The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) held its annual State of the Region event on Tuesday. The conference is a chance to look at what are the big issues the Metro Atlanta area is facing and highlight a few of the successes over the last year. This year’s event was also the final one for retiring ARC executive director Doug Hooker, who has led the organization for ten years.
Among the successes are the Learn4Life program, an education improvement initiative, and Aerotropolis Atlanta, an economic development program in the region around the airport. Hooker urged attendees to think big about the future of Atlanta in his sendoff.
“I encourage all of you to think about what’s possible for our region,” he said, echoing the event’s theme, ‘A Region of Possibilities.’ “Because we believe that a better future is possible, which gives us the motivation, the energy, the conviction to press on in the present. What role can you or your organization play in moving metro Atlanta forward?”
For non-attendees, the most interesting bit of news may be the event’s release of the Metro Atlanta Speaks public opinion survey. Done annually, the survey collected responses from about 4,800 people across 11 counties on key issues.
For the first time since the survey began in 2013, crime topped residents’ concerns. Nearly one in three metro Atlantans reported it as the region’s top problem, significantly more than the 16% that ranked it tops in 2020. Public health came in a distant second this year with 13% reporting it as the biggest worry and 12% responded with the economy.
The ARC noted that crime is still well below levels seen in the 1980s and 90s but the increase over the last year has been significant.
Covid-19 featured highly in the survey, with more than half of respondents saying they felt either “very or moderately safe” returning to normal activities. Only one in six respondents, 17%, said they will not get the coronavirus vaccine. Covid’s impact on work or employment practices seems like it may be setting in at least semi-permanently, as 33% said they are working from home all or most of the time, with an additional 21% doing so occasionally. It may take years for the office space market to shake out but some level of change will certainly be permanent.
With racial issues such a high profile part of the discussion over the last year, the survey also included more questions on those issues to gauge public opinion. More than 75% said that “ensuring racial equity is essential to maximizing economic growth in our region.” On the economic side of things, almost 75% said increasing the minimum wage would be good the economy – many more Republicans apparently agree with increasing the minimum wage than politicians may be saying.
For more information about the 2021 survey visit atlantaregional.org/metroatlantaspeaks
To see all the results directly, https://cdn.atlantaregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-metro-atlanta-speaks-report-final-for-arc.pdf
