People-Oriented Neighborhoods

Definition: Includes designing new neighborhoods and investing in old neighborhoods to promote a mix of commercial and residential uses, a pedestrian focus, landscaping and aesthetics, and interaction among residents.

What the community said:

• "Old-fashioned, front porch, out of car experiences."
• "Structure opportunities for neighborhood communication and interaction to promote greater understanding"
• "Encourage mixed-use zoning to allow people to live, work, and shop in their neighborhood."
• "Better local services, such as a grocery store, located within walking distance from my home."
• "Create, rebuild, and redesign the physical public spaces to encourage social interaction."
• "Create a walkable city-scape, design it with people in mind rather than cars."
• "Create activities and places to interact with each other. We stay in our houses instead of participating in social activities."

City Department/Office Support for this Goal:

• Citizen and Neighborhood Services - assisting neighborhoods in forming associations and communicating within their association and providing training to neighborhood associations
• Economic Development - supporting business participation in neighborhood development, and designing, developing, and distributing brochures to businesses that identify neighborhood associations in each ward
• Historic Preservation - working with historic neighborhoods to preserve pedestrian-oriented elements
• Planning - providing support through the area and neighborhood planning process and participating in the Urban Design Project
• Development Services - enforcing development related codes and standards to help maintain the integrity and viability of neighborhoods
• Community Services - providing financial and technical support to a wide variety of agencies to help them revitalize and promote neighborhood level services and directly funding numerous neighborhood-initiated capital and public services projects
• Parks and Recreation - providing citizens venues (such as parks, neighborhood and recreation centers, and pools) to meet and interact with their neighbors
• Solid Waste Management - providing support to neighborhood improvement projects and special events

Key Indicators of Progress:

1. Number of pedestrians in neighborhoods Counting the number of people out in neighborhoods is one indication of people walking or biking instead of driving. We would expect more people to be visible in neighborhoods as it becomes more appealing to walk and bike places. The number of pedestrians and cyclists can be measured by counting the number of people seen at certain times in randomly selected areas throughout the year.

Source: Trained observers from community organizations can help conduct these "people counts".

2. Number of neighborhood projects and events Residents need organized events and projects to plan for successful growth. Neighborhoods will be identified and surveyed on the activities annually.

Staff is researching the best way to collect and report the data for this Indicator.

3. Use of alternative means of travel Determining how many people getting around town without a car, and how often, is a way to determine how well our neighborhoods are designed to promote these alternatives.

Based on the 1980 census, 66 percent of the population in Pima County drove to work alone, while 21 percent carpooled. Eleven percent used other means to get to work, such as public transit, trolley bus, walking, and bicycling, while 2 percent worked at home. In 1990, in Pima County 72 percent drove alone, and 15 percent carpooled. The remainder either used other means to get to work (10 percent) or worked at home (3 percent)

Source: Pima County Association of Governments/Transportation Planning Division, 1995 data

4. Number of gathering places and people using them This indicator tallies public parks, festival sites, and outdoor commercial areas where people congregate and counts how many people take advantage of them. People feel good about their community when they have many opportunities to interact.

Source: Staff is researching the best way to collect and report the data for this Indicator. Parks and recreation agencies and other providers should be able to supply these figures.

5. Percentage of residences located within half a mile of a market Sprawl often means that people have to drive greater distances to do their daily shopping. Having markets within a ten minute (half-mile) walk decreases driving. As infill increases, we would expect this number to increase. Aerial maps and computer-aided mapping can be used to measure this indicator.

Preliminary analysis reveals that about 38% of households are located within half a mile of a grocery store

Source: Arizona International College analysis using Geographic Information Systems

What YOU Can Do

• Take pride in your home
• Become friends with your neighbors
• Join or create a neighborhood association
• Utilize public parks, neighborhood and recreation centers, and public pools

Featured Project for this goal indicator.