Results of 2024 survey show what Ann Arborites think of their city

The results of the National Community Survey, which examined the desirability of living in Ann Arbor and surveyed Ann Arbor residents on the livability of the city, were published on August 12. The survey measured 10 central components of a city: economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, natural environment, parks and recreation, health and wellness, education, arts and engagement, and inclusivity and engagement.

According to the survey, completed by 3,000 randomly selected households, 91% of residents reported that the city was an excellent or good place to live. Categories with the most positive results included mobility, parks and recreation, and safety. Some of the lower-rated areas included housing affordability and utilities infrastructure.

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor explained in an interview with The Michigan Daily that he appreciates the opportunity to improve the lives of residents and work toward creating a stable structure for community members to thrive.

“My focus has always been that we need to improve basic services and enhance quality of life, ensuring that the water is clean, that the police and fire show up and do their job professionally, that the parks are well-maintained, that the streets are as good as they can be, that we at City Hall perform the job in ways that do honor to the community,” Taylor said. 

Taylor said he has continually focused on housing, transportation and climate action since first becoming mayor in 2014. However, he acknowledged the difficulties in keeping housing affordable.

“We are working very hard (to) expand certified affordable housing, and, crucially, expand housing supply at all levels because supply and demand is not a joke,” Taylor said. “If we want housing affordability, it needs to come from the material part for more supply.”

Jan Rishoi, who has lived in Ann Arbor since 1971, told The Daily that affordable housing has been a challenge for the city for quite some time, but that it has never taken away from what the city has to offer. 

“In the things that aren’t so great, like cost of living, it’s never been good,” Taylor said. “I remember being 18 or 19, living and working downtown, it was always exceptionally expensive. I think it would be a lot cheaper if it wasn’t such a great place.”

Taubman senior Theo Berry explained in an interview with The Daily how the Urbanism Club at the University of Michigan works on tackling issues such as high housing costs. They partner with organizations like the Neighborhood Institute to find solutions, and ultimately present them to the Ann Arbor City Council. 

“We believe in participatory planning initiatives, and Ann Arbor has always been great about hearing our voices,” Berry said. “It would be easy for them to shut us down, not listen to us. We try to go to a lot of city council meetings and speak up when we have something we want to speak up about.”

The NCS survey results also described a high level of resident satisfaction in local parks and recreation, touting a 94% positive response in overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities.

According to Remy Long, Ann Arbor Parks Advisory Commission’s deputy manager of Natural Area Preservation and Land Acquisition, the Ann Arbor Park System includes 2,200 acres spanning 163 parks, with organizations like Natural Area Preservation committed to taking care of those spaces. 

Long told The Daily that Ann Arbor parks are very accessible, as a result of decades of investing in the acquisition of parks through strategic measures. These measures are still a work in progress, with the ultimate goal of all residents being within a 10-minute walk of a park. 

“Ann Arbor is set at 92% of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park, so a pretty impressive spread of park service and access within the community already exists,” Long said. “If we’re going to fulfill the goal of being completely covered with 10-minute walk coverage for city residents, there are still some pockets within the city where our park planners would need to more strategically plan for the addition of new neighborhood parks within those communities.”

Taylor discussed his commitment to creating usable transportation services for the city of Ann Arbor, a category that had a 66% positive response rating on the NCS survey.

“Our roadway needs to be safe for all users,” Taylor said. “It needs to be safe for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians, and we’re working hard to accomplish that, making (it) easier for people to get around safely without a car. Because that’s good for everybody.”

Taylor emphasized his pride for Ann Arbor as a city, while adding that the community will continue to strive for more.

“It’s always good to know that folks love Ann Arbor, but it’s also true that we are never complacent,” Taylor said. “That’s I think the mark of a successful community — we know that we’ve got a good thing going on — but we also know that we have a lot of work to do.”

Data from National Community Survey. Design by Fiona Lacroix. <a href=”https://store.pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo/”>Buy this photo.</a>

As seen in the above figure representing the NCS results, only 15% of Ann Arbor residents contacted city officials in 2024. Taylor encouraged others to raise this number by engaging with their local government.

“Nothing beats campaigning,” Taylor said. “So students, anyone who wants to get involved in shaping your local government — or the government anywhere — find a campaign that’s meaningful to you, and get involved.” 

Daily Staff Reporter Elizabeth Stafford can be reached at libstaf@umich.edu.

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