Get Involved:

News & Announcements:
November 2007 Update

In February 2007, Atlanta Project Greenspace conducted a citywide survey of Atlanta residents. 7,000 surveys were mailed out, and more than 1,200 were returned, providing a good sampling of all NPUs and Council Districts in the City of Atlanta. The margin of error is less than 3%, and the results provide an interesting snapshot into residents’ perception of our city and how to create a world-class park system in the City of Atlanta.

PARK AND RECREATION USE

82% of Atlanta residents had visited a city park in the past year, and 67% of those who visited a park ranked its condition as good or excellent. 14% of residents had participated in a city recreation program in the past year; 74% of them ranked the program as good or excellent.

WHY PEOPLE USE PARKS

Residents were asked why they use Atlanta’s parks & recreation system. The top three answers were:

• Enjoyment of outdoors (70%)
• Close to home (66%)
• Improved fitness and health (39%)

ACCESS TO PARKS AND GREENSPACE

Given the importance of parks being close to home, residents were asked about access to parks. Only 49% of households indicated that there are sufficient parks and greenspace within walking distance of their homes. Not surprisingly, GIS data indicates that a little under half of all Atlanta residents live within a ½ mile walk of a park (reported in the October Atlanta Project Greenspace Newsletter). As more than half of all Atlanta residents cannot walk to a park, there is a clear need to create more accessible parks.

PARK AND RECREATION PRIORITIES

Residents also were asked to list their top 4 park and recreation priorities:

• Walking and biking trails (49%)
• Small neighborhood parks (35%)
• Large community parks (33%)
• Nature center and trails (22%)

A draft report will be made available on the project website, presented at a public meeting at the end of January, and brought before the NPUs in February and March 2008. After incorporating the additional public input from these meetings, the plan would be brought to Council for consideration in April 2008.
For more information, visit www.atlantaprojectgreenspace.com.

Coming in December –
What are Atlanta residents’ park and recreation needs, and are they being met?