Fill out this survey and return it for your chance to win one of these...
$50 gift certificate to Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant (1 winner)
$25 gift certificate to Old Town Pot Shop at Old Town Artisans (1 winner)
$20 gift certificate for lunch at La Cocina (1 winner)
$10 gift card to Brooklyn Pizza (4 winners)
1-year complimentary subscription (12 issues) to the Downtown Tucsonan, $10 value (10 winners)
1-day complimentary pass to Gold’s Gym (20 winners)
Please return this survey by:
Dropping it off at the Tucson Downtown Alliance (TDA) office (upstairs) at 52 W. Congress St. -OR-
Mailing it to TDA at 52 W. Congress St. Tucson, AZ 85701 -OR-
Handing it to one of our uniformed security or maintenance ambassadors (purple shirts) on the street Downtown. -OR-
Calling us at 547-3338 to arrange for another convenient way for you to submit your survey.
Thank you for taking time from your busy day to assist us in keeping our finger on the pulse of Downtown!
Completed surveys must be turned into the Downtown Tucsonan by November 29, 2003 to be eligible for the drawing. Completed surveys will be placed into a drawing and winners will be selected for each prize. Winners will be notified by the contact information you provide. One entry per person please. The Tucson Downtown Alliance will keep your responses private.
Identifying yourself by name is not necessary, but in order for you to receive a prize we must be able to contact you somehow or some way. Phone, e-mail, mail? Your choice. TDA will keep your responses private.
Which of the following describe you? Please check all that apply.
Downtown resident
Downtown property owner
Downtown business owner
Manager of a non-profit organization
Employee of a Downtown business
Professional (law, architecture, etc.)
Work in the retail sector
Work in the arts sector (working artist or work in a gallery, museum, performing arts organization, etc.)
Work in a Downtown office setting
Work in the social services arena
Work in government
Work in a restaurant
Work in a bar or nightclub
Occasional visitor to Downtown
Customer at Downtown businesses
Concerned citizen
Out-of-town visitor
Student; Are you a student at a Downtown-area school? Yes / No
Other relationship to Downtown (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Do you take Sun Tran to get to and from Downtown? Yes / No
Have you ridden the TICET shuttle Downtown? Yes / No
Have you ever called the Tucson Downtown Alliance for a safety escort?
Yes / No
What was the reason for your most recent visit to Downtown Tucson? (Check one)
Theater or other performing arts
Special event
Nightclub
Gallery or museum
Shopping
Dining out
Government-related / Jury Duty
Work
Main Library
Convention Center event
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
How safe do you feel in Downtown Tucson? Please check the viewpoint(s) that best describes your own perception of safety and security Downtown.
I feel as safe in Downtown as I do anywhere else.
I feel safe in certain areas at certain times, but not as safe in other areas at other times. (please specify)
I generally feel safe, but feel that more could be done to improve the security.
I personally feel safe, but believe that there is too much vandalism and property crime.
I feel safe, but know many people who believe that Downtown is unsafe.
I’ll drive to my parking space, but am concerned about my safety in walking from my car to my destination.
I fear for my safety regardless of the time of day or the Downtown location.
With the proposed University of Arizona Science Center in the process of obtaining approval as a Rio Nuevo-funded project, there has been more discussion about the new developments that may eventually be constructed near the Science Center on the east side of the freeway. Which of the following attractions or projects proposed for that area do you think would contribute the most to the improvement of Downtown? What other projects, not listed, would you like to see?
Convention Center Improvements
Hotel(s)
Large Public Plaza
Parking and Infrastructure
Significant new Retail Center
UA Science Center
Sports/Concert Arena
New Symphony Hall
New Housing
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Rank the importance of the following elements in terms of their positive impact on Downtown Tucson. (1 being the most important). Please circle the one that should be pursued immediately, because it can act as a catalyst in promoting the others.
Housing
Retail
Office businesses
Cultural venues
Entertainment venues (including restaurants)
Other (specify) __________________________________________________________________
The Tucson Downtown Alliance has recently created a 501(c)(3) subsidiary organization called “It’s Happening Downtown, Inc.”, in order to facilitate the increase in quantity and quality of public events Downtown. We would like to create new events as well as support the efforts of other groups who are providing special events Downtown. What type of special events would you like to see in Downtown? (please rank by importance)
________ Major street fair-type festival that lasts multiple days, involving a street closure
________ Arts-based events
________ The revival of an event like the old “Downtown Saturday Night”
________ Weeknight events with free music in a park or plaza setting
________ Sidewalk entertainment
________ Nightclub/live entertainment events
________ Lunchtime entertainment, such as at the Main Library Plaza
________Something truly unique that could put Downtown Tucson “on the map” (any ideas?)
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
How frequently do you want to see public events in Downtown Tucson? (Please rank in order of importance)
________ Annual events
________ Monthly events
________ Weekly events
________ Daily events
What modes of transportation do you feel are most important for Downtown’s future? (Please rank)
________ Pedestrian
________ Automobile
________ Bicycle
________ Sun Tran bus
________ Trolley
________ TICET shuttle
________ Light rail
________ Cycle Rickshaw
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
What kind of shopping would you like to see Downtown? (check all that apply)
Eclectic assortment of specialty shops
Specialized theme or niche, such as a furniture or antique district (please specify the theme or niche)
Arts-based retail
Shops oriented to tourists
Neighborhood Retail and Services (geared towards the needs of local residents; for example, barber shops, salons, and dry cleaners)
Stores that you would find in a mall or strip center
High-end boutiques
No preference
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
How would you rate this paper, the Downtown Tucsonan, in terms of its overall effectiveness in marketing Downtown? Please check one.
Very effective
Somewhat effective
Not very effective
Totally ineffective
What would be the best use for the land at the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and Congress? (check all that apply)
The current use: the Ronstadt Transit Center
Open space, park, or outdoor performance area
Residential
Retail
Mixed use, with retail/commercial on ground floor
Art center
Parking
Entertainment venue, such as a cinema
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Please rank the following marketing projects or programs, in terms of their usefulness in promoting Downtown.
________ A series of promotional brochures highlighting ALL that Downtown has to offer, to be distributed atDowntown-area businesses and to jurors, TCC visitors, hotel guests, event-goers, visitors, workers, etc.
________ A completely redesigned www.downtowntucson.org website, improving on the current site and better emphasizing Downtown’s resources and attractions. Such a site would be heavily promoted as the best source of what’s going on in the Downtown area on a daily basis.
________ A series of new events or one big new event Downtown that would attract people from all over Tucson and from out of town.
________ A proactive and dedicated program of business recruitment.
________ Television commercials promoting the area, or other media advertising
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Please rank the following, in terms of their importance as Downtown assets:
________ Restaurants
________ Access to governmental organizations and services
________ Theatre, music, and performance venues
________ Architecture
________ Location
________ Art galleries and other visual arts venues
________ Nightlife
________ People
________ Diversity of activity
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Please rank the following, in terms of their importance to Downtown’s economy today:
________ Downtown workers
________ Students/younger generation
________ Families
________ Downtown residents
________ Out-of-town visitors
________ Local visitors
________ Jurors and users of government/courts
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Please rank the following, in terms of their importance to Downtown’s economy, in the future:
________ Downtown workers
________ Students/younger generation
________ Families
________ Downtown residents
________ Out-of-town visitors
________ Local visitors
________Jurors and users of government/courts
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
What type of businesses would you prefer to see more of in Downtown Tucson? (rank in order of importance)
________ Restaurants and cafes
________ Retail shops
________ Bars or nightclubs
________ Art galleries
________Convenience stores or supermarkets
________ Entertainment facilities, including cinema
________ Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
What is your view of having chain or franchise-type restaurants or retail businesses in Downtown (versus independent, locally-owned businesses)? Check off the statement that best applies.
The more chains the better
Some chains would be okay depending on who they were
Chain restaurants would be okay, but not chain retail
Chain retail would be okay, but Downtown’s restaurants should be locally-owned.
Downtown Tucson should have no more chains
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
Please check off the viewpoint(s) that best describe how you feel about social services in Downtown Tucson.
They enhance Downtown.
Downtown is the logical place to locate them.
They have their place in a Downtown area.
It depends on the particular facility. (please specify what you consider acceptable and unacceptable)
They have a right to be Downtown, but they are not appropriate for all locations.
Downtown already has too many social service facilities, relative to other parts of the city. We need to reduce the number of such facilities.
They harm Downtown’s image and reputation, discouraging customers and investment.
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
What frustrates you about coming Downtown? (Check all that apply)
Lack of parking; difficulty finding parking
Finding one’s way around
Navigating the one-way streets
Being accosted by panhandlers
There’s not enough to do
Not feeling safe
It’s poorly lit or otherwise not conducive to walking around
It’s not aesthetically pleasing
Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________
The Greyhound bus station needs to be relocated to accommodate the construction of the new 4th Avenue underpass. What would be a good location for the new Greyhound Terminal?
Next to the Historic Depot on Toole
Near the railroad tracks on the other side of the tracks from the depot, closer to 4th Avenue
Near Interstate 10 and St. Mary’s Road
Near Interstate 10 and 22nd Street
Near Congress and I-10
Anywhere in the Downtown area is acceptable
Somewhere else Downtown (please specify the location)
Out of Downtown entirely (please suggest an acceptable alternative)
How important is it to finish construction of the last mile of the Barraza-Aviation Parkway to move through-traffic past Downtown?
Very important/urgently needed. Let’s get on with it!
Important, but not urgently needed.
Not that important/existing streets are and will be sufficient to move traffic.
Why are we still talking about this project? It’s a waste of money, not needed at all.
What elements are consistent with the ideal future character of the Warehouse District? Check all that apply.
Galleries
Coffee houses, cafés
Unique retail
Offices
Industrial or warehouse uses
Contemporary art focus
Art that is more commercial in nature
Shops and galleries that cater to tourists
Outdoor performing arts venues
Social service facilities
Market-rate residential loft space
Low rent studios and live/work space
Schools
Private sector, for-profit development of property
Non-profit development of property
Continued public ownership and management of property
How would you feel about encouraging the development of a “neon sign” district on Congress Street?
Sounds cool. It would develop a great atmosphere.
Sounds okay, but I have a better idea for developing Congress Street’s historic character. (please specify)
Not terribly excited about it, but let’s try it.
It’s a bad idea. Let’s not go there.
Are there any services or programs that would help Downtown that you think TDA should perform? __________________________________________________________________
Finally . . . who do you know that would be interested in participating with the Tucson Downtown Alliance (or It’s Happening Downtown, Inc.), either through Board or committee work, or some other type of volunteer commitment? Are you interested? If you are, or know of another good candidate, please let us know, and provide contact information (at least a name and phone number).
hen I was a tiny person, the trashmen (for that is what they were called then, my child) fascinated me. Whenever the truck roared onto our street, I’d run to the living room window: huge men leapt off the truck’s running boards, wrested large trash containers from the side-racks… It felt so heroic.
I was obviously romanticizing what was most likely a pretty crappy job, but there was a kind of miracle I’ll always remember: the trashmen would set their cans down at an angle on one bottom edge, and each would start his can rolling, walking alongside it, spinning it with his hand along the inside rim. They looked like brawny circus angels, striding off on opposite sides of the street, rolling their tipped cans on one edge, stopping to pick up our little household cans, empty them into their big industrial cans, on and on, house to house, down the street, And the truck would rev back to life and move half a block to meet them, so they could empty what they’d collected into the back. At least what was most likely a pretty crappy job had this instance of skill and play and, yes, beauty.
But the fact is, I’ve always been fascinated by trash. My parents never got used to my asking that we stop at every junkyard we saw. Even as an adult, my MFA thesis was titled, The Mudlarks, which is a reference to children who gleaned for saleable goods along the banks of the Thames in the late 1800s.
What I’m fascinated by is the usefulness of what we discard. We discard so much.
Thus, I have been enamored of BICAS since it first appeared downtown in the mid-90s. BICAS (or Bicycle Inter-Community Art and Salvage for long) is a nonprofit community cooperative dedicated to recycling bicycles, promoting bicycle awareness, bicycle art and culture. BICAS sells bikes, rents bikes, builds bikes, and basically makes it a better world for all who like bikes. They have a full-service repair shop with a “fully-stocked stash o’ used parts for sale,” and you can bring your bike down have them fix it, or rent shop space and fix it yourself. If you don’t know how, they have classes to teach you. The Build-a-Bike program teaches folks of all ages basic bike repair and maintenance, and the ever-crucial art of bike-ology.
In their custom metal shop, alongside more utilitarian objects such as bike racks and gates, fabulous works of sculpture take shape, and “just about any other damn thing you can imagine out of old bike parts.”
Not to mention the unimaginable things. Like jewelry. And Bike and Beer Festivals. I’m sad to say I was out of town for both the October kids’ Bike Jewelry Class AND the Tour de Fat, but I’ll probably get my 12 year-old 7-speed cruiser tuned up this month. It figures prominently in my mid-November hike down into (and, hopefully, up out of) the Grand Canyon. Next month I’ll probably focus on the availability of downtown bodywork facilities.
Readers who are quick to snag this publication can still attend a Bike Jewelry Class on Nov. 1, and for a mere $20 will learn to make jewelry using beads, bike parts, and other recycled materials. It’s for kids really, but you know how I am. BICAS Build-a-Bike program is a 5-week series for $75 (adults), $50 (kids). Call 628-7950 or email bicasunderground@yahoo.com for schedule and to register. BICAS is open Tues–Thurs, and Sat from noon until 6:00 p.m. (Fridays are reserved for volunteer-assisted shop clean-up), and is located at 44 W. 6th St. (on the northeast corner of 6th St. and 9th Ave.).
With the proposed University of Arizona Science Center in the process of obtaining approval as a Rio Nuevo-funded project, there has been more discussion about the new developments that may eventually be constructed near the Science Center on the east side of the freeway. Which of the following attractions or projects proposed for that area do you think would contribute the most to the improvement of Downtown? What other projects, not listed, would you like to see?
What is your view of having chain or franchise-type restaurants or retail businesses in Downtown (versus independent, locally-owned businesses)? Check off the statement that best applies.
The Greyhound bus station needs to be relocated to accommodate the construction of the new 4th Avenue underpass. What would be a good location for the new Greyhound Terminal?
Trash It!
hen I was a tiny person, the trashmen (for that is what they were called then, my child) fascinated me. Whenever the truck roared onto our street, I’d run to the living room window: huge men leapt off the truck’s running boards, wrested large trash containers from the side-racks… It felt so heroic.