by Dennis Cant
Earlier in 2019, the Richmond Knob Hill (RKH) Community Association undertook a study of residents’ views and attitudes toward our community, and the community association. The objective was to help the Board of Directors focus activities and prioritize resources, while identifying what programs and services could or should be offered.
A multi-question survey was developed in conjunction with a local expert research firm and fielded between February 21 and April 8 using an online platform. Residents were invited to “have their say” through various notifications, including:
- An announcement in the community newsletter, The Review
- A notice and link provided on the RKHCA website
- Posts to the community association’s social media channels; Councillor Woolley’s office also promoted the survey
- Posters displayed in a number of local businesses
- Post cards delivered to residents’ homes
- Bold Signs placed in three high traffic locations in the community
Respondents were given an opportunity to enter a draw to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards, and winners were announced at our Annual General Meeting in June. In total, 221 responses were received, equating to approximately 6% of our community’s population, which is an average response rate for this type of study.
A Summary Of What Residents Said
For three-quarters of respondents, location tops the list of what’s liked most about living in RKH. Local amenities and surroundings ranked a close second, while a quiet neighbourhood and having great neighbours were also popular reasons for liking our community.
Residents have a positive view of our community, with 93% agreeing they made a good decision to live here, and 84% regularly engaging with neighbours. These results are more favourable when compared to other southwest communities from the Calgary Foundation’s 2016 Belonging Study.
Issues related to construction (including development) top the list of resident concerns, with almost half of respondents identifying this theme as our community’s most important issue. Traffic and densification were the second and third most commonly cited topics, respectively.
77% of respondents agreed that the community association is important and relevant, with advocacy on local issues, community facility maintenance, and programming and activities for children, youth, adults, and/or seniors being the most significant areas of interest. Satisfaction with the community association in delivering these areas of interest is less certain, with between 36% and 62% of respondents not sure of their level of approval. However, facility maintenance was rated favourably, with at least 67% of respondents moderately satisfied with our facilities (24% rating this area a “perfect 10”).
What It All Means
There is encouraging interest from RKH residents for increased community engagement through improved advocacy, programming, and facility development. More than 90% of respondents expressed interest in some sort of community-based event, program or activity, and 43% indicated a willingness to volunteer in the community. Extrapolating this result across our neighbourhood’s population suggests a potential pool of more than 1,500 residents wanting to volunteer some time to the community. Accessing and activating this potential group, who would be capable of creating great events and memorable connections, is the key to a more engaged community, and will be primary focus of the board of directors over the coming 12 months. Stay tuned for your opportunity to get involved.
