The Livability Summit by Valley Vision
Valley Vision announces a new kind of visioning conversation about the health and well-being of our communities and what we can do together to ensure everyone has access to the quality of life we all deserve.
Valley Vision routinely conducts regional opinion polling to better understand the public’s view on important issues. Differences in where we live, how we live, and our make-up create differing experiences and therefore varying viewpoints on issues like transportation, healthcare, food access and education.
Disparities in experiences are especially evident when talking about quality of life.
The last time we fielded The Livability Poll was in 2018. It was pre-pandemic and the region was on an economic upswing. Things were a lot different then. We believe it is critical to understand how people’s day-to-day experiences may have shifted over the four years since we last surveyed this topic, especially in light of unprecedented hardships that changed so many lives in so many significant ways.
Our most recent Livability poll was fielded in June and it revealed key findings about quality of life for people in our region. For example, in 2018, our findings showed that some residents were feeling left behind and worried about rising housing costs, increasing poverty, and fast-changing neighborhoods. The newest poll showed that cost of housing has grown as the biggest concern for many and also that concerns surrounding mental well-being were notably higher than pre-pandemic times.
For Valley Vision, supporting a high quality of life for all by advancing equity, sustainability and prosperity is our core mission. That is why we will host a regional conversation in the fall that brings community members together to explore ways that we can create unified actions toward improved livability for everyone.
Our full set of research findings will be revealed at the first-ever Livability Summit on October 4th where community members like you can take part in a new kind of conversation. Using Valley Vision’s Livability Poll findings as a wellness check for the region, we will engage in an informed dialogue, imagine ways to improve economic, social, health and wealth in all communities across the region, and seek to define the actions steps we can take collectively as a community to make change.
Addressing the challenging issues we face requires connection to others and a sense of possibility for the future. It is in this environment that we developed the vision for the Livability Summit, an event where “your voice belongs, your voice makes change”. More than just the event slogan, this message reflects our full intention: To create a welcoming place for connection and honest conversation, and a space for the community to come together to take action toward a better tomorrow.
To achieve this, we are focused on a few things:
- Build a program that speaks to important issues in our communities
- Create space for interactive talks with one another about what you are hearing and experiencing
- Offer honest storytelling from real people in real neighborhoods
- Ensure all voices and diverse communities are welcome
I believe that at its best, Valley Vision builds connections across our region. This year’s Livability Summit is our first run at creating an annual event where our community can come together to reflect on how our region is doing across our most important issues, connect with each other in ways we haven’t before, and collaborate on unified actions that move us forward.
The Livability Summit is a community event for everyone.
If you care about improving the health, wellbeing, and equity of our communities, your voice belongs in these important conversations and we hope you join us on October 4th. Register here.
