{"id":12482,"date":"2015-03-04T05:00:32","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=12482"},"modified":"2020-12-24T04:25:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T12:25:16","slug":"bettering-buckhead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/bettering-buckhead\/","title":{"rendered":"Bettering Buckhead"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s never too late to improve livability. Buckhead, an affluent and well-developed Atlanta submarket, demonstrates that notable change can be made even in established areas. Green space and cultural engagement are key to the transitioning community’s success.\"PPATH400<\/p>\n

Markets experiencing the strongest, most sustainable growth these days are those where residents can work, live, and play in pedestrian-friendly communities. Ownership of a single-family home, an automobile, and long commutes from the suburbs don\u2019t rank high on Millennials\u2019 lists. Instead, they trend towards pedestrian neighborhoods with alternative transportation, active street scenes, and an emphasis on environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

Buckhead fell woefully short in many of these areas. The submarket gained a reputation throughout metro Atlanta for its sprawling estates and commercial success but it was decidedly unapproachable and in many potential residents’ eyes, unlivable. Without major changes, Buckhead would sabotage its own growth and vitality.<\/p>\n

One spark initiated the necessary changes. In 2011, Denise Starling received a daunting task. The Executive Director at Livable Buckhead found herself facing a green space deficit and a demand for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoward Shook is our councilman and he came to us and said \u2018City of Atlanta just did this plan that identified my district as the lowest parked in the entire city of Atlanta. That can\u2019t be. Go fix it!\u2019 He literally said, \u2018Go fix it!\u2019\u201d Starling laughs. \u201cWe\u2019re like\u2026alright. So that\u2019s basically how we started a green space plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The councilman was right. At the time, the Community Improvement District, Buckhead\u2019s commercial center, had only 2.14 acres of green space per thousand people. The standard is 15 acres. Establishing parks became the organization\u2019s primary objective.<\/p>\n

\"PATH400Walkability was also a sought-after feature that Buckhead lacked. At the time, WalkScore dubbed the area as \u201ccar dependent,\u201d entailing that most residents had to run errands by car rather than on foot or by bike.<\/p>\n

Livable Buckhead could address both problems at once through the creation of PATH400, a mixed-use commuter and recreational trail. Parks would accentuate the trail, providing a place for residents to socialize, exercise, and get to the commercial core from residential areas without the use of a car.<\/p>\n

With increased community approval and the collaboration of 14 additional organizations, PATH400 and its supplementary parks have begun to take shape. Upon the projects\u2019 completion, they will provide Buckhead with 5 miles of mixed-use trails and more than 20 acres of green space.<\/p>\n

To date, Buckhead Forrest and Buckhead Village neighborhoods have received Very Walkable ratings from WalkScore. PATH400 and its additional parks will undoubtedly improve the district\u2019s overall walkability rating.<\/p>\n

Better Buildings Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to new green spaces, Livable Buckhead is also making strides towards green living by uniting local businesses under an umbrella of green building, sustainable operations, recycling and alternative energies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMillennials are about environmental consciousness. The Better Buildings Challenge is the city\u2019s challenge where the commercial buildings reduce their energy consumption. We brought 43 buildings into that,\u201d says Starling.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a remarkable feat. Buckhead\u2019s commercial buildings are notably newer and, in many cases, already more efficient than others in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

\"Buckheadphoto1\"<\/a>
Erica Danylchak, Executive Director at Buckhead Heritage Society. Photo by Erica Rascon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working with office buildings to focus on recycling. We\u2019re increasing the diversion rates for the different buildings,\u201d explains Starling. \u201cIt\u2019s about participating together as a community. It\u2019s great if one building is doing something but if we\u2019re doing it as a community and we promote the community with that message, it\u2019s a more powerful message.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starling believes that Better Building Challenge certifications, recycling programs, and more EV charging stations (in addition to the 24 already present in the corridor) will make the district more appealing to prospective businesses. \u201cWhen they\u2019re considering Atlanta, one of the things on business\u2019 checkbox is a green community, somewhere that reflects the company\u2019s interest in that. We need to be able to say that we have those things here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture & Heritage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though improved, Buckhead\u2019s livability is still incomplete. The submarket still lacks cultural engagement. In the near future, Livable Buckhead will spearhead a sweeping initiative for public artwork, particularly along Peachtree St., one of the most notable thoroughfares.<\/p>\n

\u201cCultural and heritage tourism are the fastest growing sectors. We need to expand our arts scene in general to be more of an attraction citywide,\u201d says Starling. \u201cWe want to activate the streets and put soul back into the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to public art, cultural and heritage tourism requires a historical component. That\u2019s where the Buckhead Heritage Society steps in. Together with Livable Buckhead and other local organizations, the Buckhead Heritage Society aspires to improve access to the submarket\u2019s rich and varied history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout our historic resources we can\u2019t understand the evolution of the community, where we\u2019ve been in the past. We can\u2019t plan a smart path for growth in the future,\u201d says Erica Danylchak, Executive Director at Buckhead Heritage Society.<\/p>\n

The organization aims to make Buckhead\u2019s wealth of history readily available for residents and visitors in a way that\u2019s interactive and fun. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone through a very deliberate process over the last 15 months of bringing committee members together from our various park spaces and nonprofit groups here in Buckhead to go through a planning process to see what stories we want to bring to the forefront, how we want to showcase those stories,\u201d says Danylchak.<\/p>\n

Buckhead Heritage Society wanted to avoid traditional historic markers, so they brought together a team of designers to create new and unique concepts. The leading ideas can be found on the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the most popular concepts allows users to photo bomb the historic Buckhead Theater. A display will superimpose a historic image of the site over the present day reality. Visitors can then insert themselves into the image. There will be signage that gives information about the site but it won\u2019t be text intensive. It will give basic information and direct users to the website for more details. The concept is user-friendly, hip, and attention grabbing.\"Parallels<\/p>\n

Buckhead Heritage Society is also interested in highlighting history for those who wouldn\u2019t consider themselves to be history buffs. By shining a light on \u201cunsavory stories,\u201d–such as Roswell Road\u2019s history as a moonshine trafficking route and secret caves nearby where the moonshine was hidden and distributed– Danylchak hopes to make historians out of everyday people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a lengthy process but one that has been a fabulous one, if I do say so myself, because we\u2019re able to get community input and get people really interested in being a part of it,\u201d Danylchak says. \u201cNow we\u2019re finishing our implementation plan and putting together our fundraising strategy for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

By combining green programing and cultural engagement, Buckhead has embarked on a journey that has transformed a concrete jungle with very little community spirit into one of the hippest and most sought-after submarkets in the region. It\u2019s a model that has the potential to metamorphose existing markets throughout the nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s never too late to improve livability. Buckhead, an affluent and well-developed Atlanta submarket, demonstrates that notable change can be made even in established areas. Green space and cultural engagement are key to the transitioning community’s success. Markets experiencing the strongest, most sustainable growth these days are those where residents can work, live, and play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":12520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[216,1007,671,41,1008,207,490],"class_list":["post-12482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-atlanta","tag-buckhead","tag-community","tag-development","tag-submarket","tag-urban-planning","tag-walkability"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s never too late to improve livability. 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