BUCKHEAD REdeFINED, Buckhead’s master plan update, recently received a Georgia Planning Association award for Outstanding Planning Document. The consultant team was led by Kimley-Horn & Associates and included TSW, Bleakly Advisory Group, and Blue Zones.
BUCKHEAD REdeFINED focuses on placemaking and connectivity to enhance the overall quality of life in the greater Buckhead area. In order to manage the large study area, six smaller subareas were created based on general neighborhood boundaries, and three were studied in greater detail because of the opportunities for change: Lenox Square, West Village, and South Piedmont. Through hundreds of recommendations from the public outreach effort, six “big ideas” emerged:
- Construct a district-wide multi-use trail (the Buckhead Cultural Loop Trail) to connect and celebrate the area’s history and culture
- Activate and enliven a continuous network of streets and destinations
- Enhance mobility to and from Georgia Highway 400 and beyond
- Foster a distinctive Buckhead identity along Lenox Road
- Diversify housing opportunities
- Define the civic heart of the community through parks and greenspace
TSW led the project marketing and public outreach strategy, which included multiple open houses and workshops, community intercepts on Election Day and at the Lenox and Buckhead MARTA stations, neighborhood meetings, steering committee meetings, a walking audit, and an interactive online mapping tool and multiple surveys that received more than 1,000 responses combined.
TSW also led the placemaking recommendations, resulting in a public space framework that focuses on creating true public spaces, given that Buckhead is today dominated by parking lots, semi-public plazas, and private green spaces. Implementation will include establishing a Public Arts Organization that focuses on street activity, infill retail, and public art. The plan also recommends the creation of true public parks, including the proposed Park Over 400.
