Mayor's Note (Sept. 2020)

Tualatin is a great place to live and work. Tualatin has prioritized the preservation of natural spaces. Tualatin residents value the Library. Traffic flow on major streets in Tualatin is a challenge. Any of these colloquialisms sound about right? Our most recent survey says residents agree. 

This year, we asked residents to complete the Tualatin Community Survey and provide feedback on the "livability" of our community. The survey asked residents' opinions about ten central facets of livability, which include the economy, mobility, community design, safety, and the natural environment. Understanding the needs of our community is crucial to ensuring resident satisfaction, high livability standards, and planning for the future. 

We partner with the National Research Center to conduct this statistically-valid survey every few years so we can gauge how and when resident attitudes change over time. We have now conducted the survey four times in Tualatin since 2010. By partnering with the National Research Center, we can also compare our results to 600+ communities across the U.S. who also participate in the National Community Survey™. 

Some of the key takeaways from this year's survey include:

Tualatin Moving Forward is having an impact. 

Only 30% of survey respondents rated traffic flow on major streets as excellent or good, which puts us below the national average. However - and here's where it gets interesting - in 2016 when asked the same question, only 16% of survey respondents said the same. We saw similar growth in questions about the ease of travel by car, and the overall quality of the transportation system. 

CERT is having an impact. 

One of the things our community has mobilized over in the last few years is CERT: Community Emergency Response Teams. This, too, seems to be having an impact. In 2016, 56% of survey respondents rated the City's emergency preparedness as excellent or good. Now, in 2020, we are up to 71%.  

Housing is top of mind. 

While Tualatin Moving Forward and CERT appear to be having an impact, other topics offered different insights. Tualatin received low rankings compared to the national benchmark and the west coast benchmark on questions that asked about the variety of housing in Tualatin and the availability of affordable quality housing. Only 58% of survey respondents stated they were not experiencing housing costs stress. Housing is one of City Council’s 2020 priorities and we are looking to expand affordable, workforce, and senior housing options.

To review the entire report, visit the Tualatin Community Survey webpage. Read previous Mayor's Notes in Tualatin Today.