City Services Satisfaction Survey 2010 City Services Satisfaction Survey | Page 7

Neighborhoods Residents continue to rate their neighborhoods moderately high in terms of quality of life, same as in 2008 (77% “excellent” or “good”). • Condition of streets (including both major and residential streets) and burglaries (including both car and residential burglaries) are perceived as the biggest problems in city neighborhoods. • However, compared to 2008, there are significant improvements in citizens’ perceptions of neighborhood problems. The areas that indicated improvements are: ƒ Property cleanliness and maintenance ƒ Weeds and unmowed grass ƒ Neighborhood gangs ƒ Violent crime ƒ Graffiti ƒ Vehicles parked in yards ƒ Condition of parks and park facilities ƒ Dilapidated buildings and houses. Overall sense of safety in neighborhoods and in Arlington appears to be positive in general. • Neighborhoods in Arlington continue to be rated very safe for walking alone during the day (very safe 74% or somewhat safe 22%), though much lower at night. ƒ Residents feel most unsafe walking in Arlington business areas at night, and a top-two-box safety rating of business area at night has declined significantly since the last wave. • The vast majority of residents report that neither they, nor anyone in their household, have been the victim of any crime in the past 12 months. ƒ Most of those who are a crime victim are likely to report the crime to the police. • Although neighborhood gang activity is not perceived as a major problem, it is noteworthy that there seem to be general concerns about gang issues in Arlington. ƒ Slightly less than two out of three residents (63%) have heard of, or are aware of, gang problems in Arlington, and about one in five are concerned. Decision Analyst, Inc. 6