Keeping Resilient Communities Intact
Your Voice. Your Neighborhood. Your Support.
Atlanta is a regional hub for culture, business, and education. Residents have long known the brilliance of the ‘City in a Forest’. Nurturing deep community connections and safeguarding its rich heritage, Atlanta neighborhoods are invested in positive resilient growth. Full of historical buildings and architecture, Buckhead has long been a leader in economic advancement. From Henry Irby’s 1838 purchase of 203 acres setting up a tavern grocery to becoming the southeast’s new tech mecca, Buckhead is the choice for businesses who want a competitive edge. Buckhead is also home to 40+ distinct neighborhoods, including Atlanta’s first designated ‘vertical neighborhood’, Buckhead Heights.
Ranking among the fastest-growing cities in the country, Atlanta will need to lead by example using innovative choices to create a sustainable future. Current and expected growth will require creative solutions to meet the needs of new residents while conserving the historical and environmental value of established communities. Atlanta must align its growth goals with sustainable development goals for climate resiliency. Supporting communities with existing treescapes will help reduce climbing temperatures, poor air quality, and sound pollution. Collectively, single-family residential properties are home to over 70% of the quickly depleting treescapes combating the Urban Heat Island effect. Preserving historical architecture reduces the carbon footprint made by new developments. Single-family residential areas create neighborhood support for greenspace, parks, and recreation centers that contribute to the health and well-being of all citizens.
Continuing to nurture our city while keeping the qualities that make it so special must be a priority moving into the future. The City of Atlanta has entered the public input phase of the revised Plan A: Atlanta’s Comprehensive Develop Plan (CDP). The ‘Atlanta for All’ document will be the code of practice used to reclassify zoning ordinances. The CDP’s scope also addresses essential infrastructure such as roads and mobility, sewers and water runoff, parks and greenspaces (including treescapes), and school capacity. The revised CDP will decide what, where, and how growth will occur in the city. Previously, efforts were made to amend ordinances to allow multifamily structures to be built on areas zoned single-family residential. Combined Neighborhood Planning Units organized and successfully resisted these efforts and will be an important part of community engagement for the new plan.
The public input phase is the time for your voice to be heard. Your voice matters. Show your advocacy for Buckhead’s future by making The Department of Planning and Development feel the presence of your community and share the importance of your community’s historic and environmental contributions to the city. Join us for on April 9th @ Trinity Presbyterian Church 4:00-7:30 pm.
Nancy Gourash Bliwise joined the Emory University Provost’s office staff in summer 2012 as the Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Planning. In 2015, she became the Associate Vice Provost and is housed in the Office of Planning and Budgeting. In this role, Nancy oversees the offices of Institutional Research & Decision Support and Institutional Effectiveness. She works closely with senior staff on accreditation and academic planning, and assists with a broad range of compliance initiatives for the University.
Nancy earned her B.A. in Psychology from Cleveland State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago. She is a faculty member of the Psychology Department where she teaches undergraduate and graduate statistics, research methods, and adult development. Nancy has served on numerous faculty committees at Emory; been appointed to national panels on statistics education and assessment of learning outcomes, and brings over 20 years of experience with regional accreditation to her position. She has major accomplishments at Emory University including her role as the chair of the Data Advisory Committee. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Gerontological Society of America, and the Georgia Psychological Association (past president). She currently serves on the board Finance Committee of the Georgia Psychological Association and is active in the Atlanta community.
