More Green Space in Buckhead

As this is my first blog post for The Green Space it is very apt that the subject be green space in Buckhead.

Buckhead has been called “the Jewel of Atlanta” and “the Beverly Hills of the South”, but it has less green space and parkland than any other area of the City of Atlanta. It also has less than similar areas in other comparable U.S. cities. Buckhead has only 23 parks, from pocket parks and traffic islands to passive wooded areas to parks with recreational activities, but with only a combined area of 73.6 acres. With a population in excess of 34,419, this works out to about 2.14 acres for every 1000 residents (and that is based on numbers from the 2000 Census).

Perhaps in the past, this was not seen as much of issue, as most of the residents lived in houses with yards, grass and trees. Indeed, Buckhead has long been known for the green of its leafy neighborhoods. But anyone who has been to Chastain or Atlanta Memorial Parks on a nice day can attest, people appear to have come pouring out of the woodwork to run, walk, bike or hit the playground.

One local organization working to increase green space in our community is Livable Buckhead. Founded in February 2011, Livable Buckhead was specifically established to increase green space and parkland in Buckhead. Their goal is to take Buckhead from “dead last” to the top of the heap in terms of green space through a vision and plan called the Buckhead Collection.

The Buckhead Collection plan is an interconnected network of parks, trails and green spaces serving the needs of Buckhead residents, workers and visitors.  According to Livable Buckhead, it identifies the major areas of work necessary to build, sustain and maintain a world-class park system in Buckhead, while addressing the community’s social, economic, mobility and environmental needs. This includes supporting our existing parks and developing new parks.

Toward this end, Livable Buckhead is working with various partner organizations bringing together both commercial and residential interests. Of particular focus is the development of green space, trails and parkland along the Ga. 400 corridor in conjunction with GDOT and local neighborhood groups.

For more information on Livable Buckhead and The Buckhead Collection, check out their web site: livablebuckhead.com.

Boyd Leake is a Buckhead native and the founder and owner of Community Environmental. Since 1995 he has been an environmental and sustainability consultant with an emphasis on recycling, composting and “green” solid waste management.