+7+4+31A 19 83 16+29+31+24A DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE PERCEPTIONS REPORT 10 +201015255Y 36+63+1+A 2 BEHIND SURVEY RESPONDENT PROFILE THE BID BACKGROUND RACE/ETHNICITY Milwaukee Downtown, In an effort to better serve its residents, workers and The survey aimed to understand how the community Business Improvement District guests, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 partnered interacts with Downtown Milwaukee and solicit 83% Caucasian (non- (BID) #21, is an organization with Community Perceptions, a division of School opinions about a number of topics relating to Hispanic) established in 1998 to Perceptions LLC, to conduct a self-selecting the experience of living, working and playing in Prefer not to answer support the interests of the perceptions survey to quantify and chronicle the Downtown Milwaukee. The survey was divided into 7% Downtown Milwaukee business rapid changes occurring in Downtown Milwaukee the following categories: 4% African/ community. Created through and the attitudes of various Downtown users. African American private sector leadership, 3% Hispanic/Latino Milwaukee Downtown, • Respondent demographic information BID BIT: BID #21 is a management • Respondent activity preferences in Downtown Milwaukee 36+GENDER 63+1+A 1% Asian/Asian American 83+7+4+31A 18HAS CHILDREN +82A Downtown Milwaukee (17 YEARS OR YOUNGER) district organization that • Experiences in Downtown Milwaukee represents 3.5% of Male 1% Native American oversees 150 square blocks 36% • Communication about Downtown Milwaukee events and activities the City’s landmass, yet Other group BID BIT: Downtown property owners Female 1% 18% Yes representing approximately 500 • Retail experiences in Downtown Milwaukee 63% Downtown Milwaukee contribute 22.6% to the property owners in the center Nonbinary or other 0% Pacific Islander is home to over 32,000 No • Milwaukee venue preferences City’s overall property 1% 82% of Downtown Milwaukee. The residents and more than • Utilization of transportation and mobility to and around Downtown Milwaukee tax base. organization funds specific 90,700 workers. • Input about the future of Downtown Milwaukee initiatives aimed at creating 41 a clean, safe, friendly and This report summarizes the study’s key findings and suggests opportunities vibrant Downtown. These core EDUCATION for enhancing users’ experiences. programs contribute to the 41% Undergraduate/four-year college quality of life in Downtown Milwaukee, making the district + 33 33% Graduate or professional degree a desirable place to live, work, 12% Some college socialize and conduct business. METHODOLOGY AGE 7% Trade school/community/technical college + 12 High school or equivalent Under 18 4% The 2019 Downtown Milwaukee Perceptions Survey participation was self-selecting and .2% + 7 Survey opened to the public on July 8, 2019 and encouraged through a variety of means generated + 4 Current college student LIVES IN DOWNTOWN + 2 2% 18 to 22 + 1 2% + 1 24+76+A received 3,005 responses by August 25, 2019. by Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, including social MILWAUKEE 1% Prefer not to answer 12% 23 to 29 Survey respondents answered a combination of media outreach, promotion on the organization’s 24% Yes 76% No .1% Less than high school completed general questions and questions branched based website and media relations efforts. While all survey 12% 30 to 34 on whether or not respondents self-identified responses were anonymous, survey participants had 35 to 44 into one of three categories: Downtown resident; the option of signing up for a mailing list to receive 19% Highly Educated Downtown employee, but lives outside of continued Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 news and 18% 45 to 54 Downtown users, whether they are residents, workers or visitors, are highly Downtown Milwaukee; or visitor (neither lives nor to be entered in a random weekly drawing for a gift educated, with 74% having a four-year degree or additional accreditation. 21% 55 to 64 works in Downtown Milwaukee). Any respondent card. Participation in either option was not required that self-identified as a business owner/operator in nor was it tied to survey responses. 16% 65 or older High Income Earners Downtown Milwaukee was also asked an additional The majority of respondents (50%) who provided their data, reported annual subset of business-related questions. The survey was administered by Community household incomes in a range between $50,000 and $149,000. Further, Perceptions, a division of School Perceptions LLC. over 40% of respondents reported earning a household income of $100,000 Survey respondents were not required to answer all School Perceptions is an independent research firm or more, demonstrating that those with an active interest in Downtown questions. Mandatory responses were required on that specializes in conducting surveys for public Milwaukee possess strong purchasing power. WORKS44+ IN DOWNTOWN56+A those questions which branched the survey based on and private schools, educational service agencies, MILWAUKEE the identified subsets. On average, the survey took communities and other state-level organizations. 44% Yes 56% No respondents about 10 to 15 minutes to complete, BID BIT: depending on which branch was selected. Since 2017, the value of all properties within Established Resident Base NON-DOWNTOWN LENGTH OF BID #21’s boundaries BID BIT: Downtown Milwaukee is a neighborhood RESIDENCY ORIGINS DOWNTOWN RESIDENCY have risen by Milwaukee that people are proud to call home – and for approximately Downtown’s Public 51% Outside of Downtown Milwaukee, 8% Less than a year 10 18.8%. BID BIT: an established amount of time. With 3,005 BID BIT: Service Ambassadors have but within the City of Milwaukee One year to less than 2 years Milwaukee Downtown’s tallied more than 4.4 million respondents to the survey, 24% identified as 9% Milwaukee interactions with guests residents of Downtown Milwaukee. Of those 30% Outside of the City of Milwaukee, Clean Sweep Ambassadors 10% 2 years to less than 3 years removed over 219,600 gallons Downtown’s Landscape since 2000. who identified as residents of Downtown but within Milwaukee County Crew tends to over 377 beds of trash and coordinated 63 Milwaukee, 55% reported living Downtown 9% 3 years to less than 4 years and 75 hanging baskets 19% Outside of Milwaukee County, but in Super Block Cleanups in the for five years or longer, indicating that those 4 years to less than 5 years last year, which included a year-round. Southeastern Wisconsin (Ozaukee, 9% top-to-bottom cleaning of who choose to live Downtown tend to be Washington, Waukesha, Racine, 28% 5 to 10 years streets and signage. long-term residents. Walworth or Kenosha County) 15% 11 to 19 years .4% Outside of Southeastern Wisconsin, but in Wisconsin 11% 20 or more years .1% Out-of-state resident 1% I have never lived in +201015255M Downtown Milwaukee +7 15 +18+ +5+2+4+7 +12 +15 20 WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF DOWNTOWN WHAT PEOPLE DO DOWNTOWN BID BIT: Ensuring positive perceptions of Downtown Milwaukee is the driving force behind Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. Cleanliness, safety and friendliness are With world-class cultural arts, award-winning restaurants, a state-of-the-art sports arena, the world’s largest music festival, Milwaukee Downtown, critical factors for establishing a thriving environment. While much has changed since we started in 1998, our passion has not. We continue to raise the bar with a 3.1-mile internationally-recognized RiverWalk, and acres upon acres of public greenspace and beaches, Downtown BID #21 engages with a social media follower base of expanded services, new events, collaborative partnerships and initiatives to provide positive experiences to all our users. Milwaukee is an 18-hour city buzzing with diverse offerings that appeal to everyone from baby boomers to Gen Z. 112,500+ fans across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In Top Venues Retail Wish Lists the last year, over 52,500 Importance of Very Important (5) - Not Important (1) STRONGLY DISAGREE NEITHER AGREE AGREE STRONGLY All respondents engagements were tracked DISAGREE 1 2 NOR DISAGREE 3 4 AGREE 5 BID BIT: Locally-owned specialty retailers 59% on Facebook. Downtown’s Offerings were asked In 2018, the Milwaukee Clothing/Apparel stores 53% a variety of Perceptions of Downtown Public Market welcomed Mid-level department stores 47% questions to Retail Public Safety nearly 1.8 million visitors 4.73 Downtown Milwaukee has gauge their and hit over $18 million in Grocery stores 44% Approximately 55% of all respondents do some improved over this past year. interaction vendor sales – a consecutive Books/music stores 37% shopping Downtown, but are also eager for Cleanliness Average record-breaking year for the 20+20+15+5A 4.70 4.20 and the High-end department stores 36% more options. Respondents generally indicated top-rated destination. the desire for more locally-owned retailers, I generally feel safe when spending frequency of Shoe stores 27% Walkability 20+20+14+6A time in Downtown Milwaukee. that interaction apparel stores and mid-box stores like an urban- 4.62 Discount retailer 25% Average 4.04 with Downtown formatted Target, which is becoming more Milwaukee events and venues. Among residents, Pharmacy/drug stores 23% common in city centers. This is especially the Restaurant variety 20+20+12+8A I find Downtown Milwaukee 4.51 visitors and commuters, the Milwaukee Public Home furnishing stores 22% case with Downtown residents who cited the visually appealing. Visual attractiveness Market was rated as their top destination Health and beauty stores 21% need to travel outside of Downtown for these 20+20+10+10A 4.40 Average 4.02 types of retailers. (of downtown and landscaping) choice (71% of all respondents). The Milwaukee Luxury goods stores 18% Public nuisance management Importance of Select Metrics RiverWalk, Milwaukee Art Museum and Henry 20+20+8+12A Pet stores 13% Sources of Info for (i.e. vagrancy, panhandling, etc.) 4.35 by Downtown Business Owners/Operators Maier Festival Park/Summerfest Grounds Office supply stores 12% followed closely behind.