If We Ran Richmond, You Would...
Over 100 of Richmond's Young Professionals participated in HYPE VISION: If We Ran Richmond at Toad's Place on 01.21.09 where we voiced our concerns and celebrations of the Richmond Region by answering a set of five questions. There were several common themes that emerged from each question that are highlighted below. To see the entire, unedited list of answers go here.
If you were unable to attend the January event, don't worry because you can still voice your opinion. Submit your answers here.
The Issues Confronting the Region that I care most about are…?
• The Economy- Job Loss and Richmond based companies going out of business
• Downtown Development: Development along the River, Downtown Master Plan Living, Retail, Historic Preservation
• Transportation: Biking, Capital Trail, Roads, Air travel, Rail, Public Transportation, Parking
• Sports and Recreation: Baseball, Parks,
• Celebrating the Arts
• Diversity
• Public Education
• Crime and Public Safety
The Things that I enjoy Most About Living in the Richmond Region are…?
• Accessibility and Proximity to Beach, Mountains, Northeast
• Urban with a Small Town Feel: Little traffic, 2 degrees of separation, nice people
• Strong Art Scene
• River: Parks, Walk-ability
• Eclectic Culture: Arts Scene, Farmer’s Markets, Restaurants, Music,
• Presence of Colleges and Universities
The Obstacles that I See Preventing Richmond from Becoming a World Class Region are…?
• Lack of Regional Collaboration
• Preserving History while promoting Economic Development
• A Trademark attraction or “reason to visit”
• Disconnect between citizens and government
• Lack of Vision/ Mindset
I
f I could set goals for Richmond to accomplish in the next 5 years they would be…?
• Create Jobs/ Attract Business
• Maximize Potential of James River
• Improve regional communication
• Improve Public Education
• Focus on Sustainability/ Smarter Growth
• New attractions: Baseball, Improve existing structures
The Most Exciting Things Happening Now in the Richmond Region are…?
• Downtown: Master Plan, Rockett’s Landing, Riverfront, Belle Isle,
• Short Pump and Suburban Development
• Arts and Culture: First Friday’s Art Walk, Slave trail, Folk Festival, Farmer’s Markets, Concert Venues, Center Stage
• Shockoe Center Proposal
• Developments along the Boulevard