Case Study

Housing Study

Delhi, NY

In 2020, Delhi, New York, a small town located in New York’s Delaware County, began a general assessment of its housing stock, amenities, and assets.

Trailhead: Where We Started

Acknowledging its demographic status as a primarily retirement-age community, the town recognized the need to remain economically competitive and to provide amenities and points of interest for younger people, including those attending one of the town’s landmark assets, the SUNY Delhi public college. The town’s first step was to solicit help from a digital marketing agency to assist with public engagement and branding designed to assess public opinion and create a rallying point for concerted public action.

Trek: Steps We’ve Taken

Delhi, New York selected TrailBlaze Creative as its partner in assessing its housing stock, assets, and opportunities for improved community branding. TrailBlaze began by conducting a public engagement campaign to assess the region and its needs. Using human-centered design tactics, this campaign included the organization of focus groups and specialized online surveys, which were segmented based on specific demographics. This approach ensured that citizens surveyed from a variety of demographic categories were granted ample opportunity to voice their sentiments about age-, career-, or location-specific concerns.

After collecting the results of these typed surveys, TrailBlaze generated a visually-appealing, user-friendly website to showcase the findings of the surveys and offer a practical action plan outlining what the region should focus on relative to housing stock.

Summit: Vision Realized

As a result of TrailBlaze’s public engagement campaign, Delhi, New York residents have benefitted from the chance to voice their concerns and ideas as it relates to housing stock, use of public assets, and potential opportunities for further economic development. Concretely, community and government leaders in Delhi now have access to high-value survey data and feedback regarding residents’ needs. Through digital and print campaigns, TrailBlaze continues to work to establish unified community branding for Delhi, all with the aim of generating community pride, consensus regarding town-wide economic decision-making, and participation from every resident invested in the long-term future of the Delhi region.