Table 1:





Table 1 above summarizes the most frequently collected street-level conditions over the past three years in the International District- conditions observed as surveyors strolled along the sidewalk in the neighborhood.  As shown by the table, the majority of the collected incidents occured on the sidewalk, with the majority of problems being uneven pavement, invasive plants and dumping of large items.  Tree pits was the second most frequently collected category with problems such as uneven pavers and weeds.  Roadways followed as the third most frequently collected category for all three years with problems such as potholes and uneven pavement.

This table also shows that there has been an overall decrease in the total number of deficits collected each year.  One explanation of this is that in the first year of the survey, surveyors collected as many incidents as possible, but over the subsequent years, survyeors became more selective, trying to only collect those incidents they believed to have the most impact on the quality of life in the neighborhood.  Additionally, community members have indicated that their neighborhood appears cleaner the last two years of the survey.  Lastly, the day and time of the week can also influence the number of deficits collected.  For example, if the survey was completed right after a trash pickup day or late in the afternoon when more trash collects from restaurants could influence the amount of litter and overflowing dumpsters conditions in the survey.

To learn more about the data being collected in our Street-Level Surveys click here.

Through a community dialogue process, residents in Chinatown-International District identified waste management and public safety as top priorities in the neighborhood. Students from the University of Washington analyzed the data collected over the past three years around these two themes. Below is a summary of their findings.

Public Safety

Public safety indicators collected included roadway and pedestrian safety.  Roadway conditions  categorized under public safety were problems such as potholes and uneven pavement on the roadways.  Pedestrian public safety deficits are problems such as sidewalks with uneven pavement, damaged curbs and tree pits with uneven pavers.  Figure 1 is a map which shows the changes in public safety over the past three years.  The intersection of S King St and Maynard Ave S stands out as the area that has had the most significant increase in deficits from 2004 to 2006. The red and orange blocks in the map below show the areas with the greatest increases in public safety deficits. Those blocks in dark green show the greatest decreases in public safety deficits.  Figure 2 shows the trend over the past three years in public safety features and conditions collected.

Figure 1: Map of Public Safety Trends	Figure 2: Bar Graph of Public Safety Trends
click on map for a larger view	click image for a larger view

Waste Management

Waste management indicators collected were deficit conditions such as graffiti, litter and large dumping items. Figure 3 is a map which shows the changes in these data over the past three years. The green colors indicate where there have been decreases in incidents of waste management. The yellow indicates that there was no change in waste management, while the orange and red demonstrate where the greatest increases in waste management have occured.  Figure 4 shows the change in number of waste management deficits collected such as graffiti and litter.

Figure 3: Map of Waste Management Trends	Figure 4: Bar Graph of Waste Management Trends
click on map for a larger view	click on image for a larger view

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