A public survey about the “State of Buckhead” is open through Nov. 22 to help four local organizations create neighborhood-wide programs and projects.
The online survey — available here — is conducted by Livable Buckhead, an environmental and alternative-commuting nonprofit, in partnership with the Buckhead Coalition, the Buckhead Community Improvement District and the Buckhead Business Association.
“Your responses will provide direction for the development of future projects and initiatives for Buckhead,” according to an email from Livable Buckhead, which claims it is the first community-wide survey about the neighborhood.
“We plan to share a summary of key findings, although the timing for that hasn’t been determined,” said Livable Buckhead spokesperson Tracy Paden.
Responses are kept anonymous, according to Livable Buckhead, but respondents are eligible to win one of four $500 gift cards for participating.
The survey comes as the four partner organizations are working with a new closeness, including unprecedented joint leadership of the Coalition and the CID under one person, Jim Durrett. Those latter two groups have often worked in more of a behind-the-scenes and top-down fashion; the phrase “State of Buckhead” has traditionally applied to an annual speech made by the Coalition president, not to a public survey. All four groups also are now working more collaboratively with resident organizations like the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods.
A basic draft of the survey questions provided to the Reporter shows that it asks about a variety of topics: why people live or work in Buckhead; their opinion of the single most pressing issue; their perception of public safety; their interests in such topics as recycling, pedestrian safety, parks and volunteer opportunities.
One question asks about the length and mode of the respondent’s commute to work and whether they would like to continue to work remotely after the pandemic, if applicable.
Another question asks the respondent to gauge where Buckhead sits on a spectrum of various qualities: “vibrant/dynamic” vs. “static/unchanged”; “open” vs. “close-knit”; “exclusive” vs. “inclusive”; “classic” vs. “trendy”; “suburban” vs. “urban”; and “leading” vs. “following.”
The survey seeks demographic information about the respondent, including the use of traditional U.S. Census definitions of race and ethnicity, and a wide array of sexual orientations beyond straight and gay, including asexual and queer. Whether the household includes people with disabilities is one data point. Other requests include the nature of the respondent’s job and whether they own any dogs.
The survey also includes an open-ended question where the respondent can make any comment they wish.