Nearly 200 people stopped by and viewed the 4X10 foot vinyl
banner of photos from before and after “Urban Renewal” this past Sunday Streets, September 10th, 2012. Sunday Streets is a series of events put on by
the City of San Francisco to encourage health, community and fun. Below are the responses from random tourists,
City residents and locals who participated.
The cultural awareness survey is aimed at rekindling a movement to
educate people about “Urban Renewal.” The project was put together by local artists and sponsored by the Fillmore Neighborhood Association. Three hundred dollars for the banner was paid for through a grant by the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Hopefully improvement, but more community input is needed
not just bureaucrats making decisions.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Residents getting involved.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Nova Scotia
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Six years (In the 1990’s)
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 2
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Driving out the minority community and everyone else who is
poor or not rich. Destroying whole
neighborhoods.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Alerting everyone to keep from people buying into it and
cooperating or investing in it.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Mostly Washington State, but also New Jersey, Texas, Illinois,
South Dakota, Germany and California.
Many friends in Western addition displaced.
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Haight Ashbury 9 years and Ocean view 37 years.
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 3
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
“Urban Renewal” is a relative term but I think it tends to
mean making an area “nicer” and moving crime/poverty out, but at the expense of
local citizens and history.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Increased events like “Sunday Streets” and keeping
neighborhood open and accessible for everyone in the greater community. People will fight to protect what they know
and love.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Massachusetts
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
I live in Cole Valley
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 4
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
I full-out support what you are doing!
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Blank
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Seattle, WA
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 5
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Gentrification, displacement + moving $ from small local
family businesses to large national or trans-national ones
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Consciousness, education, consumer voting + political
participation.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Little rock, AR
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Seventeen years
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 6
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Displacing low-income people predominantly people of
color.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Zoning laws, regulations on franchises, etc.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Maryland
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Twenty-four years
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 7
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Revitalization, new energy, protecting history + culture
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Blank
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Lakewood, Colorado
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 8
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Improvements but not always.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Put it on the voter ballot.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
S.F.
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero - Sunset
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 9
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
When post war white America started leaving cities for
suburbs, government and business began a systematic policy to streamline auto
transportation at the expense of poorer neighborhoods.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Blank
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Rochester, NY
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Lived 10 years @ Page + Fillmore
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 10
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Blank
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Blank
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Georgia
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Blank
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 11
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Gentrification
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Let the Community be part of the decision making.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Los Angeles
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 12
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
It means prospectors w/ money see an opportunity to purchase
property at a low price(usually from poor people + people of color) and resell
to the highest bidder.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Make tough regulations about who can buy and why.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Seattle, WA
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 13
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Gentrification – Newer, sometimes nicer neighborhoods but
pushing out original residents, new comers love the culture of original
resident, but push the people out that have the cultures.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Informing the original residents about keeping their homes +
the value. Offering businesses incentives
to local folks in the area for so long.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
S.F., Oakland, LA and CA
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Mother, Aunt, Uncle grew up in Western Addition.
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 14
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Wide spread change, Gentrification.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Landlords should not be allowed to let properties
deteriorate.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Illinois
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Zero
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 15
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
At its best – ensuring vibrancy of our urban cores; at worst
it destroys our heritage.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Involvement +
collaboration across all the interest groups.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
New York
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Twenty years.
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 16
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Hopefully it helps people live a better life not just for
the rich.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Let people make a living wage and can afford to live well
and buy property.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
San Francisco, CA
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
None
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 17
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Loss of home + Jobs.
Loss of community. History and
culture.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Voting, being a aware of community.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
San Francisco
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Native
SURVEY RESPONDENT # 18
1) What does Urban
Renewal mean to you?
Forced modification of a place to fit a different vision of
what it should be regardless of past culture / community.
2) What is something
that can change to prevent Urban Renewal from happening again?
Sharing community spaces, encouraging interaction &
respect of communities and places, and historical value.
3) What City or State
did you grow up in?
Illinois.
4) Total number of
years lived in the Fillmore / Western Addition?
Live in Cole Valley for 9 years.
