|
CCPS FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY
Hope Elementary School
Wednesday, November 11, 2003
Forty Carlsbad residents joined Council Members Ramona Finnila and Mark Packard to discuss their vision for Carlsbad's future. The top ideas, by category, were:
 |
Community |
 |
Sense of belonging/diversity |
|
Community as Ecosystem |
|
Concern for neighbor |
|
Unique Village, Quaint atmosphere |
|
Awareness of neighbors |
|
Clean/safe |
|
A place where - people come together (Seawall, events, library) human scale |
 |
|
Connections |
|
Place and events to bring people together |
|
Special events |
|
Connection of Open Space areas |
|
|
Spirit |
|
Ethical values |
|
Year round events, get the word out |
|
Planning - forward thinking |
|
Welcoming City |
|
Preserve/cultivate heritage |
|
Participation encouraged through communication |
|
|
Place |
|
Maintain existing jewels |
|
Art, architecture, landscaping |
|
Destination, green, multipurpose, services, entertainment |
|
Accessibility |
|
Centralized government with activities in decentralized locations |
|
Mixed use |
|
|
|
The participants were divided into four groups. Here are the thoughts of each group.
GROUP ONE
|
Community |
|
Personal Investment |
|
Village atmosphere |
|
Walkable community |
|
Special events and venues |
|
Uniqueness of the community |
|
concerts, beaches, CB5000, historic district |
|
|
Place |
|
Trails and lagoons |
|
Amphitheater - gathering place |
|
Open communities - concern with move south |
|
Civic Center |
|
Community gathering place of all kinds of events |
|
Parks |
|
Recreation - sporting events |
|
Parking |
|
Multi-operational facilities |
|
Conventions - meeting place |
|
Central location - PAR area |
|
|
Spirit |
|
Few high schools |
|
Children connected to community |
|
Marketing community |
|
Calendar |
|
|
Connections |
|
Clubs |
|
Church |
|
Walking around |
|
Historic sites |
|
Trails - Hiking & Biking |
|
Sports organization |
|
Walking guide |
GROUP TWO
|
Community |
|
Mini communities - neighborhood watch |
|
Awareness of neighbors |
|
Get a dog |
|
Community = collection of neighbors |
|
Different types of community (e.g., internet) |
|
Community = shared interest |
|
City seems interested in community |
|
Physical attributes lacking in City |
|
Community = mini ecosystem |
|
Likes current resources |
|
Parks |
|
Green belts |
|
Maintain jewels we have |
|
Open Space |
|
Ocean |
|
Need central core (e.g., library) |
|
Support local businesses |
|
|
Place |
|
Public spaces |
|
Open spaces |
|
Dogs, artists, walking, children play |
|
Civic Center |
|
Parking |
|
City business/services |
|
Independent businesses |
|
Maintain character of Village |
|
|
Spirit |
|
Participation |
|
New people - welcome |
|
Schools are good role model for involvement |
|
Challenges |
|
Quadrants |
|
Transportation/traffic |
|
|
Connections |
|
Quadrant meetings with HOA |
|
Community TV |
|
Citizen Academy |
|
|
|
GROUP THREE
|
Community |
|
Diversity/equality |
|
Concern for neighbors |
|
Safe place |
|
Opportunity for engagement |
|
Lack of gated community |
|
Differing ages, socio-econ |
|
Feeling of belonging |
|
Close proximity - needs are near |
|
Coaster |
|
Convention and Visitor's Bureau |
|
Feelings of friendliness |
|
Ch. of small town ("old town") |
|
Connect to other communities |
|
Keep personalities of different communities |
|
Clean air, beaches |
|
|
Place |
|
Art/architecture, landscape |
|
Proximity - public transportation |
|
Accessibility |
|
Safe |
|
One-stop destination |
|
"Wall" = center near beach areas |
|
Logo defines place/history |
|
Uniqueness |
|
Reputation |
|
Civic spaces/closed streets/walking |
|
Preserved open spaces |
|
|
Spirit |
|
Values, environment |
|
Build on earlier plans - continue plan |
|
No "bad reputation areas" |
|
Forward thinking - re: schools & trailers |
|
Coordinate communication |
|
Mixture of public and private |
|
Library |
|
|
Concerns |
|
Decline in environmental quality |
|
Rapid unchecked growth |
|
Public safety |
|
Parking |
|
Antennae, utilities |
|
Crowded homes (proportional to lot) |
|
Coordinate street disruption |
|
|
|
GROUP FOUR
|
Community |
|
What does it feel like? |
|
Pedestrian Oriented (City should be focused) |
|
Non-auto oriented |
|
Beach Walk - good |
|
Hosp Grove Amphitheater |
|
Bike Lanes - good |
|
No place to go and leave your bike |
|
Leave your car - take train, bus, bike |
|
Pedestrian orientation connects people |
|
Is the pedestrian life style something Californians will do? |
|
Maybe |
|
You connect with people when you are out of your car |
|
How do you do this in a 42 sq mile city with stores far away? |
|
Planning communities |
|
Town centers |
|
Library connects community |
|
A community feels like "home" |
|
People you know |
|
Community functions |
|
Events (concerts, street fair) |
|
Things that draw people in |
|
Seawall |
|
|
Place |
|
How do people hear about the places that exist? Get the word out. |
|
Batiquitos Lagoon trail |
|
Library and events at Library |
|
Hosp Grove trail |
|
Life styles have changed over time |
|
We are all out working |
|
Two incomes |
|
We haven't time to be part of a community |
|
The perfect place |
|
Park in middle of town |
|
Grass |
|
Shops - Theaters |
|
Central Square |
|
Take part of Roosevelt and remove cars |
|
Walking plaza |
|
Use Oak Street yard |
|
Town Hall - 10 miles from south Carlsbad is a problem |
|
Old town is great but how do we serve distant communities |
|
Civic Center uses |
|
Merchants |
|
Destination |
|
Restaurants |
|
Events |
|
Bookstores |
|
Government Services |
|
Auditorium |
|
Arts |
|
Closing off a Civic Center to autos - allow "carts/bikes" |
|
Transportation |
|
Electric shuttles |
|
Mixed use residential/commercial |
|
|
|
|
Spirit |
|
"Jazz in the Park" all year round (events) |
|
Carlsbad is a friendly community - this is part of spirit |
|
Holiday events |
|
Publicity is important |
|
People must give their gifts |
|
Involve the schools |
|
Congestion causes a problem - people can't get around |
|
Farmer's market - good spirit issue |
|
|
Connections |
|
Community newspaper "Carlsbad" |
|
|
|
|
|
For further information contact:
City of Carlsbad
Connecting Community, Place & Spirit
1635 Faraday Avenue
Carlsbad CA 92008
(760) 434-2820
Email:
Contact Us | Connecting Community, Place & Spirit
|
