Chattanoogans are generally happy overall with their city as a good place to raise children, work and live + retire, but a new community survey shows there are areas for improvement, too.
We’re not saying the city should add free pizza to the mix somehow, but...OK, maybe we are. | Gif by Giphy
The city’s Office of Internal Audit released the 2019 Community Survey results this week + we’re breaking down the results for you. The survey includes responses from 2,000 residents from the city’s nine districts. Participants answered 23 questions, some of which had multiple parts.
ProTip: The survey is online and has district-specific info, so check it out for a more granular perspective and to see how your area fared.
First up? General satisfaction with the city. 👇
Public safety
- Overall, satisfaction with police, fire, EMS and 9-1-1 services is positive, according to the survey’s commentary.
- Residents reported not feeling safe in their neighborhood parks or downtown at night.
- District 2, which includes North Chattanooga, Riverview, Northgate and Stuart Heights, got the highest positive rating with 69% feeling safe.
- District 9, which includes East Chattanooga, Eastdale, Glenwood, scored lowest with 30% reporting feeling safe.
Public works + transportation
- Overall, resident satisfaction with Public Works services — like garbage collection + curbside recycling — is positive, according to the report.
- Residents, however, are not enthused about transportation-related issues.
- This year’s survey shows the largest single-year decrease in perceptions of street conditions.
- Satisfaction with water quality, storm drainage + sewer services don’t rate as well as traditional sanitation services
Parks + recreation
- Overall, people are happy with the city’s parks although not many people are participating in local recreation programs.
- The number of people who visit parks varies over the city’s nine districts.
- District 7, which includes downtown, St. Elmo + East Lake, has the highest rate of regular park visits at 35%.
- District 5, which Eastlake, Dalewood + Bonny Oaks, had the lowest visit rate with 11%.
Economic + community development
- Overall, satisfaction with community development remains positive.
- There was a decrease in positive opinions about key livability questions compared to last year.
- Business owners favorably rank the city as a place to be an entrepreneur; this year saw a 3% increase in satisfaction.
- Most respondents are satisfied with commercial and residential developments in their neighborhoods.
- Residents rated housing affordability 4% lower than last year.
- The use of McKamey Animal Services is up 8% over last year.
- Most people have consistently reported over the years that they don’t use CARTA.
- Of the respondents who have used CARTA, about 50% report positive ratings.
