In November and December of 2004, Our United Villages’ (OUV) staff and neighborhood volunteers knocked on all 2300 doors of the apartments, houses, businesses, churches, and schools in the Humboldt neighborhood.

They handed out a survey that asked: “What areas do you feel residents in the Humboldt neighborhood should focus on to strengthen community?”
The top responses of returned surveys were:
Local jobs and economy (91);
Education (87);
Youth Activities (81);
and Sharing Skills & Knowledge (78).

OUV conducted a series of 15 Neighborhood Conversations, based on survey responses, for neighbors to come together around topics that are important to the neighborhood.

Many Creative, Inspiring Ideas
In addition to the responses listed in the graph above, more than 200 ideas for strengthening community were handwritten on surveys. The top ideas were in the categories of safety (32); getting to know neighbors better, especially cross-culturally (19); and “neighborhood pride,” including clean-up and more green spaces (34).
Click here to see the Humboldt Neighborhood Complete Survey Results.

Ideas around neighborhood events were popular (38 ideas so far), including block parties, farmers’ markets, annual parades, and multi-cultural celebrations. Many people also expressed an interest in more communication with their neighbors, especially cross-culturally. And other neighbors wrote about sharing resources. For example, helping an elder with light housework or carpooling to the store.