Shape Sioux Falls planning team shows community survey results

Shape Sioux Falls planning team shows community survey results

Sioux Falls residents prioritize public safety and maintenance as the community plans for the future.

That’s among the takeaways of a statistically valid survey conducted as part of a coming update to the city’s comprehensive plan, Shape Sioux Falls, looking out to 2050.

With 541 respondents — surpassing the goal of 400 — the survey had a 4.2 percent margin of error.

“You know that you’ve got an engaged topic,” said Ryan Murray, assistant director of community research for ETC Institute, which conducted the study, calling them “really reliable results.”

When asked about overall quality of life in Sioux Falls, 31 percent said it was getting better, 35 percent said it was getting worse and 34 percent said it was staying the same.

“I’d say if we asked this question two years from now … that proportion of getting worse would likely shrink,” said Murray, pointing to the political climate at the time some of the survey was done around last year’s election.

When residents were asked what two areas should receive most emphasis from city leaders, maintenance and repair topped the list, followed by improving accessibility of housing and investing in resiliency to ensure the city can respond to extreme weather events and other emergencies.

Traffic congestion and noise levels ranked among areas of highest dissatisfaction, “which are common for high-performing organizations,” Murray said.

In looking at areas that respondents think should receive the most emphasis in the next five years, safety and security, traffic congestion and street conditions topped the list.

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From a business standpoint, residents said they’d like to see more day cares or schools, senior housing and grocery stores and other necessities shops and cited developments both downtown and in newer areas of the city as their favorite development in the past five years.

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Looking at what items should receive priority in commercial development, residents emphasized feeling safe, traffic congestion and noise.

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In addition to the survey, the team working on the report also has held 18 pop-up events to gather input, along with two community listening sessions, four neighborhood workshops, 13 focus groups and 18 stakeholder meetings.

The next 10 months will involve drafting the plan for review and a public rollout.

Explore the original article from Sioux Falls Business, posted by Jodi Schwan on January 14th, 2025.

Are you curious about the insights a survey can offer your community? Contact a member of the ETC Community Survey Team today.