The unattractiveness of some aspects of our built environment resulting from bland public areas and commercial strips displaying garish signs has been somewhat mitigated by a sign ordinance, the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, and the first Art in Public Places program. Recognition of a widespread need for a sense of community, of belonging, led to the Community Identity Plan in 1994. Ten small areas in the city were identified, each with its own distinctive characteristics. These distinctive areas give the locale a sense of place, and form the basis for new directions in community-based planning and delivery of municipal services. The city is thus learning how to spend public money in the ways residents deem best.
Crime is a fact of life here as it is in most other parts of the county, urban or suburban.
Although the adult crime rate in the mid-nineties had decreased, juvenile crime in Albuquerque, as in most of the country grew alarmingly. City government and the community have united in a determination to enlarge the police force, add more substations and other community-based components and to develop vigorous prevention strategies designed to keep the crime problem under control. The long-held opinion that we have an unlimited water supply turned out to be erroneous. An extensive water conservation program was initiated by the mayor and supported by the city council as well as the entire community. This effort began in 1994 when the potential problem was identified, and a decrease in water consumption was achieved within a year.