Equity Drafting Table Responses
October 1, 2016
STATION 1
When was the last time you witnessed inequity? 1. “Crime-free” housing is a proxy for talking about certain groups of people (e.g., mentally ill, those experiencing poverty, communities of color, LGBT). It’s a vehicle for further marginalizing them and stigmatizing their efforts to find safe housing. It works against equity. 2. Parks and the care and upkeep affluent neighborhood vs. working class core neighborhood. 3.
Inequity permeates all aspects of our community, unfortunately. This event is lovely and informational, but attendees are not representatives of Sioux Falls’ diverse communities. Ergo, results gained from today will not reflect the opinions of all citizens.
4. Has been a long time, so that is good. 5. Witnessed a bicyclist race among Lincoln High cross county teams from behind yelling “Biker! Biker! Biker!” 6. Every single day. 7. Pedestrians and bikers are at risk. Cars drive into crosswalks, cars turn right when crosswalk signal, signals to walk, and drivers are distracted. 8. When shared with cars, crossing wide/fast streets on foot is scary. 9. Inequity among park upkeep and maintenance. 10. Generally the transportation system. Bus system is limited, walking is dangerous along automobile corridors Minnesota, and 57th, and 12th and 10th; bike paths are not safe. 11. Inequity with parks and outdoor water activities for the youth, particularly west-central and northwest areas.
What do you love about your City? 1. I love that Sioux Falls has a sustainability department that is engaging the public to consider our role in promoting equity and social justice. 2. The parks and art. 3. With the YMCA pools closed, a place to swim is appreciated. (Lap swim, not a mere space to play in the winter.) 4. I love the library system. 5. That it is growing and changing open to new ideas and improvement. Awesome downtown. 6. For the most part, people are generous and kind. 7. The Parks and Rec department is outstanding! Bike trails and river greenway. 8. Restoration of historic buildings and properties. 9. Jessica Lantgen and coworkers.
STATION 2 Note: Only questions which received an answer are listed.
Do you feel like new businesses in your neighborhood are positively influencing your neighborhood? (Business) 1. We need more new businesses, like grocery/food stores on West 12th, Marion, and Tea Ellis. 2. “New” doesn’t always mean a greater positive impact. Gentrification always poses challenges to creating equitable communities. Example: people lose their favorite coffee shop and/or restaurant that bring great support to growing community events. 3. Instead of sprawling suburbs, create infill communities where services already exist.
Do you have a park or green space with amenities (playground, restrooms) in your neighborhood? (Community + Public Space) 1. Traditionally, Terrace Park has been the neighborhood park for the Cathedral Historic District, even though it’s further away than the city (preference). 2. Love Lyon Park! 3. Yes, Terrace Park.
Do you feel supported and protected by police/firefighters? (Governance) 1. The police and fire departments do respond to emergencies and protect neighborhoods.
DTP/O66089.ai
STATION 3
What will it take to make your community greener and socially just? Transportation 1. Re: proximity and ease of getting to grocery store—no, it is a 45-minute walk to public transportation from our house, then a bus ride, followed by a short walk. 2. Bike, recycling, and trades. 3. Bike routes that go somewhere. 4. Abandon vehicles, car sharing, Uber, enhanced education program for sharing the road (clubfab.org). 5. I’ve tried navigating bus rides three times and have been skipped at the stop, discovered printed timetables in error (the same on the website), and a disconnected phone number. 6. Consistent public transportation that encourages/incentivizes use. 7. Grid bus route, less loops; make pedestrian/bicycle accommodations to public; extend reach of transit through street trails and bike lanes. 8. Color-code the bus routes and bus stops. 9. Address distracted driving. 10. Innovation and thinking outside the box. We need transportation that is attractive for all citizens, not just the poor. 11. People first! Can you walk there? Do you have adequate facilities? Think human-friendly. 12. The bike trail is an excellent large loop around the city; hard to cross through for reasonable day-to-day transportation. The trail is great for the weekends, hard for the weekdays. 13. Smaller bike- and stroller- and bag-toting buses that run more frequently and later at night and earlier in the a.m. 14. Encourage various means of transport and sharing the road.
Housing + Utilities 1. Stricter requirements to be able to advertise affordable housing as energy efficient. (Example: Chasing Willow Apartments has a water heater for each unit. The Energy Star Label lists them as close to highest cost. 2. Improve availability and accessibility to water-saving shower heads. 3. Encourage landlords to take more pride in their properties with incentives; have tenants to do the same. 4. Expand current area for Sioux Falls down payment assistance to homebuyers and/or offer tax incentives to homeowner to help revitalize run-down areas of Sioux Falls. 5. Solar and wind energy in Sioux Falls. 6. Housing designs that encourage self sufficiency and no fossil fuels. 7. Better education for the homeowners about how much water a healthy lawn really needs. 8. Don’t be afraid of nuclear energy: there’s new progress that burns the current waste. 9. Help to give owners with sense of pride in property. 10. Green space to safely walk to schools 11. Access to water waived; free for indoor use. 12. Encourage utilities to bury powerlines in core neighborhoods. 13. Rehab older (historic) homes for low-income families rather than tearing down to bring in Governor’s homes or habitat homes. Keep historic neighborhoods. 14. Walking school bus. 15. No segregation. 16. Government and bank loans which give point-free and closing-cost-free loans to low-income folks in return for loan successfully. 17. City grants/incentives for historic homeowners to make structural improvement to their homes.
Equity Drafting Table Responses October 1, 2016
DTP/O66089.ai
STATION 3: What will it take to make your community greener and socially just? CONTINUED Government 1. City government needs to have follow-through on neighborhood association input, not just lip service. 2. When we change who funds elections, we change everything! 3. I don’t have a voice in legislation yet. I plan to get more involved to remedy this. 4. Not gas-powered vehicles. 5. Support police, support city planning, reduce government. 6. Incentivize business development plans to include public and green spaces. It is not a good and dollars-per-square foot plan for them, but do what is best for town. 7. Use of police reserves in areas and neighborhoods outside of core. 8. Innovative creative thinking; government officials who care about equity, social responsibility, and represent ALL people. 9. Better communication of city, state, and county government; absolute transparency about city processes. 10. New city regulations that promote a healthy and sustainable zoning and building code. 11. Require bullet points for each city department and sub department for weekly work activities, noting what other departments and organizations have been included in this work. 12. A diverse government that is representative of the people it serves. 13. Minimum parking reduction incentives for developers/business owners near bike routes/trails and bus routes.
Education 1. More focus on the arts and music and creative thought. 2. Begin teaching second languages in elementary school. 3. Share different food cultures through neighborhood cooking/eating events. 4. Help in education: need to actually prepare people for life after school. 5. Include school grade requirements for attendance and participation in various governmental meetings. 6. Foster connections across diverse subjects. 7. Encourage bike use for schools: more bike parking, less car parking, and reward for biking. 8. More connection with community mentors; teach practical skills and share how can be used. 9. Educate the public about issues and how collectively we can achieve these goals. 10. Education: Have bicycles for loan on university campus—bike share for universities. 11. Instill a sense of ownership in the short- and long-term health of our environment. Everyone has to do their part. 12. Education that encourages entrepreneurship and creative thinking, not obedience and memorization. 13. Conversational Spanish evening adult courses at libraries. 14. Include at each grade level (as part of required care curricula content) information regarding various cultures, religions, nations, backgrounds of Sioux Falls residents. 15. Yes, I did have to take out a student loan to go to college. It’s absurd that our system requires young people to incur massive amounts of debt to be deemed worthy or qualified enough to enter the professional branch of the workforce. #apprenticeships. 16. My professors at USD were receptive, encouraging, and extremely helpful. Perhaps more influential, though, were my fellow students. Being interested in people different than me has been eye-opening. #peer educators.
Equity Drafting Table Responses October 1, 2016
DTP/O66089.ai
STATION 3: What will it take to make your community greener and socially just? CONTINUED Community, Public Space 1. Enforce noise limits for cars and motorcycles and garbage trucks. 2. Too much lighting at night: Sioux Falls is losing its dark skies. 3. Allowing and encouraging the planting of fruit trees and/or bushes on boulevards. 4. Have a neighborhood party centered on Election Day to celebrate voting. 5. Replant the boulevards of core neighborhoods. Explore the idea of celebrating and creating and restoring our “urban forest.” 6. We need to continue to use spaces in the middle of the city; keep property in use. 7. Less surface lots, more green spaces. 8. Create and convert existing rail right-of-way to multimodal transportation: walking, bikes, etc. 9. Distinct dog park for the downtown residents of Sioux Falls, with more development downtown and downtown lofters allowed to have pets; this is much needed. 10. “I wash, you dry” when we have social gatherings at the park, church, etc. Disposable dishware usually serves us its short purpose then goes to a landfill. By using reusable dishware we are saving a social element where a task group must work together as a team to wash the dishes. This long-time social tradition has been lost, and we should try to bring it back! 11. Help us to embrace our winters; draw the community outside. 12. Green roofs in urban centers. 13. Let’s pick up Sioux Falls. Clean up the litter on streets, sidewalks, and bike paths. 14. Flowers and native grasses in area between street and sidewalks. 15. Project food forest.org: public food forests, areas of discovery, alley ways (pedestrian/bicycle). 16. Modernization of parks not always the answer. History has value! 17. Green space mini parks in neighborhood. 18. Really walkable neighborhoods, especially in winter; clear sidewalks, calmer traffic. 19. Public spaces used for social events being encouraged, not restricted. 20. Burying overhead utility lines, cables, phone lines, etc., so that tall trees of many varieties can be grown along boulevards—also diverting. 21. How do we make safe, welcoming public spaces for all, regardless of income level? 22. Create more one-way streets in high-density town surrounding living areas, increasing the function of no space and decreasing difficult safety concern for pedestrians and bikes.
Business 1. We tore out our downtown mall. Sorry, but we should rebuild it again. 2. Solar energy in Sioux Falls. 3. Demand change by voting with your dollars. 4. Build more green buildings. 5. Create walkable business cores; push cars outside of city center; create more interaction. 6. People first! Support small businesses! Mom-and-pop shops/restaurants create diverse, walkable, unique neighborhoods. 7. City-funded PR in tourist magazines for business that have evidenced work toward living environment principles and precepts. 8. Vote for less government regulation, which allow small, medium, and big business. 9. Publicize the good things businesses are already doing.
Employment 1. Flexible schedules, bicycle parking, and showers. 2. Alternative energy jobs. 3. Jobs which pay people of all ages, including teenagers, at the same salary for the same work. 4. Help to provide people with jobs that give them sense of purpose; work needs to be valued. 5. Recreational opportunities near employment downtown. 6. Create mayor- or city-council-mandated oversight/coordination of city departments and their working toward stated city/ department goals.
Equity Drafting Table Responses October 1, 2016
DTP/O66089.ai