March 1996                                                                                              Lansing, MI
The Palmer Press
Hello and THANK YOU to all of you who participated in our survey that we conducted a few months ago. The survey was for the purpose of seeing how strong a "sense of community" exists on your block. Over half of you (55%), were able to take part, and as a way of showing our appreciation, we’d like to bring you the results in this newsletter. Here’s what you said about living on Palmer...

Palmer is Home

A large majority of you (75%), either like or love living on Palmer. 

 All of you reported talking to your neighbors, and over half of you (67%) talk either very often or fairly often. Many (83%) of you told us that you get together with your neighbors to hold meetings. Another amazing quality of Palmer is how helpful you are to each other. Half of you reported doing something during the last month without compensation!
 
 
 
 

Connection

A great thing about Palmer is the connection between residents. Over two-thirds (67%) of you said people on this block know each other, and 75% of you said people on this block talk to each other about community problems. Also, 58% of you said residents like each other; 
 2                                                                                                     The Palmer Press




and 67% said people on Palmer trust each other. These are great characteristics for neighbors to have!

Safety

We were generally left with the impression that Palmer is a quiet street with very little crime. About two-thirds (65%) of you feel that your block is a safe place to live, and 50% of you said it is fairly safe to walk on this block at night. Many of you indicated that the safety is one of the best things about living here, and is the factor that contributes most to your sense of community. There is a concern that speeding cars (the rate is 25 mph), endanger the children, and there have been reports of theft and drug activity. However, all of you indicated that there is the same amount or less criminal activity on Palmer that other blocks in Lansing.
 

 Working Together

An overwhelming 83% of you are interested in working with your neighbors to improve condition on Palmer. Most of you (92%) are aware of your neighborhood watch. With this level of interest, any of you who would like to start a community project should be able to find lots of help! Some ideas you suggested include:

  • More communication among residents
  • More consideration regarding noise and music levels
  • Better maintenance of property
Overall

The main point we’d like to leave with you is that Palmer is a GREAT block where people like and watch out for each other. There are some concerns, but there is also a large number of people who are interested in making Palmer even better.
 

If you want more information about this survey, please do not hesitate to call John Schweitzer at 353-9144, Urban Affairs Programs at Michigan State University.