Page 12 - Greensboro, NC-GSO 2040 Comprehensive Plan

COMMUNITY PREFERENCES SURVEY RESULTS Neighborhood Choice
In November 2017, the National Association of Realtors conducted a statistically Overall, 54% of residents stated a preference for living in walkable communities in
valid survey asking Greensboro residents about available transportation and homes with smaller yards, and 41% stated a preference for a suburban community
housing options and what their priorities would be for selecting a new place to live. and larger yards. However, preferences differ between generations, and for
This Greensboro-specific version of the Community Preference Survey conducted households with and without children.
every two years in the country’s 50 largest metropolitan areas was the first • A majority of older Greensboro residents (Gen Xers and Baby Boomers) are
conducted solely in a local market. The survey was conducted at the request of and more likely to prefer living in a home in a walkable with a smaller yard as
in coordination with our local Greensboro Regional Realtors Association. opposed to a home with a larger yard that requires driving for all trips, while
Millennials are evenly split in their preference.
Survey questions covered commuting distances, transportation options, and
preferences in house size, yard size, and between detached and attached houses. • Preferences switch when the choices of a walkable community include living
The full survey can be found at Community Preference Survey. A summary of the in an apartment or townhome versus a detached house. Millennials are more
results includes the following: likely to prefer the short commute and a walkable community and if the choice
includes living in an apartment or townhome, while the older generations
prefer the detached, single-family house with a larger yard even with a longer
High Level of Satisfaction commute.
Nine out of ten residents are either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their quality
of life, with nearly half saying they are “very” satisfied. This is a higher number than • Those with children living at home prefer living in a detached home with
reported for the top 50 metropolitan areas surveyed every two years. a large yard even with more driving and longer commute. However, those
families are split in their choice if the smaller yard and the walkable community
Top Priorities is not tied to living in an attached home. In both cases, women prefer walkable
Maintaining and repairing roads and highways is by far the top priority both for communities, even if it means a smaller yard or attached home, while men are
Greensboro residents and nationally. Greensboro residents rated the following split. When all differences are taken into account, 33% of respondents prefer
items as higher priorities than the national survey: to live in walkable communities with short commutes, no matter the tradeoffs
in yard size and housing type, and 25% prefer homes with bigger yards even
• building more sidewalks (59% high priority); when it means more driving.
• expanding public transportation; and
• providing more transportation alternatives.

The latter two priorities, as well as building more roads to alleviate traffic
congestion, are especially preferred among non-white Greensboro residents.

Transportation
About half of the respondents currently travel for work or school, and 93% of them
do so in a private vehicle.

Walkable Neighborhoods
The more walkable people reported their neighborhood to be, the more
satisfied they are with their quality of life. Two-thirds said that having sidewalks
and destinations to walk to was “very important” in deciding where to live. The
preference for walkability was stronger for younger adults, particularly millennials.

Short Commutes
In addition to walkable neighborhoods, over half the responses indicated that
having a short commute and being close to a highway were important in deciding
where to live.

9 |GSO 2040 Comprehensive Plan