents it's arts, food and culture. Tucson still needs work here. |
| In-fill over sprawl. | Tucson is vast and wide enough already. Fill in the mid-town areas that are under utilized and refill the public schools by investing in established neighborhoods and quit building seas of red roof tiles out in the boonies. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: craycroft/broadway 85711 // Years here: 40 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 196. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Physical Environment | Scenic beauty- 365 day/year outdoor recreation |
| University of Arizona | Besides being an alumni, I like the feel/character of a town with a major university. I noticed that when I travel I like towns that have colleges more than those that don't. |
| Unassuming/Western attitude | I like that our community is not caught up in a lot of affectation ("keeping up with the Jones'"). There is not a lot of class consciousness here and therefore not a lot of pressure to drive the right car, belong to the right country club, dress a certain way, etc... |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Leadership | We have to pass Prop 401. Leading this city is not a part time job. The old adage is "If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys for employees". That is what we have always had. We need to allow people that hold Mayor and Council seats enough pay that they can support a family. Someone that feels the calling to be a civic leader should not have to wait until they are retired so that they can afford to do it. If we don't change the pay scale, we will always be led by retirees and housewives rather than high quality people from our professional workforce. |
| Transportation | We do not have an opportunity to do a freeway- that has been off the table for a long time now. Failing that option, we need to follow-up on our streetcar/light rail initiative/motivation. I know that it is controversial, but it works.... |
| Attitude | When you travel to other places, you find people that love their city- hands down; no question. All too often, we, as citizens, let ourselves get bogged down in our regional and political problems and forget about the great place Tucson is. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Valencia & I-19 85629 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 197. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather and outdoor environment | The amount of space around me, not being crunched up, and the availability of outdoor activities |
| Proximity to services, culture and education | While I enjoy the outdoors I am probably more City oriented and do not want to be too far from the services / resources I depend on |
| People / sense of community | A sense of belonging. People are friendly, accommodating and present themselves as more value driven than people in larger cities. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Aggressively reduce crime | Public safety is paramount and we are no more than mediocre |
| Bring in more culture and activities in the arts | This enriches our lives and keeps the population local |
| Improve the local government | We suffer from a dramatic lack of leadership. Most of our leaders were placed by the buddy system and chosen because they were not likely to challenge the existing culture. We need competent professionals. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Houghton and Snyder 85749 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 198. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate | I like sunny days and warm climates. |
| Natural environment | I find the desert and mountains to be beautiful. I like to enjoy nature outside of an urban environment. |
| Lifestyle/people | Tucson is laid back and its resident are generally more accepting to differing lifestyles and cultures. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 | |
| Survey: 199. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The diversity in the community | Pima County, Tucson are representative by multicultural individuals. |
| Climate | Even though it's hot in Tucson and Pima county I enjoyed this weather. |
| Sunrises sunsets | Pima county has the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | The ability to move around Pima county in public transportation in a reasonable time frame in all communities . |
| Water and wastewater | I would remove from the authority from both Pima county and Tucson and make water and wastewater treatment unto itself. |
| Education | I would like to see all schools receive equal shares in funding no matter their tax base. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 85743 // Years here: 33 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 200. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Culturally aware folks | The many events available all year to learn more about all the cultures of the area. |
| Green groups | Saving the environment. |
| The many caring people who live here. | The small community feel to this area. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More water saving measures. | I live here. |
| To make more people aware of all the good in this community. | More people willing to reach out. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Speedway/Kolb 85710 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 201. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Warm winters | Being more active outdoors |
| Diverse scenery..desert and mountains | Hiking in the mountains |
| Not a lot of highrise buildings | Does not have the feel of a big city |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Boarder protection | I feel that Tucson has become gangsterland. I feel unsafe. |
| Transportation | Cannot get across town without it being a headache. |
| More parks and activities for our families and children | Kids get in trouble because they do not have safe, inexpensive and desirable places to go. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and El ConQuestador 85737 // Years here: 46 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 202. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The progressive, open-minded environment | I like the progressive vibe of Tucson because I feel like the community is open-minded and is moving in a forward positive direction in contrast to the rest of the state. I like that Tucsonans place a premium on education issues, immigration reform, urban revitalization, and working family issues in general. |
| The small-town feel | I love that Tucson has all the amenities of a large city but has a lot of local businesses that make it feel like a smaller town. I think this is unique in a City that has grown as much as ours and I enjoy this environment very much! |
| Desert environment | I love that Tucson embraces the desert environment instead of fighting against it the way cities like Phoenix do... I appreciate water harvesting features built into landscapes and the fact that homes and businesses use native plants to landscape instead of unsustainable features like grass and non-native trees. We live in a desert and I love that Tucsonans understand that and appreciate it! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Big-box stores | I don�t like them, I think the take away from the history of our area and drain tax dollars and resources away from the community! No more walmarts! |
| More public transportation | I am excited about the street car and feel that this is an excellent direction to move in... making our communities more livable and walkable is one reason i love Tucson and would like to see this focus continue |
| More bikeable areas | This goes with #2, giving residents alternatives to driving is always good for a city's population and the environment |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Grant / Tucson 85716 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 203. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Progressive leaders run city and county | Those elected in the city and county stand solidly for working families not special interests |
| Arts, culture, history & beautiful environment | Makes Tucson unique, eclectic and a great place to live |
| University of Arizona | Tucson is know nationally for work being done at the UA |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Image of Tucson has been destroyed by the special interests | Tucson is a great place to live and the special interests have smeared it's image because they don't like those who we elect |
| Education could be better | Education is generally very good but businesses need to invest in public education much more than they are |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: Speedway & Silverbell 85745 // Years here: 18 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 204. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The surrounding environment (mountains, parks, trails, etc) | I am a very active person and having different options to enjoy the outdoors is important to me |
| The different cultures that make up Tucson | The different events, food, music, and other cultural influences that come with a diverse group of people |
| Involvement with the U of A | I am a U of A grad and a lifelong fan, enjoy various events that the university brings and it also keeps the city vibrant 'hip" |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Way council\city is operated | Seems they get to caught up in pet projects instead of focusing on what is best for the entire city. for example, seems a lot of rio nuevo money was wasted on different projects that really had no chance of getting done. the arena, rainbow bridge are two off the top of my head. its frustrating to see so much time and money wasted when the initial purpose of rio nuevo was to improve infrastructure, create incentives and complete a few reasonable projects downtown. city lost sight of that once they saw the money rolling in and everyone had there hand out for over the top projects. |
| Date of survey: Oct 21, 2010 // Home near: grant\tucson 85716 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 205. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Weather | I suffer from severe osteoarthritis and I function so much better in the arid desert |
| The Mountains | I have always felt safe and secure within the circle of our various mountain ranges. |
| Easy Access to Nature | Here on the east side of town, I can load up my dogs and find an area to walk in with mountain views, warbling birds and a host of desert critters. The cares and woes fall away and my spirit is refreshed daily by these experiences. Please do not let the doubling of population rob us of these natural resources. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 | |
| Survey: 206. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate, the beauty and small town feel | I really enjoy being outdoors and with the climate you can be all year |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would like to see more splash pads in the North, Northwest part of Tucson | It is hard to escape the heat of the summer, having more splash pads around would help. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine/Rancho Vistoso 85755 // Years here: 22 | |
| Survey: 207. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Enjoy the weather | I can ride my motorcycle all year long |
| The views | I enjoy the views of the land scape |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Stop the retirement community | We have to stop all the retirement home building |
| Bring in some big business | Need big business in this town to make good paying jobs |
| Stop the one horse town ideal | Need to let the town grow. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: I-10 Tangernine 85653 // Years here: 25 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 208. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The U of A | Outstanding research and engineering |
| The mountains | The area is open. in Seattle and Atlanta there is a confining feeling. |
| Midsize | Not too big or small, is often perfect for music and art to develop. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education for legislators and people on government. Esp. the parts no one likes. | The land of the free, home of the brave. This means I can hike by myself without fear. Freedom to think, build, discover, create,... It requires a balance of governmental protection and courage. Anarchy is a fight to survive; true freedom without dreams or hope is not free. Hume said it was brutal and short. Those on both sides of a social contract have a part. People need to define government. The size battle is tricky. I would split the money from the plans. Ideas should not be encumbered by cost. An expensive idea can change, people can be wrong about costs; a plan could inspire T Boone Pickens... |
| What do people want and what will they give? | We all want good schools and safer neighborhoods. Groups of seniors may volunteer to take kids to the park after school, while parents work. Artists or actors could teach painting or read stories. Everyone has a gift. |
| Help to stop the migrants from using the smugglers path from Mexico. | Mexican migration is cultural. A girl in Central America graduated and left to see her Mom in New York. She was 1 of 72 found dead. The investigators were also killed. California doubled its pistachio acreage, due to Iranian sanctions and the xenophobia campaign closes all options. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: 1st oracle 85704 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 209. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Ease of living compared to big cities | Low cost of living, easy commutes, overall low stress |
| U of A Sports | Going to the football games |
| Weather | No extreme conditions |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More community pride | There is not a sense of community here like there is other other places i have lived |
| Make it more business friendly | We need better jobs here to attract and retain talent |
| Improve roads and other transportation | Need more of a city sense |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Stone and River 85704 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 210. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I'm a native Tucsonan. | I'm a native Tucsonan. |
| Diversity of People | Diversity of cultures. |
| One day may become Baja Arizona. | Closeness to Mexico. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Create more jobs. | Without work you have nothing. |
| Mix of folk is better than sameness. | Variety is the spice of life. |
| Improve our educational systems. | Remove political influence from up north of Interstate 8. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Interstate 10 and Congress 85745 // Years here: 65 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 211. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I moved to AZ for better weather, among other things. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic Flow | Getting around the metro area is a nightmare, because of no freeways. |
| More business friendly government | The anti-business approach of both elected officials and government employees makes it harder to do business in Tucson area. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine & Rancho Vistoso Blvd 85755 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 212. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The feeling of wide open spaces | We live in the NW Tucson area and can walk along the washes to maintain a sense of nature from our house. KEEP green space and undisturbed areas. I've lived in big(ger) cities on both the East and West coast, which have become giant parking lots. Tucson still has the desert appeal. |
| Prevalence of nature trails and hiking paths | Being able to spend non-commercialized time with my children in a natural setting. Continue the push for linear River paths. |
| Cost of living is decent | While Tucson does NOT have a high salary index, we also have a relatively moderate cost of living. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education needs greater prominence and increased funding | AZ ranks at the bottom of the pile for Education funding - Fix It!! |
| Proceed with the Modern Streetcar ONLY if the local residents and business owners want it - NOT as a political tool | Waste of money and resources for a project that isn't actually wanted by the local residents |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Ina & Thornydale 85741 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 213. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Character & Culture | When I visit my hometown of Mesa, AZ it bores me that there are miles and miles of square-grid suburbia. I like that (greater) Tucson does have a variety of different communities within it, and retains its history and culture in many ways. There is always something to do in Tucson, and something for everyone. There are many different groups, associations, classes and events to choose from. |
| Recreation | I think its important for our children to grow up in a place where they can enjoy the outdoor recreational opportunities (hiking, biking, camping, swimming) that our community has to offer |
| University of Arizona | The U of A is a top-notch university -- the best in the state. It is the one thing that does tie our diverse community together, with education, sciences of the future, jobs, sports and philanthropy. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Common Vision | I am tired of hearing about Tucson falling apart, and who is to blame. Everyone says they want change, but there is no clear direction on how that is going to happen. Something needs to unify this community so that the right decisions can be made towards a common vision for the future. People are going to keep moving here because we are in the sun belt, and we have to be prepared for growth. |
| Jobs & Business Opportunities | Students who graduate from the university are leaving Tucson for higher paying jobs elsewhere. We must create more jobs and opportunities. We must fight for great companies to move here. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Houghton & Tanque Verde 85749 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 214. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Proximity to the Great Outdoors | I camp, hike, shoot. Can be in remote areas in an hour, hour and a half. |
| Diverse Culture, diverse flora and climatic zones | The mix of cultures enhances a region's tolerance for differing ethnicities and histories and educates the populace. In an hour one can be in a Canadian forest zone or in high chaparral and grass land. |
| University town | The university presence elevates the sensibilities of our community, provides leadership and many educational and entertainment options. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 | |
| Survey: 215. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Integration of culture and cultural values | The recognition of the traditions and heritage of the Tucson community is celebrated and interwoven into many aspects of life - not just a "window dressing" as it seems to be in Phoenix. Culture is valued. Diversity is celebrated. |
| Preservation of Nature | The Tucson community is surrounded by natural beauty - the mountains, the arroyos, the saguaros and other features. Open space, access to nature, opportunities to enjoy nature - are one of the areas greatest features and needs to be preserved, with access and opportunities expanded. (Closing state parks is not a positive step) |
| Pace and Quality of Life | Tucson is NOT Phoenix and should never hold Phoenix up as a model. The community has a rhythm, a pace, a quality of life. There should be every opportunity sought to expand on improving the quality of life - improve housing, parks, public transportation, bike paths, running paths, connectivity throughout the community. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Increase public transportation - light rail, street cars, instead of focusing on widening roads | Access to services, to recreation, to educational institutions - should all be a high value. SunTrans is not the ONLY solution. Investments should be committed to multiple forms of public transportation that reduces congestion on our streets |
| Increase funding for parks, park development, improvements, operations | Funding continues to be cut by the state, the county and the city. Parks are well utilized and a tremendous amenity for our community. To continue to cut funding will impact the quality of life for citizens. |
| Elected leaders are not visionary, do not provide initiatives in the best inters of the community, are solely partisan | Changes in the existing political structure are long overdue. Any opportunities to reduce party division, to fund elected positions so there are quality candidates would be a positive step. Elected leaders band together along party lines often to the detriment of the community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Grant and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 216. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains & Physical Beauty | I am from the Midwest & East Coast. Too many people. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Tucson's local governments | Historically stupid decisions |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Swan & Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 37 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 217. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains | Flat regions are boring and hard to navigate. Mountains offer variety and pretty scenery. |
| Climate | It's pretty rare that the rain spoils your events. |
| Family lives here | We tend to get along with each other without too much fighting. We help each other out. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More jobs | There are lots of people out of work right now. More technology, innovation, manufacturing, small power production, etc... Less commercial, payday loans, stores, failed small businesses, etc... |
| Less crime and graffiti | Graffiti and murals are ugly and sicken me. Crime in general is a bad thing. Traffic is not the concern. Drugs, home invasions, theft, vandalism, murder, etc... |
| Make some kind of bypass or highway loop around to the East side | Trying to get to the East side of town from the freeway can take over an hour. That's an average of about 15-30 MPH for some trips. Terrible. Road conditions in general are improving, but the projects should be more spread out and sequential. I had THREE simultaneous construction zones centered around my house at once. Luckily one was only a week long and the results are very nice. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: La Cholla and Ruthrauf 85705 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 218. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Beautiful natural surroundings | Gives me a sense of peace, connection to the universe. I love looking at the stars at night, seeing wildlife, getting next to "green" away from the built environment. |
| My family and friends are here | Social connections are very important to me. I've been here for over 30 years, my children and grandchildren born here and remain. |
| Interesting people and places - diverse and stimulating | I feel that Tucson is a better place, more accepting of other cultures. Diversity strengthens us. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More attractive built environment. | The appearance of the city makes me think we don't care about this wonderful place. Tucson needs more pride in itself. |
| Better downtown, mixed use, high density residential. | The entire region will benefit from a "real" downtown. I think our goal should be to become a great American city and that won't happen without a great downtown. |
| Alternate modes. We need better transit, rail. | Our future depends on being able to control sprawl, reduce impacts on the environment and reduce/turn back climate change. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Camino del Cerro and Silverbell 85745 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 219. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town feel | Leave it the way it is |
| Country living | Being able to drive any were you want ride and enjoy the outdoors |
| Arizona wildcats | Football, basketball, softball, baseball, swimming, ice hockey.... |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Change city counsel | They are going in the wrong direction |
| Better roads | Spend a little more time repairing roads |
| Cops | Try to hire more cops |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: wetmore/ la cholla 85705 // Years here: 39 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 220. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Beauty | I believe beauty enhances my spiritual growth |
| Weather | I appreciate warm weather over cold |
| Open people | People are open and willing to be involved |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Movement towards culture of peace | I am tired of living in an uncivil, violent world |
| Limits on money spent on political campaigns | I believe it is a poor use of money---rarely actually affects the vote |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: sabino canyon tanque verde 85715 // Years here: 31 // Born in the: 20s | |
| Survey: 221. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cultural diversity of region | Southwest flavor and traditions make this a historic and fun place to live |
| Friendly people who care about Tucson | Pride in community is important |
| Outdoor quality of life and healthy living options. | Our health is important and our weather makes physical activity possible year around. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Tough to get Eastside to West and all around the town! |
| We need a stronger commitment to Public Education | Our lack of funding towards public education is unfair and will hurt employers relocating to Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Tanque Verde and Houghton 85749 // Years here: 19 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 222. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Wide open spaces | I like having specific spots that are not fully developed. |
| People | No one is from here and that makes for a diverse population. |
| University of Arizona | The U of A is a great anchor for our city. It is a great example of solid public education. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| State legislators | Southern Arizona state representation is a sad reflection of the extreme. They need to go. |
| Change Tucson from a Retirement destination to a young professionals destination | The tide has shifted and we now have a younger population staying in our community trying to make a living. Our state was intended to be a retirement destination and that worked 50 years ago and now, it is no longer meeting the needs of the next generation. |
| City council | With so much negativity around downtown and all of the missteps, it makes it impossible for the good to shine through. The small business community is also part of this problem, they harp on all of the negative and don't and can't contribute to the positive. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: I-10 and Cortaro Farms 85743 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 223. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The desert | I like the sense of expansiveness I get from the desert. It's clean, clear, wide open. |
| Community feel | It's important to connect to the place you live as a community. Gives a better sense of "belonging." |
| Relaxed atmosphere. | The area is very relaxed and friendly. I like the feeling that gives me. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic. | The traffic in Tucson is terrible. Very congested and difficult to get around. |
| Better mass transit. | I visit other communities that have great bus and rail service. It's so wonderful to leave the car at home. |
| Downtown. | The downtown area is slowly improving but it would be nice to have a more vibrant downtown. |
| Date of survey: Oct 22, 2010 // Home near: Speedway/Harrison 85710 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 224. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Climate | Moved here for my health. No longer get pneumonia and pleurisy every year. |
| Big Small Town ambiance | As a business owner, Tucson's size creates a viable client base, while remaining a "relationship marketing" town where people can enjoy close business and personal friendships. |
| Range of Cultural Activities | There are more than enough affordable events and locations to satisfy my aesthetic sensibilities. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Job Development | More jobs=greater tax base for public safety and roads. |
| Affordable Adult Education Opportunities | ESL, GED, and vocational programs will enable Tucson to offer a better-educated workforce, and that, in turn will attract more business to locate and hire here. |
| Road Repair and Improvement | Adequate infrastructure will reduce pollution and traffic jams; it is essential to creating an adequate transit system for people without cars. |
| Date of survey: Oct 23, 2010 // Home near: Fort Lowell & Columbus 85712 // Years here: 36 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 225. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Unique environment | I grew up in Tucson not appreciating the unique Sonoran Desert, the mountains, the climate ... the beauty. When I returned home after being gone for 30 years I realized what a real treasure it is. So very special and different from any other place I'd lived. |
| The people | The individuals who are not cookie cutter personalities but who celebrate their diversity, their off the wall personalities, their passions and their caring for each other and this special environment |
| Low key lifestyle | Casual, willingness to take time ... no "big freeway" lifestyle rushing through life |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Protect our environment | This really is what is so unique about this area. We need to make sure that it is preserved with careful planning and not allowing mass clearing and development with no regard to native plant preservation, loss of dark skies and wildlife corridors |
| Revitalize downtown | A community needs a core to be proud of and to focus their energies upon rather than splintering into small areas of competition |
| Innovative transportation ideas | It seems like higher quality communities don't depend on cars so much, but public transportation systems need to be easily accessible and time efficient in order for people to be willing to give up their cars for daily commuting. |
| Date of survey: Oct 23, 2010 // Home near: Oracle and Magee 85718 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 226. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | They make our landscape beautiful |
| The weather | Makes living easier and more time to be outside |
| The history | Gives the city some personality |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Make downtown what a city should be | I am a city girl (Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco). I love a downtown I can live in and enjoy._ |
| Literally clean up the neighborhoods. | Driving thru Tucson on 10 is depressing. It is junky and dirty looking. Gives a bad impression of the city. And so many neighborhoods are scary looking. There need to be laws about keeping ones property in order. |
| Get more jobs and jobs that pay a decent wage | I was appalled when I moved here and found out what jobs pay. Why should a company pay people in one city $5.00 or more per hour than here. No wonder that state has to pay out so much for childcare, food stamps, and medical care. |
| Date of survey: Oct 23, 2010 // Home near: Prince and Romero 85705 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 227. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| WINTER WEATHER | I like to hike, run my dog and ride my bicycle. |
| TUCSON ACTS AND SEEMS LIKE A SMALL TOWN | Small towns are familiar to me. People know each other. There is a sense of community. |
| WE ARE GETTING MORE TRAILS ALONG WASHES | Great for biking and hiking. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| FORM COMMUNITY TRAILS THAT CONNECT | Trails along the washes are great forms of travel if they don't end at cross roads, rather, they continue under overpasses. (Specifically, recent change completed at Speedway/Kolb-Pantano wash). |
| Date of survey: Oct 23, 2010 // Home near: SPEEDWAY AND PANTANO 85715 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 228. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Mountains, desert, hiking areas | I feel more connected to the earth. |
| Art museums, galleries, artistic community | I'm a painter and enjoy art |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education | I have a child and want a better education for him. |
| Ugly property, landscaping (outdated signs, chain fences, etc.) | The city looks dirty. Brings down property values and lessens the pride or connection people to the community. |
| Governance | The city and county are both quite wasteful (Rio Nuevo is one astounding example). Better governance would allow money to be used more wisely -- education, jobs, etc. |
| Date of survey: Oct 23, 2010 // Home near: La Cholly and wetmore 85705 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 229. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The natural beauty and remaining open spaces. | I love the beauty and ecological diversity represented in the Sonoran desert. Being able to see wild spaces within the city and county boundaries in natural parks, green spaces and wildlife corridors makes the Tucson area and region feel a part of the Sonoran desert rather than an intrusion upon it. |
| The small-town feel. I can still go places and run into people I know. | During the most recent housing boom before the recession, I was beginning to fear that this feeling would soon be a thing of the past. When houses started to be thrown up in Red Rock, I could envision the disappearance of our lovely rural and agricultural areas as they did along Oracle Road and toward Vail over the past 25 years. I hope that planners will remember and honor our rural heritage in mindfully planning for the inevitable post-recession growth of our region. |
| I love the access to higher education. Having the University of Arizona and Pima Community College working to help our community grow and meet the economic and personal dreams and goals of our residents is amazing. | I believe both our local public institutions of higher education offer exceptional opportunities for personal, professional, and community development. I am proud to say that I have attended both, and have benefited personally from those experiences. I have returned to the Tucson area after pursuing my some of my career goals, and I benefit the region through both my professional contributions as well as through the many volunteer endeavors in which I participate. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| I would change the mindset of planners committed to development without considering sustainability (water resources), natural beauty, and the fragile Sonoran ecosystem. | I want to make Tucson my permanent home; however, the ugly housing tracts that are approved, the unrestrained growth, the "get it while the getting is good" mentality of taxing new housing starts contribute to a community that fundamentally lacks beauty and open spaces-two of the factors that attracted people to the region in the first place. |
| Horrible cross-town traffic conditions! | I refuse to drive west of the Interstate unless I absolutely must. I live, work, shop, and frequent professional providers west of the Interstate because of the horrible traffic conditions through town. |
| I would place elementary and secondary public education back into the hands of the community. | When the state stepped in mandating so called, "state standards," which reinforce rote memorization over true critical thinking and problem solving, the quality of our educational system rapidly declined in the region. Public education was meant to serve the needs of the local community. I want to see our communities demand their rightful control over the education of their children. We should allow teachers to motivate children through their natural curiosity, not through the threat of "state testing." Clearly, the latter has failed miserably, for it reflects a mentality of the 20th century, and fails to prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century. This is personally important as I see more and more people finishing high school and being unable to think through basic problems. Forcing teachers to teaching to a test rather than to approach situations with rational thinking and problem solving strategies produce citizens who are inflexible, unimaginative, and ill-prepared to function successfully in a dynamic, ever-changing reality. I want my old age to be spent in a country of innovative thinkers, not in a nation of automatons unable to express themselves or creatively face new situations with a multiplicity of perspectives. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Greasewood 85745 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 230. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Open space "preserved" areas | I feel that the Sonoran desert is a very special place, both ecologically and culturally. My husband and I spend most of our free time outdoors biking, hiking, and spotting wildlife. We are in the Big Brother/Sister program, and our "little brother" also loves exploring areas no one in his family has ever seen (Ironwood Nat. Mon, Fantasy Island, Mt Lemmon, Sweetwater Preserve, Sabino Canyon...) |
| Good trends toward water conservation, solar power, backyard and community gardens. | Our presence in the desert (as western Americans) is not particularly sustainable. It seems obvious to me that we need to be careful with our water (pumped and borrowed) and harvest our most plentiful resource (sun). |
| Community support for homeless animals and spay/neuter causes. | I'm a vet at an animal shelter here in Tucson. I see a lot of sad, neglected animals but have the monetary support from private donors to fix (spay/neuter and medically support) a lot of them. Also, we strive daily to control feral cat populations and feel lucky to have the support to sterilize every one we catch (which stabilizes colony sizes, improves colony health to reduce disease reservoir...) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Control growth & require any new growth to meet stringent standards for water and energy use. | Sprawl is gross but for those segments of our community that feel we need more sprawl, I would ask they strive to construct the highest quality structures possible. Could incentives be offered for new construction on abandoned/vacant areas rather than razing new tracts of desert? |
| Buy more open space, esp corridors! | I love wildlife. Wildlife needs habitat and since we develop it in chunks it needs viable paths among remaining pieces the are free of domestic cats, grazing cattle, paved roads. |
| Improve urban bike paths along rillitos and along roadways | I commute by bike a few days a week but parts of my commute are dangerous with regard to lack of bike lanes or sand/debris along rillito path. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: River and Oracle 85704 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 231. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Open spaces near town | I enjoy outdoor recreation and wildlife (main hobby) |
| Bike friendliness | I like to commute and do so every day, year round (15 miles round trip). |
| Weather | Facilitates outdoor activities year round! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Encourage more water conservation | Duh, we live in a desert. |
| Recruit new baseball spring training teams. | I loved attending spring training games. If done correctly, these ventures should generate jobs and income for Tucson. |
| Traffic | I find it frustrating to drive (commute at peak hours) and to see the number of single occupancy vehicles. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: River/Oracle 85704 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 232. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Close proximity to mountain and desert trails | I enjoy hiking and biking on the trails in the Tucson mountains, Catalina mountains, and Rincon mountains. Keeping a variety of trails open to mountain biking is important to me since I use these trails a lot. We also enjoy bringing our dogs to trails that are open to them to allow them to appreciate the trails as well. |
| Tucson convention center | We enjoy attending events put on at the convention center such as the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Broadway shows (such as Lion King and Les Miserables), and enjoyed seeing Jerry Seinfeld. |
| Local businesses providing good food | We really enjoy the Tucson originals locations such as Bluefin, Kingfisher, Cafe Luce, Maynard's, Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress, Enoteca, etc. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improving bike lane access to connect all areas | Cycling in Tucson is dangerous since the bike routes are unclear and often bike lanes disappear at busy intersections. Clear paths to connect throughout Tucson should be available to allow for commuters to have bicycles as a safe option for transportation. |
| Improving mass transit | Buses, perhaps even rail access would better improve traffic in the area if routes were accessible to the greater Tucson area and provided enough times to accommodate multiple business commuters. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: Ajo/Kinney 85757 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 233. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Choice of various kinds of volunteer organizations. | I am retired and enjoy working with others for a common goal. This affords me an opportunity to be socially creative and express my self. |
| U of A | The presence of the U of A brings in a young population, supports businesses catering to this population and offers diverse cultural presentations. |
| Diversity of ethnic groups. | I enjoy being exposed to other cultures, languages and peoples. With this diversity, I have the opportunity to go to various festivals. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Reduce reliance on coal for electricity. | A large percentage of our local electricity comes from burning coal, which contributes directly to climate change and global warming. This human activity concerns me. |
| Have basic necessities within walking distance of home. | Creating neighborhood hubs where grocery stores, drugstores, department stores and other necessities are within walking distance would encourage neighbors knowing neighbors and reduce the problems caused by automobiles. |
| More ways to share community news and activities. | I want to know what good my neighbors are doing and share what works to bring people together. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: Country Club and Ft. Lowell 85716 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 234. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity | Diversity and multilingualism are important values to me and my family. They enrich our lives. |
| Weather | We all enjoy getting outdoors and being active. |
| Abundance of unique restaurants | Eating is together time. Some of my family's best memories are from times we've eaten at some of the great, unique and original restaurants here in Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better system of public transportation | We need to reduce our dependency on cars and gas. Our future depends on it. |
| Develop more bilingual schools | This is the perfect setting to develop bilingualism. Besides cognitive advantages to being bilingual, it increases communication and understanding of other cultures. |
| More linear parks linking the whole city | Make safe bike paths that link all parts of the city. This is a great way to improve health, too. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: 1st Avenue and River Rd. 85704 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 235. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Weather encourages/allows me to be more physically active. Walk, hike, bike, swim. More alive |
| Diversity | Mexican heritage, Spanish heritage, St. Xavier, Father Kino, native american, white immigrants |
| Location | Mountains and Mexico (M&M) Mountains have great views, and viewing too. Fun to hike. Proximity to Mexico, a foreign country for a day trip or weekend. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Literacy levels | Tragic low levels of literacy coupled with poverty and weak education funding leads to crime and high needs for social services and taxes. |
| Government organization/structures | Processes and structures designed for a rural Western town, county, state are inefficient--expensive and poor quality work--for where we are in 2010. Combine county and city? Pay legislators? Stop allowing 16 people paid 30K/year to run the state for personal interests? |
| Finish then expand street car. | Make downtown/UA focal point for arts, entertainment. Expand with mass transit to Phoenix too? |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: Campbell & River 85718 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 236. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown | I love spending time on 4th and the downtown area because of all the local artist and great food. |
| State Parks | I love spending time outdoors and hiking in Sabino Canyon and Mt Lemmon. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Add bike lanes | I live close enough to my work to ride a bike however, there are only bike lanes half way to my destination. I live at Oracle and Calle Concordia and work at Shannon and Magee. |
| Bus System | I have seen the bus system finally grow in Oro Valley but it is still difficult to use the bus because it only comes 3 times in the AM and 3 times in the PM. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: Oracle/ Calle Concordia 85704 // Years here: 27 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 237. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The university community | I appreciate the presence of a collection of intellectuals. i would argue that this is one reason Tucson, unlike the rest of Arizona, is not as right-wing. |
| Winter weather | I come from the midwest, where the weather during the winter months is unpleasant. it is nice to be able to do things outside year-round. |
| Its bike-friendliness | As an advocate of modes of transportation other than those using fossil fuels, i appreciate the city's willingness to provide decent routes for those who choose to ride a bicycle. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Protection of ethnic studies courses in TUSD | I wish there was a way to prevent the radical right at the state level from dictating a narrow curriculum from phoenix. |
| Monsoon preparedness | Given the regularity of the monsoon season here, i wonder if the city/TEP could do anything to be more prepared for its arrival. more specifically, it would be nice if the city could install some kind of drainage system, and if TEP could do something to prevent my electricity from going out during every rain storm. |
| Urban blight | There seems to be a significant amount of graffitied/abandoned structures here, along with a number of overgrown yards. |
| Date of survey: Oct 24, 2010 // Home near: treat and glenn 85716 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 238. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Eclectic collision of cultures, history, climate | Not like other places I have lived that tended to be more monotone |
| Music, food, theatre, | For a small town, high quality arts a function of being the education center for Arizona for the first 100 years |
| Size | Not too big, slightly off the beaten track |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Infill; curb the wholesale destruction of the place | Save the desert |
| Transportation | Older folks can't get around...designed as an auto culture when the auto is no longer viable |
| Pick up the trash | A visual upgrade is needed....some neighborhoods are slowly getting an identity. Need to clean the inner city neighborhoods up.... |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: campbell & River 85718 // Years here: 54 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 239. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Openness of the people | From the beginning, Tucsonans have been welcoming to me and to other newcomers. |
| The small airport | I travel a lot and I love going in and out of this airport, even though it's not convenient regarding direct flights. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The economy | There are few high-paying jobs and professionally our move to Tucson has been very limiting for me. |
| Education | Arizona doesn't value education and it's a problem here in Tucson. The fabric of our economic life is being unraveled. |
| Our taxes are too low. | We cannot support a thriving city and region with the current tax base, and threats to cut taxes further is insane. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Silverbell 85745 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 240. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Open space | I need open space, especially natural areas to revive me, too allow me to tackle the stresses of life. I particularly love the Sonoran Desert. |
| Friendly people | I like the smaller hometown feeling where word of mouth still can get things done. I am proud when locals are polite and helpful; unfortunately, this is disappearing, especially with traffic. |
| Small city | I like a smaller city where you can still get things done and have a variety of things to do. It retains it's own identity, both with personality and with defined space. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve regional transportation | With the expansion of the larger metropolitan area, it is vital to expand and improve regional transportation to remove as many vehicles as possible from the roads. This will improve people's stress levels, air quality, and help form a sense of community as people meet their neighbors. |
| Encourage solar energy use and water harvesting more | It is very important for a city to be a self sufficient and reliable as possible. Fortunately, this goes in line with sustainability. Tucson can take particular advantage of the sun's energy and water harvesting can improve groundwater recharge, reduce our need for imported water, and improve the soils by using 'cleaner' rain water rather than salty ground/imported water for landscape uses. |
| Grow as much of our own food as possible | Growing food not only improves the region's self reliance, but it also reduced imported goods which reduces traffic. It also is fresher, providing better nutrients to the consumer. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Missile Base and Estancia 85658 // Years here: 17 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 241. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town feel; big city amenities | My neighborhood; UA; quality of music and art culture |
| Sunsets | Spiritual connection |
| Diversity | Getting to see/know/experience different cultures (food, music, etc). |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Lack of common vision | Fragmented attempts fail |
| K-12 education | I had to navigate my son's k-12 education and it took a lot of effort but rarely felt I was successful. |
| Career and job opportunities | My own career has suffered in living here and I think my son's will, also. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: campbell and prince 85719 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 242. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Good population and geographic size | It has the essentials as part of the community such as museums, restaurants, outdoor activities, live music and independent/foreign film. |
| Feels like a community | It is likely that if i meet someone, there is a good chance we know someone in common |
| One does not have to get on a highway to get somewhere | Highways divide communities, create air pollution and traffic. highways make things seem far away and are intimidating for certain drivers. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| To not have south Tucson be the Latino area | Latinos were here before Anglos, yet now the majority of Latinos are geographically segregated from central Tucson which is where the city appears to thrive (university, downtown) |
| To have farmers markets in all neighborhoods | It is important for everyone to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables and support local vendors |
| To be more bike friendly | Besides university ave, there are few roads where cars are prohibited except local traffic. There are not enough bike lanes that connect roads to main destinations like supermarkets, parks, farmers markets, shops etc. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: 6th street and Tucson blvd 85716 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 243. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonoran Desert in and around. | It's inspirational, enriching, part of our outlook on life, it teaches us lessons of adaptation and survival; it's resilient; beautiful in a different way. |
| Closeness to the University of Arizona. | The U of A is a great asset. It has provided so much for us: work, learning, and biking through its mall on weekends. Its parks are beautiful, and also its museums, and Music Hall. A great environment for us. |
| Spanish speaking area: Davis Bilingual Magnet School | I love the language diversity, which comes with an enriching culture diversity. Our children learn to be biliterate and bilingual at Davis. A true Icon, funded in 1901!!Tucson's Mexican border is an gift!!! Tucson can embrace it! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Streets without enough shade and sidewalks to walk. | I would like to walk to my work, or to the park, but in the middle of Summer it is too bare, not enough trees. It would be great to have more shade , also for cars at parking lots. Plant more trees! |
| Public transportation. | We want more easy routes, more buses, perhaps smaller buses that come more often. Copy underdeveloped countries where public transportation is readily available. |
| Take away those intersection cameras | The cameras on River and Oracle are a trap for motorists. This needs to be investigated. It is borderline illegal what they are doing. Any miscalculation of time and we must pay a huge price. The lines are misleading! |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Country Club and Speedway 85716 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 244. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Charitable nature of our community | Our salvation as a society depends on our viewing ourselves as a community. (It really does take a village!) Tucson is more me/I-focused than it needs to be, but it's much less me/I-focused than many other places. |
| Relaxed atmosphere | I'm too old (53) for the self-importance I see in larger cities. The casual atmosphere in Tucson suits me. |
| Mountains | The mountains are extraordinarily beautiful, they look different every day and they remind me that I'm am but a speck of dust in the continuum. (Good for a healthy ego to be reminded regularly that he "ain't much" in the grand scheme. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The ugliness, especially downtown | Downtown is very ugly, especially around the Stone Ave. underpass, which is the gateway to downtown form the north. Old railroad loading docks and weed-filled lots are the norm, along with fences around burned-out buildings, etc. The recent "paving" of lots east and west of Stone, north of the tracks, exemplifies the problem. Cheap paving, done a month ago, already has weeds growing from underneath. An ugly fence and electrical wiring remain to service a billboard. The La Placita parking lot sign is missing several letters. None of this is major but, collectively, it sends a "we don't give a shit attitude" that gets in the way of success. |
| Governance | We operate two governments when one is probably more than enough. We leave lots of millions of dollars a year on the tale, in lost revenue, to indulge sore feelings by rich white folks in the foothills and poor Mexicans in the city. We ought to be in crisis mode, as we simply can't afford the indulgences associated with the feelings. |
| Lessen neighborhood power | In too many cases selfish neighborhoods get their way, interfering with the greater good. Again, in wonderful time, maybe this is OK. Not now. Too many problems to let a small minority hold us back. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft/Sunrise 85750 // Years here: 49 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 245. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The University of Arizona | UA is the driver of our local economy. It is the source of so many "quality of life" elements (e.g. collegiate athletics, night life, special events) and is a constant fountain of innovation and creativity in our region. |
| Proximity to Phoenix metro area | As odd as this sounds, it's important. The "sun corridor" is a reality and our proximity to Phoenix is critical for the long-term vitality of our region. |
| The "Northwest Area" | Other than the UA campus itself, in my opinion the "northwest area" (i.e. Marana, Oro Valley, etc.) is the only nice part of this region. While Tucson and most of Pima County are sinking and look like a war zone, these areas seem to actually take care of their communities and look like they are run by people who know what they're doing. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Pima County/Chuck Huckelberry | This may sound strange, but Pima County, and specifically county administrator Chuck Huckelberry, are to blame for much of why we have the problems we do in Southern Arizona. This man's insistence on behaving like a third-world dictator, and the county supervisors who let him do it, are the reason we have the highest property taxes of any county in AZ and that our region has stalled when it comes to progressive, well-planned growth and development. He has to go if we are to have any shred of success in moving this region forward. |
| Investment in infrastructure | The city of Tucson needs to stop funding social services, which are reactive in nature, and instead invest in solid infrastructure (that includes repairing potholes) that will create both short-term and long-term jobs. Communities do gain reputations and a lot of it has to do with how they appear to visitors, residents and business owners/managers. Tucson is not an attractive city for anyone to invest in, more than anything because the city hasn't invested in itself. |
| Respect for the UA | The UA is the single most important factor in our region's economy, yet nobody at the local government level seems to pay it much attention. When was the last time you even heard Mayor Walkup mention the UA in one of his speeches? They are taking this jewel for granted and it will come back to haunt them later. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Ina/Silverbell 85743 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 246. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Friendly people - welcoming atmosphere | It is a great place to raise a family and do business. People seem genuinely warm and helpful, for the most part. |
| Its natural beauty | I love my morning walks, seeing the birds, variety of plants and other animals. The sunsets are the best! |
| The weather! | Mostly sunny with an occasional storm. Clear skies at night - the stars are awesome! Don't need to shovel snow here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Individuals taking personal responsibility | When individuals buy into "great deals" without reading the fine print, they don't consider the long-term consequences. When we hand out fish instead of teaching people to fish, then we encourage a society of takers instead of givers. Whether it is a wad of gum spat on the sidewalk or trash tossed out the window of a car, it effects not only our community's beauty but also the impression visitors have of it. They won't come back. |
| The economy | I'm sad to see so many businesses on our main streets closed or closing. I know people are struggling. Jobs are scarce. |
| Overbuilding into the desert | Better transportation within the city (light rail, etc.) could improve the opportunities for businesses within our region. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft & Sunrise 85750 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 247. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| A small town feel. | I don't know or understand the difference between region 1,2,3. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better public transportation | It is hard to get places via the public bus system. I work with under-served youth and this a major complaint they often voice. |
| More bike paths and better maintenance on existing paths. | Better bike paths that lead to points of interest or commerce around town. Existing bike paths don't have lights or are broken. Dark alley ways are not safe, especially for a young woman. Aviation bike path in particular. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 248. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The outdoors | The reason I remain in Tucson is because of the hiking and biking opportunities that abound around the city. |
| Focus on conservation | The people of Tucson and Pima County support conservation and well-thought development. I want to live where the things I enjoy will continue being beautiful and the intelligent form of conservation in Tucson allows this. |
| Walking districts | Downtown and 4th avenue are terrific places to spend time and enjoy Tucson's urban culture. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Stop trying to be a big city | Tucson has an incredible wealth of world-class outdoor recreation sites and other potential sites. If Tucson promoted itself as an outdoor recreation paradise for mt and road bikers, rock climbers, golfers, skateboarders and others it could become a destination city. Drop the baseball dreams. Tucson is happy supporting the U of A athletics. |
| A Mountain | A mountain could be turned into an urban outdoor enthusiast paradise. Close the road at the base to stop the illegal activities that continue in the parking lots (do this even if you don't like the rest of the ideas...I'm sick of how dangerous that parking lot is). Create a trail system for different skilled riders. Create lighted mountain bike terrain park. Have street luge/longboard skateboarding on sections of the road. Do something awesome with the hole (maybe a BMX/Skateboard park or the velodrome). Heck put a chair lift from the base to the top...this would allow everyone to enjoy the views w/o allowing it to be trashed like it continues to be. |
| Build more alternative sport facilities | Support the velodrome, more skateboard parks, BMX parks, Climbing facilities etc. It will make the city more attractive to the 20 somethings for living and visiting. I'm sick of hearing about how awesome Portland is. The weather there is crappy yet they rule, because they support the alternative culture of the community. I can't get my 20 and 30 somethings to visit Tucson, because Portland is way more attractive. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Grande/Congress 85745 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 249. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The maverick, progressive aspects of politics here | I think that is self-explanatory. |
| The parks and recreation facilities and activities | The availability of park space for everyone's use |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The attitude of business people that residents are their enemies. | There has been a campaign by business people in our area to marginalize the residents there. |
| Give Parks and Recreation enough money to provide needed services. | Services at neighborhood centers have been cut to the bone. It is not even possible to access the centers for neighborhood activities. Recreation activities that are not paid for by outside interests (Soccer leagues, baseball leagues) are now non-existent. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Kino and 22nd 85713 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 250. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Feels like a small town | Inevitably, whenever my family and I meet new people, it does not take very long for us to identify common friends, or acquaintances This is an amazing phenomenon for a City of million people, and make the City seem smaller and closer together. |
| Health/outdoor interest and lifestyle | It must be the mountains, but there are a very large number of people who have an interest in and respect for the outdoors/environment. It is what attracted us to Tucson originally. |
| Culture | With such a vibrant Hispanic and Native American communities, there is no shortage of opportunities to learn about other cultures. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Although Tucson has done a good job keeping major highways from carving the City up, it needs to focus on moving people around in a more efficient way. Need to revisit the light rail down Broadway, and up Oracle. |
| Open space/Parks/Community gardens | Tucson needs a better plan to utilize vacant/unbuildable property for open space uses. This helps improve the quality of life for existing Tucsonans. Community Gardens offers exercise, promotes community friendliness, and helps teach people where their food should come from. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: 5th and Craycroft 85711 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 251. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Multi-cultural - Southwest rugged individualism married together with Spanish influences. | Coming from the Southeast part of the country - I have lived first hand the divisiveness of not being accepting of other skin colors. I love the southwest because people are more open minded and more educated. I am proud to now live in area like this. However, I am embarrassed at how some fellow Arizonans are creating division. I don't think it is a race issue however so much as an economic issue so I have hope that we come up with a solution. |
| Greater outdoors - | Beautiful weather and great outdoors opportunity. I am an avid hiker and runner so Tucson is a great place to live! Plus the urban sprawl hasn't gotten out of hand so there it doesn't feel as congested here~ |
| People are so laid back~ | I hope this never changes... This is a big enough city with a small town feel... I like that I can't tell someone's story based on outward appearances. Everyone wears flip-flops! But it is a city of people from everywhere thanks to University and military element. Keeps us from growing stagnant. :-) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Education | Education is not as much of a priority for this state as I would like it to be based on the drop in funding that we have seen since living here. This is very important to me. We subsidize for the lack in Tucson's school systems by exposing our children to more educational activities on our family time. However, I am sure some families can't do this which will only hurt our state in the long run. |
| Small Business Support | I may be speaking out of turn because I do not own my own business. However, I provide financial planning and advice to business owners in Tucson and it is always a concern of theirs that Tucson isn't as business friendly as they would like it to be. |
| The tale of two cities | Tucson seems to be split on the area around the UofA and downtown and the rest of Tucson... Maybe it's just me and we do attend events downtown but it just doesn't have the same feel. There is something intangible about it that maybe I can't explain but it just feels disconnected. We like to attend the events downtown like "meet yourself" and the TCC stuff and wish we had more things more often. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Sabino Canyon and Sunrise 85750 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 252. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Feeling of close-knit community | The fact that I see the same people everywhere I go and interact with them on both personal and community levels on a regular basis makes it feel like a small town |
| Environment | Access to nature and the outdoors |
| Personality | The people of Tucson have a very practical, midwestern sensibility, very welcoming and unpretentious |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Expectations for education | I am surprised by how low people set the bar for education. I am used to people viewing college as a minimum expectation, not a possibility. I wish more people would aspire to leave Tucson for higher learning and come back for brighter career options |
| Lack of career options | Tucson's economy is not sufficiently diverse to grow long-term. We need more industries here of all kinds. We have very few large, diverse companies and then a whole lot of small businesses. A community that has the doctors and lawyers to help the small businesses serve each other is fine, but for long-term expansion and growth we need more. |
| Transportation/access | I wish I lived in a neighborhood with sidewalks and bike paths (not just lanes on the busy street) so I could take advantage of the gorgeous weather 9 mos of the year and walk or bike with my family to do my errands and be out in my community safely and healthfully. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Catalina Highway & Houghton 85749 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 253. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Can't stand to be anywhere cold |
| Family | My whole family is here |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 | |
| Survey: 254. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural Beauty | Love the desert. I grew up here and it is home. Love the mountain views, and I like to get out and enjoy hikes and the weather whenever possible. |
| The size | I feel like Tucson is finally starting to "grow up." The size of our community is large enough to support exciting opportunities for arts and entertainment, yet not so big as to be completely overwhelming. I am not opposed to Tucson growing in size, as long as we build the infrastructure (roads!) to support it. |
| The University of Arizona | I cannot imagine Tucson with out the UofA. The University brings so much to the area in the way of arts, culture, education, and interesting people who come here to work at or attend the University. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Job opportunities | My husband and I have been fortunate to find jobs here and have carved out professional niches. I cannot say that for many of my friends and colleagues, who wanted to stay here post college/grad school, but found the opportunities limiting. Even though my husband and I have good jobs here, we often wonder if we are limiting ourselves professionally by staying here. We love the area, and have deep family roots here, and will stay as long as we can continues to professionally thrive. I just wish that there were more opportunities for well paying jobs here. I have been very encouraged by the recent news of Roche bringing well-paying jobs to the area. Lets have more than that! |
| The roads | Unfortunately, the city of Tucson developed without much planning or vision. It takes a ridiculous amount of time to just get across town. We need a cross-town freeway/expressway running east to west. I personally avoid doing any business on the west side of town (and I mean west of Campbell) because it takes me so long to get there from my home (near Wilmot). I have many friends who feel the same way, and it must be hurting business. Oro Valley has done a much better job of planning. |
| The schools | I live within TUSD. I have a lovely family neighborhood with a park and neighborhood pool. We have a mixed neighborhood with both young families and retirees. Of all the kids in my neighborhood, NONE of them go to our neighborhood school. Everyone is either open-enrolled, in a charter school or in a private school. My own daughter is open-enrolled 10 minutes away from our neighborhood. The quality of our schools needs to improve, or no young families are going to want to relocate here. Again, Oro Valley, and Vail have done much better jobs of creating communities with good planning and good schools. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: 5th Street and Rosemont 85711 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 255. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The desert environment | The uniqueness of our Sonoran Desert. We have plants and animals that are only found here. The quality of air and light. |
| Rich history and cultural diversity | The beautiful blend of Native American, Mexican and European peoples and cultures. |
| The casual lifestyle. | People tend to be more relaxed and informal. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Governance | We need to improve the quality of leadership. |
| Vision | We need to define who we are by establishing a vision and a plan. |
| Balance | The business community needs to step up and play a more meaningful role in developing a more vibrant community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Grant and Tanque Verde 85715 // Years here: 32 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 256. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonoran Desert | The beautiful views of the mountains, open spaces with stands of saguaros, and desert hiking and trails |
| Liberal politics | This is changing but Tucson used to be cool, the cutting edge of progressive democratic leadership, not so much anymore |
| Small town feel in a big city | You can still walk into most restaurants and see people that you know. It has one degree of separation in this town |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Regional governance | Better regional cooperation and sharing of power, resources, information and personnel among the governments not be afraid to seek private partners to accomplish projects |
| Better sharing of resources among entities | Schools, parks, recreation,public lands, universities, should all share knowledge and resources to support our K-12 system |
| Better partnerships with Mexico | Improve relations with Mexico to thwart the negative anti immigration rap. We need them to stabilize their government, and we should help, we need their trade, labor and shopping retail dollars |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Silverbell and El Camino del Cerro 85745 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 257. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Outdoor environment | The typically mild weather allows me to enjoy being outside biking, hiking, playing golf, tennis, basketball, dining, etc. |
| Lack of freeways | Having to commute THROUGH the city (driving, biking, walking or taking public transit) makes you more aware of the neighborhoods, retail areas, restaurants, etc. You feel more connected to the community |
| Entertainment opportunities | For a city of this size there seems to be an amazing number of opportunities to go to musical events, arts events, festivals, and collegiate sports. All that's missing is major league type sporting events |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More density | Without going crazy, nearly every area within Tucson could double it's density and still feel spacious - but I like the two to three story feel except for downtown where anything should go... |
| Integrate the business community into downtown | City, county and federal government offices have overrun downtown. We need more private professional retail and office businesses |
| Clean up the physical environment | Many parts of the city do not present well to visitors - it looks trashy, unkempt, neglected, too much graffiti, etc |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Swan & Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 258. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Housing affordability | I have plenty of decent, affordable housing choices within close proximity to my job. |
| Climate | Beautiful winters, no shoveling! |
| Natural environment | Easy access to natural areas, beautiful views from afar. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic/dependence on personal vehicles | When I go into Tucson, I spent a lot of time sitting in traffic. We need better regional transit connectors and more efficient transit within the city to get people out of their cars. |
| Apathy | My community does not seem to want to get involved in public hearings/decision-making, yet after the decisions are made they complain. They blindly follow what they are told with very little effort at research on their part. |
| Low levels of conservation | Our natural environment is beautiful and is a big draw for travelers and people looking to relocate. We need to place more emphasis on conserving it. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: I-19/Sahuarita Rd 85629 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 259. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The culture of its urban core. | Tucson's older neighborhoods lend themselves to a richer community life, cheaper public infrastructure and a more sustainable use of natural resources than the sprawling newer ones along its perimeter. This is important to me because Tucson is my native home, and this aspect of it suffers under the the politics and economics of sprawl. |
| The politics of its urban core. | Tucson's older neighborhoods tend to attract politically progressive inhabitants, whose intuitions on public policy lean towards interdependency and shared resources. This is important to me because urban progressive views like mine are typically opposed by the politics of sprawl. |
| Tucson Water. (The municipal utility.) | Specifically, Tucson Water is important to me because it is the city's most powerful tool against the regional ravages of sprawl, which threaten much of what I love about Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Higher property taxes | This is important to me because our region's neighborhoods and communities are suffering severely from declining revenue, and this could be improved by increasing the tax burden on those most able to pay, rather than continuing to rely so heavily on sales taxes, which hurt people in the lowest income brackets the most. If the Legislature would uncap property taxes, the city and county could levy what they need in order to sustain an optimal quality of community life. |
| Better land use codes | I believe sprawl is our region's number-one destructive force, and that smart regional planning, zoning and development laws should aim to counteract sprawl. In terms of resources, we're headed for a crisis already. |
| Repeal/re-structure the RTA | 2006's Region Transportation Authority has been met with great distrust and dissatisfaction, and the public's confidence has largely been lost. With a referendum or voter initiative, it could be re-designed to equitably serve the population for which it was designed. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: 22nd / Columbus 85711 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 260. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environment | From my house I can access the Rillito River Park and love to bike and run there. I can also walk or ride to many nearby parks with my child. I can easily get to beautiful hikes in the Catalinas and take day trips to amazing places in southern AZ. The way the mountains surround our region provides a protective and serene feeling that I have found no other place. Plus the lush desert is amazing. Oh, and the weather is good. |
| Easy way of life and low cost of living | It takes me 20 minutes to commute to work. We can easily afford our home on one income (although both of us work). We are not stretched thin financially or time-wise so it allows for a greater quality of life. |
| Arts, culture, diversity and eclecticism | I love Tucson's great local restaurants, arts and cultural events, and hidden treasures and "oddities". It makes Tucson unique. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Good ole boy political infighting - lack of unified vision | I work in local government and so much time seems to be wasted on politics vs. forward movement in a positive direction. Personally, I want forward movement an want to feel hopeful about Tucson's future. |
| Urban amenities including downtown | Tucson needs increased density, an improved downtown, and more "walkable urban areas" - personally I would use these areas. |
| Poverty & blight | Driving through many of Tucson's older neighborhoods is like visiting a war zone. There is a ton of vacant and underutilized land, trash, and poorly maintained properties. I know poverty is the root cause of this. We have a lot of residents who are down and out. Its sad. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Prince/Tucson Blvd 85716 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 261. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Non-pretentious culture | People can be themselves; they are not caught up in a rat race to "keep up with the Jonses". Wealth is not on display to impress others. |
| Diverse - people come from all over to Tucson | The people of Tucson hail from the mid-west, northwest, southwest, Turkey, Canada, all over. And they all come here with intent and by choice. |
| Outdoor activity and sports orientation | I am (and my family is) a physically active person and love sports. Our climate supports that and our tie to UA Athletics is sting in many sports (basketball, football, softball, swimming and diving, golf, etc.) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More middle and high-end jobs | I feel as though I have very few choices of employers to maintain or improve my income for my education and experience level. |
| More cultural events outside of downtown Tucson | Downtown Tucson is far from my house and parking is always a hassle. |
| More sophisticated government/structure | Our elected officials seem under-qualified for the issues of the area. I live in the Foothills so I cannot vote in city issues, even though they affect me. |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: Swan / Sunrise 85718 // Years here: 33 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 262. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity | Offers opportunities to become more culturally well-rounded and to develop more cultural awareness |
| Local support | Creates a sense of cohesiveness for community efforts and events (i.e. Tucson Meet Yourself) |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Street conditions | Makes it difficult to get around town when there are numerous potholes and constant construction |
| Generate more youth empowerment | The youth in Tucson should have opportunities to become involved in local and community issues and initiative so they can become more responsible and civic-minded citizens |
| Date of survey: Oct 25, 2010 // Home near: speedway & euclid 85705 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 263. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The liberal atmosphere in a conservative state | I am more socially and environmentally liberal. It's nice to feel like I can wear/say what I want in many areas of Tucson and feel safe and accepted. |
| The arts scene. | As an artist, I like to see art reflected and valued in my community. |
| The combination of urban and rural. | I love a little bit of both. Plenty to do in town, but very easy to be out in nature regularly. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Poverty level | All the homeless and poor... |
| Education | Creating a culture of asking questions and seeking knowledge. |
| Roads/public transportation | It floods when it rains. It's madness to drive on the roads. Also the roads are very bumpy and not bike friendly. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: 1st and Mountain 85719 // Years here: 1 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 264. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Can be outdoors all year!! |
| Most people very friendly | People happy to talk about anything and general good mood |
| Plenty of clubs to join | At least 12 car clubs and fun outings close to town |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sun tran bus | My opinion buses are the biggest traffic hazard on the road either make all buses pull off the road or get rid of them!! |
| Wasteful spending downtown | Rio nuevo,all of it needs to be ended and all the free or super cheap rent for galleries and museums needs to stop and 4th ave needs cleaned up very scary and nasty!! |
| Cross town travel | Need a freeway like aviation possibly over the rillito river? |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: river and la canada 85704 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 265. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The geography | The mountains, the sunshine, the (relatively) clear air & low humidity, the desert |
| The arts scene | I especially enjoy the many outlets for theater & music here. I'm extremely disappointed at the diminished support for PCAC, an organization that enables many of the small theatrical companies to survive. |
| Social involvement | Now that I'm retired I can do volunteer work for civic organizations, & am involved in several. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| We need better public transportation | While I live within the city limits, it's still at least 1/2 mile to the nearest bus stop. We need more & cheaper mass transit to make various parts of the county more accessible. |
| More funding for the arts | (See previous page) |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Ft. Lowell & Columbus 85712 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 266. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural beauty | It helps create an awareness that things around us, e.g., nature and other creatures, are important. Builds an appreciation of beauty. |
| Southwest flavor | There is a unique culture and history in Tucson that add a richness to everyday life. |
| Somewhat artsy vibe | See above. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The business climate | I would like to see more high quality industries and jobs come to Tucson, e.g., Roche, Advanced Ceramics (Sahuarita), Optical and solar industries. Tucson is a really neat place, but could definitely use a higher percentage of educated and dynamic people. |
| Aesthetics | Some aspects of Tucson need a major makeover. it looks brutal when you arrive from the airport or I-10 for example. For God's sake, can't we cleanup and beautify Speedway from the I-10 to campus, and similarly for Broadway/Congress into downtown. Appearances matter - make a favorable impression. |
| Transportation | We badly need fast access, e.g., freeway where Grant Road is now, and perhaps a north/south express up Wilmot or Alvernon. Tucson is not Portland, it is a large , sprawling city now, but you can't move around it without much time and delay. A better infrastructure would facilitate business, tourism and cleaner air. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: River & Swan 85718 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 267. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sense of community | Small-town feel |
| Weather in winter | I am from WI- winter weather is nice |
| Hiking | Good hiking |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Traffic | Traffic backups due to lights not being timed correctly |
| Support for education TUSD | TUSD doesn't pass bonds |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: KINO/ Silverlake 85713 // Years here: 5 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 268. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Tucson has personality | I like living in a place that is unique. |
| Involved community | I feel like the people of Tucson care about their neighbors and are involved in making it a better place. |
| Eco-conscious | Tucson is moving toward being a sustainable city which reflects my personal values. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More public transit | I would like the opportunity to use public transit more than I do. |
| Residential greywater ordinance | Why hasn't this been done? We live in the desert! |
| Manage growth | I'm concerned that unmanaged growth will make the city unlivable. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Golf Links and Harrison 85748 // Years here: 27 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 269. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Community and people | Innovation and creative ideas. |
| Environment | It is very easy to leave your front door and enjoy the outdoors by hiking, riding your bike, etc. |
| Arts | Every weekend there is multitude of possibility of entertainment. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Financial funding of education | Having an educated populous is what makes my number one reason for living in Tucson (innovation and creativity). In this era, education has evolved into really understanding how to teach people to be creative thinkers. This must be a priority for our community. |
| Public transportation | When people get out of their cars, incredible things start to happen. They meet their neighbors. They exercise everyday as a routine of getting around. By this the environment wins, general public health and mental state all improve while becoming a community which understands itself because we have had to look each other in the eye out on the street. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Prince and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 270. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The music scene | I'm in a band. |
| The weather | I like sunshine. |
| Affordable housing | I have a great deal on a terrific apartment. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More bike lanes | I don't own a car. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Speedway Blvd./4th Ave. 85705 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 271. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Hiking and access to lots of outdoor activities | This creates a connection to nature and promotes sustainable living, plus offers healthy lifestyle choices |
| Culture | There is a strong tie to Mexican and Native history which shows through in festivals, events, food, diversity, etc... |
| University of Arizona | If it were not here I would not be either. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| EDUCATION | We need more diversity in the classroom (with students, curriculum, and language). We are cheating our students out of a basic right. |
| Public transportation | There is not much of it, making it hard to get around the city even with a personal vehicle |
| More parks | We either need cleaner parks or just more of them. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Speedway and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 2 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 272. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The non-summer months of weather, blue skies, and clean air | Came from Calif regions with lots of air pollution, rain, cold, fog, and clouds (various cities), so I feel better psychologically with with blue skies, clean air, and mild temps for six months of the year. Hate summers! |
| The University of Arizona | Without it, there would be no reason for me to live here. It is my school and my employer. It is our intellectual cultural center. |
| Low cost of living | Compared to most of US, affordable housing. Even gas prices and some consumer goods are affordable. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Build crosstown expressways for better traffic flow | Improve traffic low with crosstown expressways (not freeways) like in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara-Mountain View-Palo Alto California towns. |
| Stricter gun control with stiffer penalties | I am terrified whenever I see a person with a holstered gun in public. What if it went off accidentally in public? What if someone else grabbed it? What if the person had no training and could not control his temper? What if he used it in a bogus self-defense situation? We need to de-normalize gun ownership. There are too many kids killed by their parents' guns. |
| Lower crime through job creation & better education | The way to lower crime is to create new jobs. Jobs mean training and education. Happily employed people do not turn to crime. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Campbell and Glenn 85719 // Years here: 7 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 273. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Nice sunny days most of the time |
| Food | Many varieties of cultures and diversity |
| Not to congested | One way in one way out, not a big metropolis |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 | |
| Survey: 274. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Move toward sustainable desert living | I want to live simply and minimize my impact on the planet. |
| Thriving GLBT community | This is my subculture and who I like to associate with. |
| The beautiful lush desert, abundant wildlife and ever changing mountains | The sensory impact of this place I live feeds my soul. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Better public transportation | Where I live there is no bus service. This is a huge disadvantage to those that don't drive (the young, the old, those living gently on the planet and the differently abled) |
| Increase support for public education and libraries | Education is the most important thing for improving the lives of everyone in the community |
| Provide more incentives for doing the right thing | Using renewable energy, sustainable materials and practices, energy efficiency, low impact manufacturing, using public transportation, etc. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Houghton Rd and Drexel 85747 // Years here: 8 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 275. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| A comfortable lifestyle | I can enjoy a very decent standard of living |
| Good friends | I find it easy to make and nurture friendships. |
| The environment | I find the Tucson environment and weather (most of the time) very comfortable and it is easy to be outdoors. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Stop the blaming and vitriolic in-fighting among people. | Attitudes in Tucson could be more positive with people working together, thereby supporting a stronger community feeling. I wish business and neighborhood people would stop being so self-centered and become real community stewards. Invest a buck - increase your value by ten! |
| The urban environment | Tucson could be more attractive with better pedestrian ways and enhanced landscaping, especially along major streets, thereby being able to have a more pleasing experience. |
| The educational system | That our children receive an excellent education and become upstanding members of a great community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Prince/Country Club 85716 // Years here: 34 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 276. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I don't like cold weather |
| Mountains | Beautiful vistas, perfect drives, get one-day getaways |
| Versatility | Tucson is so special. Many different people and cultures emerge and peacefully co-exist. For the most part, people are happy and pleasant and welcome different styles. It's nice to not feel pressured to live the main stream lifestyle. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Roads are in desperate need of repair and rehabilitation. |
| City/County government | Government appears too corrupt and not concerned with the public s point of view. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Swan/Broadway 85711 // Years here: 36 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 277. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| All the amenities of large city, but small town feel | All the amenities anyone needs to enjoy a full life, but not uncaring, cold city atmosphere. Friendly people, neighborly, not too much cement (like big cities), bicycle paths/routes, walk to shopping (Rincon Market). |
| Culture and history | The rich history and culture of a diverse community that for the most part appreciates and benefits from what everyone has to contribute. the cultural (and inexpensive) activities, the revitalization of downtown (even as long as it's taking) |
| Weather, or lack thereof | Except for a few really hot days every year, we have pretty uneventful weather and you can't beat the spring and fall temps! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The inconsistent politics | It seems nothing gets done due to political agendas and ties. there 's definitely a network of power here that either stifles progress or promotes wildcat expansion. there seems to be no happy medium that takes us in a carefully thought out direction. it's VERY frustrating to me - we've become like the federal govt - too much paperwork, expense and bureaucracy gets nothing accomplished. |
| The street condition | The condition of some of our streets are atrocious. I realize we have budget issues, but letting our city become trashy looking and ruining people�s cars is not going to help us recruit companies and people here. The main older areas of town could use some face lifting and cleanup, which would provide jobs and improve our economy. |
| Our schools | Another deterrent for companies and people - our poor schools! I want to believe in public education and moved in order for my child to attend one of the excelling elementary schools - not impressed! She's now at a charter school and while Basis is a high achievement, very structured school it has it's priorities straight and isn't bogged down in more bureaucracy. I've considered running for the TUSD school board because I'm so frustrated with its mismanagement, but I realize I would just be in the middle of the politics and bureaucracy issues that would make me crazy! |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: 5th and Campbell 85719 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 278. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Laid back attitude | Tucson seems to have a very relaxed feel to it compared to other cities. I love the informal nature of Tucsonans when it comes to casual dress even at fancy restaurants. I never feel I have to look over my shoulder downtown. |
| Dark Skies | My first impression of Tucson moving here 20 years ago was the lack of those horrible orange-like street lighting that floods most urban areas. It is so nice to go out of my house just south of downtown and see stars! |
| Arts/Entertainment | Festivals catch on here...Tucson Meet Yourself, Chili Festival, All Souls Procession, Christmas Light Parade, etc. all seem to get bigger and bigger each year. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Efficient Government | The Rio Nuevo disaster infuriates me. I bought a house downtown 11 years ago and am still waiting for light rail, condos, streetscaping. The government handling of Rio Nuevo funds was criminal. Like a kid in a candy shop, all used up on studies and consultants. |
| Bike Lanes Downtown | TPD recently ticketed bicyclists downtown for riding on sidewalks, yet all bike lanes end before reaching downtown, where bike commuters, students, and people visiting clubs and galleries have no bike lane to separate them from buses and cars. I use the sidewalk to remain alive when commuting to work downtown. Bike lanes, bike lanes, bike lanes downtown please! |
| Downtown Parking | One hand is spending a ton of money to attract Tucsonans downtown, while the other hand thwarts this effort by charging parking fees. Santa Monica allows free parking for those shopping their downtown district. Every store has a validation stamp. People are not going to pay to come downtown when they can go to a similar store or restaurant in their own neighborhood. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: S. 6th Ave and 22nd St 85701 // Years here: 23 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 279. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| View of the mountains | The beauty |
| The desert | Unique flora |
| Friendly people | A positive supportive community |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Health of the community | Healthy proactive community supports my personal goals for well being |
| Children's health | The future of your community needs healthy youth and young adults |
| More support of the arts | Our connection to aesthetics raises our spirit and improves our quality of life |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Sunrise/Swan 85718 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 280. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sunshine/great weather | Even with the extreme heat, the sunshine is important to my well-being and general mental health. |
| Relaxed atmosphere of city | Ease of getting around the city, especially downtown, casual lifestyle and clothing, cultural diversity of Tucson |
| Friendliness of people | Tucson is a very welcoming community to newcomers where other communities have a long history of residents, they are often not open to others. History of earliest residents is shared and creates a bridge to welcoming other "pioneers" who head west. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Roads | Need easier access to all parts of town |
| Pride of ownership/home | Many parts of Tucson are unkempt due to lack of pride of ownership - low cost or even no cost upkeep is disregarded |
| Education | For our future, I think education of our youth is very important, though I have no children |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Houghton/Irvington 85747 // Years here: 28 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 281. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The climate | Temperate to warm climates are more attractive as my wife and I grow older. We no longer look upon shoveling the driveway of snow as a manageable task. |
| The cultural heritage of the region | Tucson's embrace of its multi-cultural heritage makes for more diverse opportunities to engage in programs and events. From the Southwest Indian Art Fair and The All Souls Processional to the many facets of Tucson Meet Yourself, Tucson continues to be a place that is vital for its cultural heritages. |
| Its University town | Communities that have major universities embedded in them provide an attraction to scholars and thinkers as well as to youth. These two populations attract higher quality and more diversity in cultural events, restaurants, stores and a sense of vitality that is lacking in communities whose economies are largely based upon industry, tourism or retail malls. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Political leadership | All communities attract political extremes as a minority of its active leadership but Tucson has surrendered to community apathy that has left its leadership the matter of choice for its political minority voices. This has resulted in good old boy politics driven by a handful of insider businessmen who do not have the full community interests at heart. |
| Lack of investment in culture | Tucson is a rare opportunity where a beautiful setting, temperate climate and rich cultural heritage have converged in an era when cultural heritage tourism is known to be an economic driver. The lack of commitment and lack of resources given over to this opportunity is an appalling lack of vision. |
| Tucson needs growth controls | Tucson has been sprawling for decades. Its lack of long range planning has given birth to competitive outlying communities that are upstaging and undermining Tucson's infrastructure needs. Oro Valley will soon become the cultural destination because of its tight planning and growth controls. Marana will suck the area dry of water with its lack of restricted growth. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Ina Rd and Silverbell 85743 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 282. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The Sonoran Desert and the Native people and cultures of the Sonoran Desert | Respecting the environment and its indigenous people. limiting sprawl. |
| Bike friendly | I like to ride my bike (for commuting and exercise) and feel safe while doing so. |
| Historically a community that fights for social justice | I love learning about the history of our city and believe it's our responsibility to pass on that history to our young so they don't take for granted the advancements we have made as a community. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Investing in live, work, play communities for low-moderate income families | We shouldn't have to travel far from our homes to work and play. |
| Stop the hate and intolerance trickling in from Phoenix, putting a stop to hate radio like 104.1 "the truth" | SB1070, HB2281, English only, teachers with accents, hate speech, etc. I'm scare for my safety. |
| Downtown investment to reflect the needs and people of tucson | Most investment happening in downtown is targeted to middle-upper class European Americans. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: 22nd/Starrpass and Freeway 85713 // Years here: 26 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 283. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Good weather makes for good attitudes. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Improve travel time | It is very hard to get from the west to the east side of Tucson. A better travel system would reduce pollution, reduce travel time, reduce road rage, etc... |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Ina and Sandario 87543 // Years here: 35 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 284. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The diversity of the community | As an ethnohistorian and archaeologist, I find the mix of cultures in Tucson particularly appealing, bringing a variety of experiences and traditions (and foods!) to the table. |
| The Sonoran desert environment | Desert plants offer a multitude of colors, shapes, and culinary/medical uses, bringing out an interest in plants I never knew I possessed until I moved here. |
| The deep heritage of the region | I am extremely interested in the interrelationship between people and their environment, and Tucson has provided an oasis for human habitation over thousands of years, involving a variety of adaptations to life in the desert. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Refocus Rio Nuevo on heritage | I believe it was the heritage element of the original Rio Nuevo plan that garnered the support of the public, and this element should be restored. It is Tucson's deep roots and diversity that make it different from other cities, and we should be emphasizing those differences in attracting visitors to our city. |
| Develop a stricter interpretation of R-1 zoning, or give some teeth to NPZ guidelines | Many neighborhoods near downtown and the university are experiencing the encroachment of development for student housing, specifically "minidorms," much to the detriment of the neighborhoods and values of houses proximate to the new development. These are clearly not "single-family" housing. |
| Develop a community market on the scale of the one in Philadelphia's Center City | Having just returned from Philadelphia, where I experienced its Center City Market, I was totally wowed and though, "I want one of these for Tucson"!"It is a farmer's market on steroids, all under a roof and open each day of the week. Something like this would be a tremendous asset to downtown development. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Grant Road and Mountain Avenue 85719 // Years here: 19 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 285. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| People want to make life better | I want to live in a positive place |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| We need a cross town freeway system | Lets say a one cent sales tax passes to pay for it with some federal funding to help out this would take 20 years to complete and put a lot of people to work it would spur the economy and attract outside businesses to come here |
| Fixing the sewer treatment plant west of i-10 | It smells,it drives away business,it is just bad for the city |
| Tep ball park | Sell the stadium its in a terrible place. we should of built it behind carls jr on congress and i-10 this would have helped rio nuevo and the gem show hotels and places to eat would have joined we would still have the diamond backs |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: 6th and valencia 85706 // Years here: 40 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 286. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | The mountains were a big key difference when I moved to Tucson and they are really lovely landscape to look at. |
| The winter time | I like the winter time down here its cool enough to wear a jacket but still warm enough to not freeze. |
| Palm trees | The palm trees add a nice touch to the environment. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Plants | I think more plants would help with beautifying the environment. |
| Keep up | Around certain bus areas the plants get out of control so does the trash and just the wear down of certain benches |
| More side walks | I hate when I'm walking and there is no sidewalk to walk on and i have to walk on that sandy marsh or sand/dirt. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Prince and Campbell 85710 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 90s | |
| Survey: 287. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | The mountains are very clear and they have clean air to breath. |
| Winter time | The winter is the most beautiful time of the year and it is not hot. |
| The animals | I like the animals in the tucson desert because sometimes you can meet them. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More plants | I would like Tucson to have more flowering plants because we do not even have trees because we cut them down. |
| Keep up | The city bus should be on time at their stops and we need to trim down our bushes. |
| More sidewalks | Every time i walk home i always walk in the dirt and every time it rains my shoes muddy and dirt. |
| Date of survey: Oct 26, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Harrison 85748 // Years here: 17 // Born in the: 90s | |
| Survey: 288. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| You should let the comments be submitted. | You should let comments be submitted easily, rather than trying to control. I'm tempted to just click "x" |
| The weather is great. | I love the old West feel of Tucson. It's such a beautiful and awesome setting. The architecture might be really shoddy, but the setting is unbelievable. I can't think of many cities with populations around 1 million that are in settings as impressive as Tucson. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 | |
| Survey: 289. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Wide variety of performing arts | First of all, truly #1 is the presence of family and friends, but that isn't what this survey is about. I enjoy spending my leisure time experiencing music, theater, etc. Tucson has lots of opportunities for this from touring professional to rank amateur and everything in between including local professional theater and musicians as well as university and college based performances. |
| Geography / topography | Nothing like being surrounded by mountains while nestled in a huge valley. |
| Sense of community | Although the Tucson region has grown significantly in the 42 years I have lived here, it still retains a sense of community and almost a small town type comfort and interconnection. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation - automobile based | Although I don't want Tucson to become a mini-LA (think Phoenix), the local surface roads we have need repair and updating and there needs to be some serious consideration of a cross-town or 'around' the city (think 101) option. |
| Transportation - mass transit options | Air quality is important so we need to improve mass transit options - a light rail system would be fabulous. Phoenix has one, Albuquerque has one that goes all the way to Santa Fe - it can be done. |
| Cooperation among local political entities - regional government | Tucson is really five incorporated cities (Tucson, South Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley & Sahuarita) and a large area that is unincorporated Pima County. The time, effort and money spent either duplicating efforts and/or 'fighting' over issues is wasteful. A stronger regional cooperation is essential. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Cortaro / I-10 85742 // Years here: 42 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 290. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town feel in a big City | Small town feel means no smog, no major traffic problems associated with big cities |
| Mountains | Beautiful environmental community |
| U of A camaraderie | Alumni |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cross town transportation | Although we do not have major traffic congestion, for a community so relatively small, it takes a very long time to travel across town |
| Advertise all of the things to do in the community | Frequently hearing from residents that there is 'nothing to do' here, and yet, there is always something unique going on. |
| Create a better sense of community | The community is extremely divided politically and socially making it very personal for people. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Tangerine and I-10 85653 // Years here: 14 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 291. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Other than a few hot months, the weather is very pleasant. Very seldom have any drastic weather, ie tornadoes, hurricanes, snow, earthquakes etc. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More business and employment opportunity. | Helps with the growth of existing business. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: tangerine & 85737 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 292. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Hiking / Outdoor getaways | I like being able to release my stress in the wilderness. Places like Sabino Canyon, Mt. Lemmon, and Madera Canyon are great places to let your mind be at ease. |
| Downtown diversity | The wide spectrum of influences downtown make for a great day / night out. There are tons of places to expand your horizons downtown and i love that about Tucson. |
| Sonoran influence | The influence of both the Sonoran desert and Mexico on our region is another reason that Tucson is such a diverse place. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The stigma of Tucson being a "small town" | Tucson is growing at an incredible rate and the social stigma of it being a "small town" only inhibits the progressiveness. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Alvernon and Speedway 85711 // Years here: 4 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 293. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural beauty | Serene views from all over town, beautiful venues for exercise |
| Quality of life | Laid back, warm community, welcoming neighbors |
| Access to healthy living | Bike lanes, U of A Medical Center and Integrative Medicine Clinic, Community Gardens of Tucson, etc. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More emphasis on environment | Better recycling program, biofuel more accessible, etc. |
| More incentives for job growth | With job growth, especially at higher salary levels, Tucson will have the ability to offer more to its residents - culturally and educationally - and be able to expand its retail offerings, keeping dollars in town, versus online and Phoenix/Scottsdale shopping. |
| Directed growth | Adjacencies can make all the difference when choosing sites. Making conscious decisions and looking to the future are imperative. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Craycroft and Sunrise 85750 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 294. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Good Restaurants | We like to eat out. This summer we used the Dining Club card many times. Restaurants often offer promotions or coupons. Since we live in GV we often combine it with shopping. Place |
| Places to shop. | Lots of choices |
| Arts and Culture | People seem to care about providing opportunities of many kinds, drama, music, galleries, etc. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Cross town traffic | It is difficult to get across town, takes too long to get around. |
| Need less crime | Doesn't affect us personally but we get Tuc. TV and Newspaper and feel that the coverage of gangs, drugs, violence etc. hurts our image. That impacts companies that might want to come to the area. |
| Regulations | Doesn't affect us personally and what I know is based on news reports only. But we frequently read about red-tape and delays that hamper small businesses. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Esperanza and Desert Bell 85614 // Years here: 12 // Born in the: 30s | |
| Survey: 295. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sense of community | The collection of people who care about their community and are willing to take action to make it better. |
| Natural environment | Proximity to open space and wilderness areas. |
| Climate | The sunshine and mild winters make this an easy place to live |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Small town politics | Short-sighted decision makers limiting the potential for forward progress. |
| Sprawl | The Low-density development that has dominated over the past 40-60 years diminishes quality of life now and particularly in the future (fossil fuel use, enviro impacts, health impacts) |
| Economy | Our economy isn't diverse enough and there aren't enough well-paying jobs - too many service sector. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Alvernon and Broadway 85711 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 296. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environment | I find the surroundings beautiful and that makes my life richer. |
| Community | I have built a wonderful network of friends and family. Tucson has a very warm feeling and it is easy to make connections/friends. |
| History | Because my family has been here a long time I feel connected to the Tucson history. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Schools | Good schools are the backbone of a good community. I send my children to private school which is very difficult for me financially and does not allow us to have the neighborhood/school connection. I don't have faith in our schools. |
| Blight | While Tucson has some beautiful aspects there are so many area that are just as ugly (ie: Speedway Blvd). |
| Jobs | More interesting and well paying jobs. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Ft. Lowell/Campbell 85719 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 297. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The warm weather | I do not like being cold. Ever. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Bike path planning | I like to ride my bike to work and would like to see more well planned bike paths. Tucson drivers are nuts! |
| Roads and streets | If I drive over many more of Tucson's "potholes", (we call them sinkholes back east!) my car is going to fall apart |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Sandario/Picture Rocks 85743 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 298. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | I enjoy the weather here in Tucson because its never to hot for you to not go swimming, and never to cold to not warm up. |
| Sunsets | The sunsets in Tucson are extremely beautiful, and always have colors that set a nice mood before going into the darkness. |
| The out doors | I enjoy how the wildlife is at your feet almost every where you go, and how nice it is to see the variety of animals every day. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Buses | I take the bus almost every where i go and they usually are never on time, and when i go to school I'm always late, because of the buses. |
| Construction | When there�s construction there is always more than one site going on so there are less people working on each site which then makes the construction go on for too long. |
| Traffic cameras | I understand the effectiveness of the traffic cameras but i would change the notice on when they are turned on. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: 22nd. and Craycroft 85711 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 90s | |
| Survey: 299. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity of inhabitants | I like being close to the Mexican border and the cultural richness that affords--as well as two native American tribal communities in close proximity. It's a unique feature of our community that should be celebrated as well as leveraged. |
| Natural beauty of Sonoran desert | I'm motivated by and attracted to nature. Conservation of open spaces/parks should be a priority. |
| Arizona Inn and Arizona Sonora Desert Museum | The former==because it's why we got married and why we came here. Both are world class, under appreciated gems in our community. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Annex the foothills and Tucson Country Club Estates | Because rising tides raise all ships and we should be getting the funding we are eligible for from the state. Let's come together! |
| Start a street/highway beautification program | Most of our streets and I-10 are pretty horrendous looking. There are many things that could be done to make them more beautiful. Let's use Chicago as an example for this. |
| Make real progress downtown--claim the UA and 4th ave as part of downtown | I do think some good progress has been made of late--thankfully--after years of a lot of nothing. So much more could happen though to attract people downtown and the UA should be a big player in it. Movie theaters, student housing, etc. should be pursued. And let's re-do Hotel Arizona with Rio Nuevo funds! That could be made into a cool hotel and solve part of the problem--and build a couple of little hotels--Courtyard Marriott style. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: River and Campbell 85718 // Years here: 10 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 300. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Sonoran Desert | It is a unique, spiritual, and magical natural environment that needs protection. This is the only place in the world for this unique desert environment and native majestic, giant saguaros. It is a total celebration of one of mother earth's unique resource charms. |
| Culture | Early American Indian culture, archeology, and history which combined with the Sonoran Desert makes this a mystical, spiritual, grounded place. |
| Mountains, sunsets, and climate three-fourths of the year | Great sunsets both on the mountains and then across far reaching vistas looking west. Shadow patterns of the mountains is unique from any other mountains I have spent time in or lived around. Warm, sunny weather generally from September until June and the outside activities this opens up for residents and visitors. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Crime and Drugs | Because of our close vicinity to Mexico there is major drug running across the border and staged from Tucson. This is a drawback for we who live here and for encouraging businesses and large employer bases to settle here. |
| Sprawl | The community is spread out and it is suburbia with no interesting core. Downtown has been a disappointment for the 26 years I have lived here. I overlooked lack of urban places of interest and things to do because the natural environment is large and offers many treasures. The built environment has no coziness that I experienced living in Seattle and Ann Arbor. There are very few neighborhood nodes that one can walk to that are not a part of a shopping center or strip mall. In general, there is no urban character or charm. When I first went to downtown Tucson, I said you don't have to stay here but then I fell in love with the Tucson Mountains and Sonoran Desert. |
| Reduce urban heat island by planting more trees. | This is the only place and the hottest place I have ever lived where developers fight having to install landscaping and plant trees. What is ironic about this is trees bring sense of place into a human scale, provide shade, photosynthesis supplementing the air we breathe, and a feeling of well being. Trees give protection and nurturing but not here. Pedestrians run from shade spot to shade spot and people always look for trees in parking lots, but trees are not a community priority. Very Sad for such a hot dry climate. |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Campbell & Prince 85719 // Years here: 26 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 301. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Relaxed way of life | I love how I can go to most any restaurant and dress casually; how most people are not pretentious; how genuine most folks are. |
| Often run into friends/associates I know | Running into people you know fosters the sense of community and togetherness. It's less lonely. |
| Great activities always going on | I appreciate traditional annual events, e.g. Winterhaven, Tucson Meet Yourself (which is WAY better this year), 4 Ave street fair, Saturday night art walks, etc. It makes the city feel alive and vibrant, fosters community feel. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Need more walkable/livable neighborhoods | I live in midtown but still have to drive most everywhere I go. Need more business infill, mixed use developments, relaxation of zoning regs to allow these. (Relax the sign code too - I want interesting neighborhoods, not cookie cutter) |
| Not enough jobs for professionals | I was laid off in March, and have yet to find good paying job. I don't want to have to move to Phoenix, but may do so just to get a good job. Need to develop good jobs HERE. |
| Lack of vision for Tucson growth | Tucson feels stuck with one foot in the past (small town) and only one toe of the other foot testing the waters of the future. Tucson needs a vision and clear identity, other than "it's not Phoenix". |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Speedway / Alvernon 85711 // Years here: 30 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 302. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Weather |
| Weather | Weather |
| Weather | Weather |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 | |
| Survey: 303. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It's location in the Sonoran desert | What else is there to say? |
| Access to public lands | Allows me to do outdoor activities that I enjoy |
| It's relatively affordable | Self explanatory |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Quality of housing | Aging housing stock, sprawl |
| Date of survey: Oct 27, 2010 // Home near: Swan/Broadway 85711 // Years here: 9 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 304. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The sovereign state of mind of the people and the lack of following the pack | This ridiculous IGT is nothing more than NWO Agenda 21--just like the Common Purpose of the UK. Wake up you people! IGT and its international IGO funders of the program is moving us into abject Communitarianism! this site will show YOU how YOU are being USED! http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/la21_198.html |
| The fact that we can still own land, which is going to disappear if yo people keep following this Agenda for the 21st Century | With the Agenda 21, private property will be abolished and only the elite will own property and land. the common folk are going to be squished into crumbling cities and be forced into poverty and constant surveillance. this IS what IGT is fundamentally about. Read Karl Marx--it's all outlined in his books. Read ECOSCIENCE: Population, Resources, environment by eugenicist and Science guy for Obama , John P Holdren. It's all out there hidden in plain site. |
| The sky, the sun, the natural beauty | The geoengineering persistent aerosol spraying aka Chemtrailing) that is taking place (here and globally) is fouling our air, making people ill, altering the biology of our Tucson region and the Earth. Look UP!!! See the lines and the resultant whiteouts! You are breathing and your skin, organs and brain are absorbing aluminum. barium, cadmium, galladium and who knows what biological agents attached to the chaff that wafts fro the jets! this is all part of the Global Depopulation Agenda (back to Agenda 21). YOU must look up and ask yourself, "What in the World are they Spraying?" Better yet, a movie by that name just came out---go online and buy it ---it will also soon be on YOUTUBE. You Must Wake UP! |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Dump IGT and the people who are pushing it! Fire them ALL! | Agenda 21 will destroy Tucson and the World as we know it. |
| DUMP IGT ASAP | See #1 |
| Dump IGT NOW | See #1 |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: NA 9765 // Years here: 29 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 305. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Environment | Opportunities for a healthy lifestyle |
| Small town feel | Closer connection with others living in the area. People are friendly |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| City leadership | Need new innovative thinkers |
| Business opportunities | Tucson needs more businesses for economic growth |
| Jobs | Create more of a diverse job market |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: Kino and Benson HWY 85714 // Years here: 39 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 306. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Surrounding landscape | We live in an interesting and diverse landscape, from--essentially Canada (top of Mount Lemmon)-- to the Gulf of California. I love living in a place that's desert, but surrounded by mountains |
| University community | Living in a university town provides such breadth of experience, from athletics to fine arts to sciences. The university has brought me friends that include book lovers, gourmets, astronomers, solar power researchers, rare plant specialists, and anthropologists. |
| You can live well in Tucson, even if you don't make $100k/annum | I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago. Nice town, but I can't imagine living there on a teacher's salary. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| We build crap. | Most of the new developments in Tucson are right out of the Southern California playbook; no architectural style or sense of the desert. So are our commercial spaces. Ugh. |
| Public Education | We put up with mediocre effort from the TUSD. We can do better. |
| Increase central Tucson density / disempower obstructive neighborhood associations | With density, we can have mass transit, walking spaces, storefront developments, and fun. Get out of our cars. |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: Broadway/Tucson 85716 // Years here: 22 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 307. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| It's Charm/Atmosphere | It's hard to describe, when in Tucson you just get this sense and feeling you don�t get in Phoenix. We have a uniqueness and quirkiness that works. |
| Diversity of Cultures | I love the regions strong hispanic influence and i think as a community that was once part of Mexico we need to embrace the mexican culture. |
| It's History | Tucson has a very rich history, things like the Facade improvements downtown are very good, Improving and fixing historic buildings/sites should be a top priority. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Commutes from the East Side to downtown are very long and this stops people from checking things out. I don't think freeways are the answer though. However a series of grade-separated intersections along the Broadway corridor would eliminate stop and go travel without the cost and damage a crosstown freeway would. Light-rail along Broadway would be nice too. |
| Cleaner streetscapes | Many streets have very ugly medians/shoulders/sidewalks with overgrown plants, weeds, garbage and are very bad eyesores. many roads desperately need to be fixed, especially around the airport, that�s the first impression many visitors get. |
| Active nightlife areas | Areas like 4th avenue and Congress are great, but something a bit more upscale and peaceful is needed. Perhaps a riverwalk like they have in San Antonio along the Santa Cruz River. Shops, Cafes, Restaurants, Entertainment. |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: River and Sabino Canyon Roads 85750 // Years here: 19 // Born in the: 90s | |
| Survey: 308. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Don't have to worry about shoveling snow, building a shelter for tornadoes , leaving town in case of a severe hurricane, earthquakes etc.. |
| Liberal politics | Liberal politics is more liberating than conservative politics. being liberal is more acceptable to all groups as oppose to conservative where they have a checklist to be in their group |
| Down to earth culture | You don't have to dress a certain way, talk a certain way etc.. ... just be yourself |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| More business friendly | Make it easy for outside investors and Tucsonans to start a business. cut the number of requirements to start a business. |
| Infrastructure | We need to have a crosstown freeway! more bike paths. extend the light rail. be one of the nodes for the national high speed railway system. |
| Vibrant downtown | Much more improve center arena ( convention center ) with better acoustics for concerts, outdoor plaza for Tucson events, world class architecture high rises, a biosphere high rise park, a world class tower, grocery store such as trader joe's |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: 6th Ave and Broadway Rd 85701 // Years here: 20 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 309. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Laid back lifestyle | Tucson is more of a peaceful community than other large cities. |
| The weather | It doesn�t get much better than this. |
| The people | People in the Tucson area are generally nice and easy to get a long with. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The city administration | They are horrible and personally I think they are mentally challenged |
| The entertainment | There is nothing to do here, all the good concerts and shows go to Phoenix and skip Tucson. |
| The traffic | WE NEED A FREEWAY THROUGH THE CITY! |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: Ft. Lowell and Mountain 85719 // Years here: 29 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 310. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The mountains | The ability to go from the city to the mountains for hiking and recreation. |
| The U of A | The university brings in new people and ideas. The school fosters new artists and business leaders. Without it..we would still be in caves. |
| It's closeness to California and Vegas | On a plane, you can have quick weekend trip. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The city council | I don't think ANY of them have studied other cities and seen what does and doesn't work. They all have a work ethic of only 10% potential. |
| The poor 3rd world appearance of downtown | Although there is a revitalization happening, downtown still is not Liveable. There are no good apartments and homes that give you a city feel. No grocery stores and safe streets to stroll at night. Clubs DO NOT make a downtown...if you want that go to Nogales. |
| The lack of transportation options | The buses are never on time. The streets are in awful shape. There is no streetlights / sidewalks and dangerous to walk and ride a bike at night. GIVE me a freeway to get across town quicker...WHAT era is Tucson existing in???? |
| Date of survey: Oct 28, 2010 // Home near: Ina and Oracle 85704 // Years here: 15 // Born in the: 70s | |
| Survey: 311. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Tucson retains a small-town, friendly, community feel. | Feeling connected to others is an important part of a community. I genuinely enjoy others and there are many in this town who feel the same way. |
| Tucson is a fairly liberal, environmentally-friendly, and philanthropic community. | I love that Tucson supports over 2,000 non-profits, including everything from hospitals to community radio to museums. It is also a liberal community which suits my political nature. |
| The quality of light in the desert southwest is unparalleled. | While the city is filled with tacky strip malls and way too many billboards, the surrounding environment is gorgeous and humbles me continually. The light shows are like nowhere else in the world. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Finish what you start. Rebuild downtown. | The citizens of Tucson deserve for their monies to serve as an investment in community--museum complexes, restaurants, hotels, theaters, gathering places, outdoor amphitheaters. People will come if there is enough synergy between venues. |
| Build up and not out. | I don't believe in sprawl for so many reasons: gas costs, disconnects people from the center of town and community, builds congestion and pollution, etc. |
| More funding and understanding of the arts. | The arts enriches all of our lives on many levels. This town attracts such a splendid diversity of artists, organizations and groups who can barely subsist and grow. |
| Date of survey: Oct 29, 2010 // Home near: 1st Avenue and Orange Grove 85704 // Years here: 21 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 312. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The weather | Most of the year, it is super nice for me and my kids to be outside. |
| Living in the Sonoran desert | My sons enjoy exploring the desert. |
| The Pusch Ridge Mountain range | The mountains are dramatic and simply beautiful! It is a joy to look at them everyday. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Raise individual taxes | Public education and the arts would be better funded. |
| Change the political landscape to be more progressive | There are some very scary legislators in Phoenix. Two from my district: Al Melvin and Vic Williams (Terry Proud is also running and is as scary as Al Melvin!). When I moved to Arizona with my young family six years ago (our choice-not brought here by a job), I knew the politics would be more conservative. However, I did not know the politicians would be so psychotic, mean spirited, and doing their damnedest to destroy public education and the economy of our state. This (along with the fact that Arizona is filled with citizens who would elect people like this) is the reason our family will be leaving Tucson and Arizona as soon as we are able to secure a job somewhere else... in spite of the beautiful weather and desert. My advice--never make a decision about where to relocate based upon the weather! |
| The demographic | It is continually demoralizing to be out and about in the community with so many senior citizens! I would like Tucson to be a place where more people live who who look like me--a mom with school-aged kids. Also demoralizing is the educational attainment of the Tucson and Arizona populations. Most scary is the fact that many of the people making decisions in our state (legislators and those involved with the government) are un/undereducated. |
| Date of survey: Oct 29, 2010 // Home near: Naranja and La Canada 85737 // Years here: 6 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 313. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Diversity | It is the diversity of the views & the natural environment as well as the diversity of the people & cultures that all come together to make our uniquely own melting pot. |
| Climate | Ability to enjoy our natural environment 12 months a year. (Just have to go to Mt. Lemmon in the summer.) |
| University of Arizona | Enormous cultural, arts, science, knowledge driver & economic engine & power center of learning |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| City government | Completely dysfunctional. Structured to make failure be the chosen outcome. I can't remember who said that Tucson will always figure out how to do the wrong thing. |
| Education | We need to be a center of educational excellence with more Basis, San Miguel, Imago Dei schools. Our P-20 education needs to be a beacon & mecca which will then attract high knowledge, high value employers |
| Legislature | Require economic education of all state legislators, so they understand the devastating unintended consequences of their decisions. |
| Date of survey: Oct 29, 2010 // Home near: Broadway/Alvernon 85716 // Years here: 38 // Born in the: 50s | |
| Survey: 314. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Natural Environment outside of urban areas | These areas provide recreational, scenic, and aesthetic benefits that can lead to health and happiness |
| History of the region and cultures | There are still remnants of the many fascinating historic eras and cultures that the Tucson region has experienced since the earliest periods of human habitation. |
| Musical community | The chance to see musical acts in smaller venues that are attracted here to record at studios and play with musicians based in Tucson who at the pinnacle of their genre |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Protection of the natural environment | The irreversible loss of unreplaceable plants, animals, and scenic qualities destroys the most important attributes of Tucson |
| Improve urban design | The poor quality of development, new and old, is repellent and depressing |
| Prioritize community over individual profits in development | Focusing on short term profit as opposed to long term community benefits in development has resulted in unattractive development which has resulted in major, clean industries rejecting Tucson for expansion and diminishes the quality of life for residents. |
| Date of survey: Oct 29, 2010 // Home near: Stone and Congess 85701 // Years here: 11 // Born in the: 40s | |
| Survey: 315. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The people! | I am fairly new to Tucson and didn't know anyone when I moved here, so the fact that people here have been so friendly has made this transition in my life much easier. |
| Aesthetics of the city | Tucson is a beautiful place to live. We are surrounded by gorgeous mountain ranges, and even the buildings here are so beautiful and colorful. I love all the murals and the investment people have in their properties. |
| Size | Tucson is a perfectly sized city. Even though the metro area has over 1 million people, the layout of the city makes it feel more intimate. Also, you are never far away from wilderness. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Downtown | The downtown area is so beautiful, but I would love to see it revitalized even more so. I know that it has grown considerable in the last ten years, but I believe that it could be even better. |
| Aesthetics | I really love all the murals around Tucson. I think that we could improve even more of our buildings with this technique, and it's also a great way to get the community involved and invested-- the murals can be chosen, designed, and/or painted by the community. |
| Date of survey: Oct 29, 2010 // Home near: Broadway/Euclid 85719 // Years here: 1 // Born in the: 80s | |
| Survey: 316. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| The beautiful natural setting | The mountains that ring Tucson make for a spectacular setting as well as the open space for hiking, etc. |
| Quirkiness | Tucson is a little quirky. Weird but cool shops, restaurants, streets, neighborhoods. It has a cool vibe that is unique to the rest of Arizona. |
| College Town | Tucson attracts a lot of young people for college which makes it vibrant and interesting. We need to figure out how to keep the best and brightest here. |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Transportation | Tucson is impossible to get around. Need a cross town expressway. |
| Revitalized historic commercial districts, especially downtown. | Tucson has great historic buildings and commercial districts but there is nothing going on there. Need to find a way to fix up the old buildings and make the commercially viable again. |
| Politics | The politics of the Tucson region are bizarre. Particularly governance within the City of Tucson. |
| Date of survey: Oct 30, 2010 // Home near: Broadway and Alvernon 85711 // Years here: 3 // Born in the: 60s | |
| Survey: 317. What do you LIKE the most about our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Weather | Great lifestyle, access to outdoors for hiking and biking |
| Proximity to California and Mexico | Multicultural aspect of Tucson and easy access to big city stuff |
| People | Great friends |
| What would you most like to CHANGE in our community/region? | Why is this important? How does this affect you? |
| Economic opportunity/career growth | The ability to be stimulated professionally is very important to me |
| Government | Our local government gets in the way of making Tucson a great city |
| Provincial attitudes | It impacts our ability to be a progressive city |
| Date of survey: Oct 30, 2010 // Home near: River and Campbell 85718 // Years here: 16 // Born in the: 60s | |
Some editing has been done, to remove obvious typos, reversed letters, junk entries and some misspellings.