Midtown leaders ask public to help envision neighborhood’s future

Midtown Alliance’s triennial community survey is now online, ready for residents, workers, and visitors to weigh in on the state of the neighborhood and help shape its future.

The nonprofit’s survey launched on Tax Day, April 15, and is expected to conclude May 15.

Since 2016’s survey, the subdistrict has seen some 4,000 new residences opened, more than a million square feet of office space delivered, and roughly 8,000 new jobs created, according to Midtown Alliance spokesman Brian Carr.

The questionnaire serves as more than a way for Midtown leaders to gauge how they’re doing in making the area welcoming and safe; it offers participants a chance to play a role in shaping the neighborhood they want to live, work, and play in.

The last survey—and the one before that, in 2013—helped Midtown Alliance officials understand how to allocate funding for transportation projects and other capital improvements. In 2016, for instance, they noted a significant uptick in interest in transit system upgrades.

“Only half of respondents prioritize investment to support more car accommodations when going to bat for big-lift projects like the Spring/West Peachtree corridor lane-repurposing concept,” Carr told Curbed Atlanta.

Midtown Alliance

The most recent survey also showed that, despite the Atlanta Police Department’s Zone 5 stats illustrating a safe neighborhood, “half of the survey respondents indicated they weren’t feeling it,” he said.

“So we have worked to make better inroads with residential communities via meetings,” Carr said. “We have bolstered staffing for our non-sworn public safety officers, and have even made commitments to support the work of homeless outreach teams working in Midtown through the HomeFirst initiative.”

Since the latest survey came online, more than 500 responses have rolled in, “and we’ve only just started our marketing push,” said Carr.