Nonprofit Livable Buckhead has released findings from its 2024 State of Buckhead Survey, providing a fresh look at how residents, businesses, and employees view the community now compared to previous years.
Conducted between September and November 2024, the survey builds on data collected in 2020 and 2022 to identify trends in the community.
According to executive director Denise Starling, two key findings in the survey were improved safety perceptions and a surge in concern about traffic issues.
Concerns about crime remain, but the percentage of people who feel safe in Buckhead has increased significantly since 2022, Starling said, continuing a steady improvement since 2020. This year, 48 percent of respondents report feeling “safe” or “very safe,” a notable increase from 41 percent in 2022 and 28 percent in 2020.
While crime remains the most important issue to survey respondents, it declined by 10 points since 2022 and 26 points since 2020.
“[The Atlanta Police Department] has done a fantastic job in crime reduction in Buckhead,” Starling said. “APD has much more of a presence in the community, and Simon Property Group has also done a fantastic job with increasing security at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza.”
Starling said she believed another reason for the crime reduction is that more APD officers are now living in Buckhead and there has been an effort by leaders to combat “fearmongering” videos and false information spread on social media.
Meanwhile, traffic congestion has surged in importance, increasing by 10 points since 2022.
Starling said Buckhead’s traffic woes are rooted in the challenge of affordable housing in the district. “Rents and home prices don’t match what people in Buckhead can afford,” Starling said.
She said a new pilot employer-assisted housing program has been implemented with some local companies offering an incentive to workers who earn $41,000 to $62,000 to live in the community where they work.
As more workers are returning to offices following the pandemic, Livable Buckhead is encouraging commuters to use MARTA and the Buc Shuttle Service “People are returning to work, but not returning to transit,” Starling said. “That’s a problem we have to work on.”
Also on the minds of residents was more connectivity and greenspace in Buckhead. Starling said the Lenox Road boardwalk alongside the mall is well underway. The project is creating a linear park between the Lenox MARTA station and Peachtree Road.
HUB 404 – a park project that would cap a portion of GA 400 – is still in the design phase, while PATH 400 will be opening a new section of trail between Wieuca Road and Loridons Drive this summer.
For more details and to view the full survey findings, visit livablebuckhead.org.