The Visual Preference Survey (VPS), created by Nelessen

The Visual Preference Survey (VPS), created by Nelessen & Associates of Princeton, New Jersey, is a powerful tool to find out what kind of development residents prefer. Shown images of sprawl and compact traditional development, a cross section of the population consistently prefers the traditional places. The Local Government Commission contracted with Nelessen to produce a shortened version of the survey called the Community Image Survey (CIS), for use in California. CIS consists of 40 slides (see examples below), all taken of the public realm in the same season under similar weather conditions. Local Government Commission staff received training on how to produce and administer the surveys. CIS comes with instructions, so local groups or officials can administer the survey themselves. CIS images have been prepared for the San Joaquin Valley, Southern California, McKinleyville, San Diego County, Mendocino County and Auburn. The process is fairly simple: residents (ideally at least one percent of the population) are shown images of various types of houses, streets, stores, offices, civic buildings and parks. The images are rated, producing a “score” for each slide by averaging all of the responses. The group has a chance to review the images again and comment on why they received a particular score. The images that elicit the highest negative and positive ratings are the most useful for determining the kind of development that residents prefer. For information on CIS, contact the Local Govern-ment Commission: (916) 448-1198. For information on VPS, contact Neles- sen & Associates: (609) 497-0104. Volume II of the TND Series home plan books for traditional neighborhood developments is available directly from HomeStyles, at a price of $30 for a single copy or $50 for two, by calling (888) 505-1001. HomeStyles is publishing and coediting the series with Town Planning Collaborative.