PROVIDENCE – A survey commissioned by the City of Providence shows almost two-thirds of residents think it’s a “good” or “excellent” place to live, and most feel safe here. But most are unhappy with snow removal and the maintenance of the city’s streets and infrastructure.
“This is like a GPS, telling us where we are and where we need to go,” Mayor David N. Cicilline said in a news release. “As we set priorities immediately and for the next couple of years, we want to be sure we align those priorities with what concerns our residents most.”
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The survey was conducted in December by ETC Institute of Olathe, Kansas, which mailed a seven-page, 52-question, multilingual survey to 1,500 randomly chosen residents. The firm made follow-up calls, eliciting complete responses from 634 residents from every part of the city and every demographic group.
ETC found 68 percent of city residents were satisfied with water and sewer services; 66 percent with public safety services; 70 percent with trash collection and recycling; 62 percent with street lighting; but only 25 percent with street and infrastructure maintenance.
Although residents said they’d like more police visibility in their neighborhoods, 79 percent said they felt safe there during the day, and 47 percent said they felt safe at night.
Almost five in six residents visited a city park in the last 12 months, and 50 percent attended a city-sponsored arts or cultural activity. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said Providence is an “excellent” or “good” place to work.
“What stands out most is our city’s great optimism,” Cicilline said. “We are feeling good about living and working in Providence. We feel safe from crime and fire emergencies; we are satisfied with our parks and cultural activities. We also feel good about things like garbage collection and street lighting.”
The survey “also reinforces the special attention” city officials are giving to economic development, infrastructure improvements and quality-of-life issues like rodents and vacant lots, Cicilline said.
The ETC Institute specializes in municipal, county and state government opinion research services. Since 1999, it has completed projects for more than 250 cities and counties in 41 states. The Providence Neighborhood Housing Corporation hired the firm for this study as part of the required strategic planning process for the Community Development Block Grant and city housing programs.
“A survey is no substitute for going out into the neighborhoods every day,” Cicilline said. “But it is a great way to help make sure we are addressing what residents want addressed.”
The full survey results are posted (in PDF form) at www.providenceri.com.
