- Your City, Your Choice: DHM has developed and led “Your City, Your Choice” for the City of Portland seven times between 1994 and 2010, with 2009 marking the first year of Multnomah County’s participation in the project. Through surveys, focus groups, and large group studies, this research has 1) determined changes in residents’ values and beliefs and budget priorities through time, and 2) provided the City with current attitudinal and demographic data to assist with budgeting, planning, program evaluation, and internal and external communications.
- Sacramento Council of Governments (SACOG) 2050 Vision and Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035: Telephone and online surveys including MaxDiff, and focus groups with residents living in the six counties in the Sacramento area to gauge public priorities for long range planning and growth development, and to gather perceptions of different land use scenarios related to transportation, planning, quality of life, and land conservation. This research helped shape policies for the region’s alternative growth pattern that guides planning and policy for the region and set the foundation on which the region’s transportation plan.
- visionPDX: Telephone survey to assess residents’ attitudes and priorities for Portland’s future and to gauge issues important to them in shaping the city including public services, urban growth, education, transportation, and financing issues. Research findings were used to validate visionPDX’s qualitative process – open-ended interviews with more than 15,000 Portland residents in nine languages. This telephone survey research is part of the largest public participation and outreach of its kind in the United States.
- Metro Industrial Lands (G-9): Conducted 7 focus groups with business leaders in the biotech, high tech, distribution, food and beverage, manufacturing, business locators, and regional service provider industries to assess the industry needs of each as they relate to space, land use, and economic development. The groups also discussed how climate change, green development, and urban density affect their economic decisions related to building space and site preferences.
- Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Growth Visioning Project: Telephone and online surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews for SCAG’s Growth Visioning Study to learn about Southern California residents’ awareness, perceptions, and priorities for issues related to future growth in the region, including land use and transportation preferences. Research was conducted in six counties and a portion of the research specifically targeted different ethnic and demographic groups including Hispanics (using bi-lingual interviewers), African-Americans, Asians, and low-income residents.
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- Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT): An ongoing relationship with PBOT conducting survey and focus group research to determine transportation priorities with Portland residents, including bus, MAX and light rail, bicycle paths and bike safety, roads, and highways, and their support for alternative service transportation in neighborhoods. Research was also conducted among voters to assess their opinions on a variety of funding measures. Recent projects for PBOT include survey research for the PBOT 2009 SmartTrips program which is aimed at encouraging the use of alternative transportation choices in select areas of Portland, and the PBOT and Platinum Portland Team Bicycle Ridership research assessing residents’ perceptions of incentives and barriers to increasing bicycle ridership in the city.
- United Way of the Columbia-Willamette: Conducted a telephone survey among residents living in the Portland and Vancouver areas to assess public attitudes towards health and human services for low-income and underserved residents, and to gauge residents’ perceptions of United Way as an organization that helps meet those needs. A supplemental online survey was also conducted targeting community leaders, individuals and organizations affiliated with United Way, and residents who receive United Way’s services.
- Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT): Ongoing relationship with ODOT conducting survey and focus group research to update the master transportation plan for the state, gauge concerns and support for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC), and test solutions for reducing traffic congestion. Findings have benchmarked Oregonians’ attitudes and opinions about transportation needs and improvements, priorities for developing a transportation system, willingness to pay for additional improvements, and opinions about specific issues around public transit, traffic congestion, and transportation impacts on the environment and economy.
- Envision Central Texas (Texas Association of Regional Councils): Telephone surveys and focus groups with residents in five counties in central Texas to evaluate residents’ opinions about growth management including transportation, population growth, livability preferences, land use, conservation, and energy.
- City of Covington Parks and Recreation: Telephone survey research to assess Covington residents’ recreational needs, preferences, and priorities, including specific recreation services provided by the City. A supplemental focus group was conducted with Covington youth ages 13 to 17 to assess their priorities for parks and recreation opportunities, as well as to engage them in city planning processes. When combining each research component of this project, the City provided a large cross-section of community members the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the development of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan.
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