Key Issues

Key Kalamazoo County Issues

Between 1999 and 2000, we conducted surveys, focus groups, and interviews to determine what issues were most important to the citizens of Kalamazoo County. (See more on our data sources.) These pages describe the issues, give survey results, and list quotes from residents about the six most frequently-mentioned topics (listed below). Each section contains county-wide and local information.

Land Use	About the issue Preserving farmland and open space Brownfield redevelopment Aerial photographs comparing 1964 & 1999
K-12 Education	About the issue General improvement in school quality Work with businesses to train students for today's jobs
Economic Development	About the issue Incubate local small businesses Diversify our job base by attracting new businesses Work with high schools and colleges to train students for today's jobs
Collaboration	About the issue Between governmental units in the county Between governments and businesses Between the community and colleges/universities
Thinking Regionally	About the issue County-wide planning, especially for zoning and land use Coordination of service provision (schools, roads, water, police, fire, etc.) Revitalizing our urban core
Citizen Participation and Leadership	About the issue See also the section on Effective Action Citizen Participation Leadership