Living in the City: Envisioning Downtown Housing in

Olympia

Martin McMurry and Cary RetlinMPA Program, Spring 2007

Photos by CR 2006-2007

Density = Vibrancy Diversity Design

Methodology

General PublicFocus Group

‘Super’ CitizenFocus Group

Survey

Who Were the SurveyRespondents?

Four occupants8%

More than four4%

Single occupancy20%

Three occupants

Two occupants39%

• 47% of households earn over $60,001 a year

• 7% of households earn $20,000 or less a year

• The majority (54%) of respondents are “family” households

Household SizeHousehold Size

What does a “vibrant” What does a “vibrant” downtowndowntown

mean to youmean to you ? ?

Rank the Most Important Elements for a Vibrant Downtown

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Number of Respondents

Parking Transit Entertainment Shopping Sidewalks &crosswalks

Reputation ofsafety

Housingdowntown

Category

Rank the Most ImportantElement for Olympia’s downtownHousing in the next 20 Years

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Number of Respondents

Sidewalks &crosswalks

Parking Low-incomehousing

Retail andcommercial

nearby

Housing design Market-ratehousing

Category

Focus Groups Envision Downtown Housing:

““A downtown compelling enough to convince A downtown compelling enough to convince people to choose it over the other people to choose it over the other alternatives.”alternatives.”

““There is difficulty in deciphering There is difficulty in deciphering between a downtown housing vision and a between a downtown housing vision and a downtown vision; have a cool downtown and downtown vision; have a cool downtown and people will come.”people will come.”

General Public

‘Super Citizens’

Density Equals Vibrancy

Design Matters

Demographic Diversity is Valuable

Photo by CR 2005

So whatSo what??

Photo by CR 2006Photo by CR 2006

Clip art courtesy of Fish Brewing Co. Clip art courtesy of Fish Brewing Co. 20072007