City Profile: Mesa, AZ

Fighting Blight

When Mesa’s Council charged the City with transforming neighborhoods, staff were determined to use a data-driven approach to ensure funds redirected toward fighting blight reached the most vulnerable residents. “Some homes just haven’t had the TLC they deserve because of a lack of income to make improvements,” explains Liz Morales, Housing and Community Development Director.

Working with What Works Cities, Mesa created a blight index that tracked data on code violations, crime, graffiti, and vacant properties. That index helped the City identify a neighborhood of nearly 350 homes where it piloted its Love Your Neighborhood program. Residents along with city departments and volunteers have replaced smoke alarms, improved landscaping, removed fifty tons of debris, identified bus stop enhancements, and more.

“Our goals are to create a neighborhood that understands what the City can offer,” Morales says. The City kicked off the project with a survey to understand the community’s needs, and held bilingual neighborhood meetings and events plus door-to-door visits to inform the largely Hispanic residents about complying with housing codes and other ways to sustain improvements.

The above profile is an excerpt from “What Works Cities: How Local Governments Are Changing Lives,” a report showcasing accomplishments from cities participating in the What Works Cities initiative over the past two years. Read more profiles and city success stories here.