Thoughts on the findings in Lexington

September 30, 2009

Laura Williams is Knight's program director in Lexington. I admit it. I don’t get out much. At the end of the day, I tend to go home to my house in the suburbs.

But when the Blue Grass Community Foundation’s Legacy Center began their Legacy Trail logo campaign this summer with a table at Thursday Night Live, I found out something. Downtown was rockin'! And I liked being part of a community event that brought in people from all over town to share food, drink and music. And I was reminded what a great place Lexington is to live, and how much energy there is here.

The Knight-funded Soul of the Community study just released by Gallup talks about what drives attachment to one’s community – in other words, what makes you feel connected and passionate about your community. The strongest driver of attachment for the Lexington area was social offerings – places to gather with others and places for entertainment, followed by openness (sense of welcoming) and basic services (transportation, available healt hcare, and affordable housing).

The report says that we want more opportunities to get together, and sends a message to leadership that this could be a key to keeping folks here. We are already seeing more entertainment venues downtown, a growing Gallery Hop and Thursday Night Live, and a booming and crowded Farmers Market. I believe we are going in the right direction, and the Gallup study provides data to show us why this is so important.

I know I feel part of something special in Lexington when I come downtown to the Farmers Market on Saturday morning, and see friends from across the city. Let me know what connects you!

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4 comments

Nathan Cryder wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

Lexington has definitely been

Lexington has definitely been heading in the right direction over the past several years. Downtown is more "hopping" now than it has ever been in my lifetime. The Gallup poll is right on the money. It is the events and attractions that connect people that account for this. Things like the farmer's market, Legacy and Town Branch Trails, the proposed Mill St. ped mall, Second Sunday, and the Lexington Distillery District have the potential over the next few years to make Lexington one of the most appealing mid-size cities in the country.

Phil Holoubek wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

These findings underscore the

These findings underscore the importance of following through with funding and implementation of initiatives such as Mill St Pedestrian Mall. Currently, downtown does not have enough true places to serve as outdoor social gathering spots, but that is starting to change. The downtown streetscape project will encourage4 outdoor cafes on our downtown sidewalks. Cheapside Park is becoming more of a friendly gathering spot every day. Converting Main & Vine to slower, two way traffic would be the strongest indicator of our community leadership's demand for a friendly, "people scale" downtown. And, the Mill Street Ped Mall would provide a phenomenal environment and location for social gathering. Let's make it happen!

Anne Nash wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

I agree that we are making

I agree that we are making good progress. I'd like for Lex to do more to encourage informal social gatherings. See Portland actions at: http://citiwire.net/post/1329/. Re ..."Portland’s food carts. They line up by the dozen in parking lots, facing the sidewalk, creating an instant streetside food court of amazing and inexpensive culinary choices. This is not urban planning, exactly–or, at least, it’s not about building higher density and more public transit. Rather, it’s about strengthening the quirky, interesting, and sometimes even necessary little human-scale things that make up urban life. And that’s one of the things that seems to underlie Portland’s success: there are so many people in town who love urban life and want to make it work in a mid-sized city".

Tom Martin wrote 2 years 18 weeks ago

The findings of this study

The findings of this study come at an important time for Lexington. This is a transitional period for our city, a moment when significant cultural and structural changes are happening. Much of that change relates to social offerings. We're in the middle of a revival of a music scene here, so these findings provide affirmation for those who have made these investments as well as policy makers who are working to adjust to accommodate them,
We do continue to struggle with the retention of young professional talent. And it's very significant that there exists significant resistance to immigration in a city where no fewer than 72 languages are spoken in its public school system.
The research provides a new basis for continued dialogue on these and many other issues associated with a community such as Lexington even as it confirms that we are on the right track in some key areas.

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