Last week, three of us drove to Bamberg and back (385 miles!!) to begin our work in Bamberg, Barak, Allison, and I met Harry for lunch at a local pizza parlor, and he discussed our assignment. Each of us split up and took a neighborhood of our own to investigate through survey. The survey was 5 pages long and asked questions from the basic (age, sex, ethnicity), to jobs, to opinions on local housing and schooling, etc. It even provided a map and asked for circles to be made around “good areas” of town and Xs to be made around “bad areas” of town. The neighborhoods we were provided us with the opportunity to visit at least fifty houses (its hard to remember exactly how many…I definitely lost count quickly!) Our only task was to get seven surveys filled out by members within our assigned neighborhoods. It surely sounds easier than it was…
It was a little after noon or right around 1:00pm at the time we began walking into our neighborhoods from the City Hall where our car was parked. Harry had told us that as soon as we completed the surveys, our work would be done for the day. The assignment may seem easier than it really was… I must have knocked on over fifty doors—covered a whole neighborhood—and it took me nearly four hours to just get those seven surveys filled out!
Harry seemed a little surprised when we told him about our survey results. I would say that we might have had a turn down rate of at least three out of four. I can’t blame the people who didn’t even come to the door. I am sure if I look back in my life, I can think of times when I have done the same. However, it made me feel as though the people in Bamberg just don’t care, especially because the issues of development in their town are so prevalent and clear to me. The first person to actually come to the door for me was a friendly, older man. When I asked him if he was interested in expressing his opinion through a survey on the growth and development of his town, he replied, “You know what I think? I think you all should tear this whole damn town down and rebuild it from the bottom up.” He seemed to think that would be the only worthwhile thing to do. At times throughout the day, I felt as if others might share this opinion.
It will be interesting to meet tonight with our group to discuss everyone else’s experiences with the surveys. I am also wondering what the main issues will be concerning the growth and development in Bamberg and what we will be able to accomplish there. Despite the results of our work last Wednesday, I do not feel as if we were unsuccessful. I enjoyed talking to the few people that I did survey, and I am also excited about meeting with the community for our upcoming workshop.
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Elizabeth's experience was much the same as mine. I, too, had more people turn me down for participation in the survey than agreed to take it, and I knocked on many an unanswered door. However, I was able to get all but one of the surveys I needed. Those who turned me down tended to be middle age and upper middle class. I agree with Elizabeth that perhaps this segment of Bamberg's population just doesn't care. However, I think it may also be a case of not fully understanding where the local government is insufficient in its provision of services and programs for those who may be of a lower socioeconomic class. Older, middle class citizens tend to be content with the status quo and less interested in a project that may or may not lead to something better for the community, because chances are, the project will not affect them, one way or the other. Despite the fact that these citizens tended not to participate in the survey, I think the range of participants was quite broad, differing greatly among age, race, and gender, and including both the upper and lower ends of the class spectrum. Hopefully, the participation in the community charrette will at least match that of the survey.
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