This presentation summarizes the findings from the Heartland 2050 Shape Our Region survey.

1. MetroQuest Survey Results
June 2014

2. Heartland 2050 is an unprecedented
regional visioning project that will
help define what kind of region we
want to be in 40 years.

3. People
THE HUMAN ASPECT
How can we maintain and
enhance the quality of life for
the people of our region, who
are our most important asset?
Places
OUR PHYSICAL STRUCTURES
The “stuff” from which our towns
and cities are made – homes and
buildings, streets and sidewalks,
bridges, power and water utilities
– all make up the built
environment of our region.
Resources
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The air we breathe, the land,
and fresh water sources affect
our overall health and the
physical landscape.

5. 1,877 Unique Visits
894 Complete Surveys
Data
48%No Data
52%

6. 51%49%
Male Female

7. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Under 20 20-29 30-39 40 -49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80 and
over

8. 11%
3% 5%
1% 1% 2% 4%
82%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

9. Bellevue, 2.0%
Gretna, 1.3%
Papillion, 2.9%
Plattsmouth,
2.2%
Wahoo, 2.6%
Omaha, 76.3%
Bellevue, 4.0%
La Vista, 1.3%
Miilard, 1.8%
Ashland 0.2%
Bennington 0.4%
Blair 0.9%
Ceresco 0.2%
Elkhorn 0.9%
Calhoun 0.2%
Fremont 0.2%
Hooper 0.2%
Ithaca 0.2%
Louiseville 0.2%
Springfield 0.2%
Leshara 0.4%
Valparaiso 0.2%
Firth 0.2%
Murray 0.2%
Nebraska City 0.2%
Union 0.2%
Lincoln 0.2%
Under 1% of total

10. 51%
Carson
3%
Crrescent
7%
Emerson
3%
Glenwood
7%
Malvern
7%
Minden
5%
Mo Valley
3%
Neola
7%
Pisgah
3%
Shelby
2%
Woodbine
2%
Council Bluffs

11. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400

12. 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450

13. Rank Priority Score
1 Efficient use of tax dollars 2.51
2 Active transportation 2.78
3 Equitable access to jobs 2.88
4 Healthy places 2.91
5 Water and energy efficiency 2.93
6 Convenient daily destinations 3.10
7 Balanced housing 3.16
8 Flood protection 3.17
9 Access to nature 3.19
10 Time spent driving 3.24

14. 1.65
2.87
4.06 4.19
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50

15. People
THE HUMAN ASPECT
How can we maintain and
enhance the quality of life for
the people of our region, who
are our most important asset?
Places
OUR PHYSICAL STRUCTURES
The “stuff” from which our towns
and cities are made – homes and
buildings, streets and sidewalks,
bridges, power and water utilities
– all make up the built
environment of our region.
Resources
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
The air we breathe, the land,
and fresh water sources affect
our overall health and the
physical landscape.
•

16. Strategy Topic
1 Make the Omaha-Council Bluffs
region a place that attracts and
retains young talent and new
business.
People
2 Invest in renewable sources of
energy.
Resources
3 Make it easier to get around by
walking, biking and transit
Places
4 Work to reduce crime and alleviate
poverty.
People
5 Promote development on vacant and
underutilized land in existing cities
and towns
Places

17. Strategy Topic
6 Improve transit to link hospitals,
universities, major employers and
strengthen connections between
parts of the region
Places
7 Create a regional park and trail
system to improve access to
recreation and natural areas
Resources
8 Provide opportunities for the
growing Latino and immigrant
communities in our region
People
9 Maintain water quality through
protecting water sources and
expanding our regional water
system
Resources
10 Expand existing universities and
focus on urban technical centers
around research institutions
People

18. Strategy Topic
11 Commit to provide a wide range of
housing types affordable to
residents
Places
12 Shift funding sources to reduce
property tax burden
Resources
13 Maintain and preserve agricultural
lands and rural lifestyle
Resources
14 Focus transportation spending on
creating new roads and maintaining
existing ones
Places
15 Expand levees and limit growth in
flood-prone areas to reduce damage
and protect wildlife and habitat.
Resources

19. • People see a strong economy as the biggest contributor to
quality of life.
• Residents feel positive about the local economy, with over
half believing the economy is improving.
• People want to see strong job growth in the region, with a
focus on quality jobs. New and emerging fields should be
supported, as well as advancing the region’s strong
sectors, including infrastructure, transportation,
agriculture and food processing, aeronautics, and finance.
• New jobs should be accessible by transit, especially for
people with lower incomes.
• People want to see investment and revitalization in North
Omaha and other central Omaha neighborhoods.
• People want to see job growth, particularly manufacturing,
in disadvantaged areas – and they want jobs that are
accessible to neighborhood residents.

20. • People are concerned about inequality, and see it as a
potential threat to quality of life. Behind taxes and crime,
inequality was the third highest ranked concern.
• Low cost of living or affordability is the leading positive
aspect of living in the region.
• Despite the region’s affordability, there are areas of
racially concentrated poverty and marginalization.

21. • Residents want their communities to support healthy and
active living. They see “having places within walking
distance” as a major contributor to the health of the
region.
• People want to make it easier to walk and bike to nearby
destinations such as school, parks, restaurants, shopping
and entertainment.
• People want increased access to quality health care close
to where they live.

22. • Overall, people are very satisfied with the quality of
education in the region.
• People want to maximize educational opportunities for all
people, and to make education accessible as the region
becomes more diverse.
• People want to see a focus on higher education that
includes workforce training and vocational skills, in
addition to college/university education.

23. • Although the outlook is positive, reducing crime is an
important priority for the future of the region.
• People want to feel safe and secure.
• People are very concerned about the level of crime, and
many see it as a major threat to quality of life.

24. • People want an inclusive community and more
opportunities for residents to be actively involved.
• People want to see the region retain and attract well-
educated, well-trained young adults.

25. • Residents view strong neighborhoods as a major
contributor to quality of life.
• Mixed use housing is the type of housing needed most,
even though not everyone can see themselves living in
that type of home.
• People want to have choices in where and how they live.
This includes urban, suburban and rural options.
• People have a strong desire for a wide range of housing
options, including more dense urban types, and
maintaining the supply of suburban and rural single-family
housing.
• It should be convenient to walk or bike to neighborhood
stores, businesses, and schools.

26. • Most people preferred growth strategies that strengthen
and improve existing areas, rather than developing new
areas. This includes small towns and suburban cities, in
addition to the Omaha/Council Bluffs central city.
• People have a very strong preference for infill strategies
over development of new areas, and this was strongest
among young people.
• Residents want jobs and shopping located close to where
they live.
• Nearly all believe that having a plan for regional growth is
important, and most feel the Heartland region is doing a
good or excellent job preparing for growth.

27. • Many are concerned that continued outward expansion is
financially unsustainable and investments should be made
in maintenance for existing areas.
• Some are concerned that increased development will push
up housing costs and make the cost of living unaffordable,
which is one of the things people value most about the
region.
• Most people prefer investments on infill and vacant
properties to developing new areas.

28. • Many people want to see an end to sprawling growth on the
edges of the region. Other people are concerned about too
much regulation, and a loss of the freedom of choice.
• People want to know that their taxes are being used wisely
and efficiently.
• People have a good degree of trust in local government to
make good decisions about how the region grows.

29. • People value public transit and believe it is an important
regional investment. They want other options for getting
around that allow them to be less car-dependent.
• Most people believe the level of spending should stay the
same or increase only somewhat.
• Many people are concerned about climate change and see
transit as a way to reduce our carbon footprint.
• People want to see expanded routes for existing bus
service and are interested in new forms of transit.
• People would use transit more often if transit stops were
closer to where they lived and wanted to go, and if there
were other options besides the bus.
• Regional connections are important, to connect people to
places beyond the central city.

30. • People see investment in infrastructure as the greatest
benefit to the region’s economy.
• People have a wide variety of views about how
transportation funding should be split between roads and
public transit.
• Many favor the maintenance of existing roads and
highways over construction of new facilities.
• People do not have a major concern about congestion or
wasted time spent in traffic, as the region currently enjoys
short commute times.

31. • People have a strong desire for more bike facilities. Safety
is a major concern.
• Many people are concerned about climate change and see
walking and biking as a way to reduce our carbon footprint.
• People view walkable districts and neighborhoods as an
important way to support health.
• People are interested in walking and biking as a way to get
around and as a recreational activity.

32. • People see the transportation sector as a major part of the
region’s economy, and stakeholders see it continuing to
have a prominent role well into the future.
• New sites for industrial development need access to rail,
freight and air transportation.

33. • People strongly support regional investments in renewable
sources of energy.
• People believe technology and broadband access are very
important for economic growth and competitiveness.

34. • Agriculture has been and will continue to be a major component
of the region’s economy.
• People want to be able to eat fresh, health locally grown foods.
• People want to preserve rural areas for active farming and
landscape conservation.

35. • People place flood protection relatively low on the
priorities relative to other options.
• People preferred limiting development in floodplains and
flood prone areas. There was less support for levee
expansion because of the high costs and “false sense of
security.”

36. • People place access to nature relatively low on the
priorities relative to other options.
• People are generally satisfied with the parks, trails and
recreational opportunities in the region.
• Some want to expand the existing trail network for
recreation and transportation.

37. • People strongly support regional investments in renewable
sources of energy, including wind, ethanol and solar. It was
the second-highest strategy of 15.
• People want to preserve the clean air and water, and
maintain the high quality regional water system, but water
quality was relatively low on the priorities relative to other
options.

38. Heartland
Regional
Vision
Vision
Strategies
Vision
Goals
Public &
Stakeholder
Input
• Workshops
• SWOT
• Interviews
• Values
Research
• Scenario
Survey
• & Others
• What did we
hear?
• What do we
want to
achieve?
• What are the
consequences?
• How do we
achieve our
Vision?
• What are the
first steps?
• Who are our
partners?
Today’s
Session