Greetings residents of Valencia! Thank you for participating in our survey a few months ago. The purpose of the survey was to see how strong of a "sense of community" exists on your block. 

Here’s what you said...
 
 

Many of you indicated that you may not feel connected to each other, but that you feel you belong on Valencia. Here are the results:

• Residents on the block know each other (38% agreed).

• People who live on the block think of themselves as a community (38% agreed).

• People on the block feel isolated from each other (50% disagreed).

• People on the block feel connected to each other (0% agreed).

• Residents don’t care about the block’s future (63% disagreed).

• People feel they belong on Valencia (58% agreed).

The majority of you (63%) agreed with the statement, "People on this block watch out for each other." In addition, 88% said that people on Valencia would give rides to each other if needed. Fifty percent said that people take care of each others’ plants, pets, and kids. Additionally, 100% of you indicated that people on this block participate in the curbside recycling program. Congratulations!
 
 

Neighborhood Watch and Friendliness 

We asked the questions, "What is the best thing about living on this block?," and "What is it that you feel contributes most to your sense of community on your block?" Two important aspects that you mentioned were 1) the neighborhood watch and 2) the friendliness of the people. Other responses included talking to each other and people helping each other out.

The overall sense of community on Valencia appears to be mixed. Sixty-three percent of you told us that the overall sense of community on Viola is "too little." Residents told us that more social activities such as block parties would help to increase it. Exactly one-half said Valencia is a safe block to walk on at night. On the positive side, 75% said that you would be interested in working together to improve block conditions, and everyone indicated an interest in assuming a leadership role on the block. Traffic conditions were mentioned as a major problem on the block. 
 
 

Once again, we appreciate the time that each of you took to participate in our survey and to let us know a little bit about yourselves. If you have any questions about this survey, please feel free to contact John Schweitzer at 353-9144, Michigan State University, Urban Affairs Programs.