Update on Survey Responses
Thank you to the 45 people who filled out our survey! We hope you saw the fabulous downtown characters that the RAW Wall Wise students made to promote our survey. We're happy to share the results of the survey as of August 10, 2021.
What People Like About Downtown
23 respondents talked about businesses, particularly the restaurants (13 respondents) and the diversity of business offerings (5). The diversity was another big plus of the downtown (14), as was the art and murals (13) and the historic architecture (9). Seven respondents talked about the great people, and six others mentioned a sense of bustling vibrancy that made downtown seem fun and exciting. People also mentioned transportation access (5), the parks like the Common (4), and specific organizations like the G.A.R., Lynn Public Library, Lynn Museum and RAW Arts (8).
Three Words that Describe the Downtown Now
The responses to this question ran the spectrum from positive to negative. Many of the comments seemed to relate to change--whether the downtown had gentrified, whether it was currently changing, or whether it needed improvement. The most-used word across the board was "diverse," with eight respondents. Three respondents each used "trash," "vibrant," "busy," and "community." We made some minor edits to the word forms to help highlight where people agreed.
How Can We Make Downtown Lynn Better
People had a wide variety of ideas for how to improve the downtown Lynn area! The most common theme by far was improved cleaning and trash pick up, with nearly half of our respondents mentioning it (21). Nine people also asked for more community spaces, including indoor spaces to study or host events, outdoor parks, and even just places to sit and hang out. Nine other people identified greenery like trees and flowers as something that would improve the downtown. Eight people talked about housing policy, typically with a concern for ensuring that downtown Lynn remains affordable. Four people asked for more art, and four others pined for infrastructure that better supports bikers and walkers.
Who Responded
Of the 45 people who participated, 60% identified as White only, 13% identified as Latino/a/x, 9% identified as Black or African American. 7% of respondents chose not to share information about their race.
About a third (36%) of respondents were between the ages of 31 and 40, about a quarter (22%) were between the ages of 41-50, and about a fifth (20%) were between the ages of 19 and 30. We also had 16% of respondents under 18, and 2% over 50.
All responses were in English, although the survey was translated into Spanish as well.
What's Next?
The survey is still open if you'd like to weigh in. The City, Chamber of Commerce, Lynn Main Streets, EDIC, and MAPC are still working to put the final plan together based on all the feedback we have heard from the community. Register for this site if you'd like to receive an email when the final plan is released.
