Survey of Atlanta’s Urban Forest and Neighborhood Charac

OMB No. 0596-0237

Exp. Date: (to be updated)

Survey of Atlanta’s Urban Forest and Atlanta Neighborhoods

Hello!

The City of Atlanta has a tree canopy cover of almost 48%, which means that nearly half of the city is covered by trees. The USDA Forest Service is conducting a survey to get a better understanding of people's interest in neighborhood trees. The survey should take 12 minutes or less to complete.

When the word "trees," is used, it means any woody vegetation with a trunk larger than your wrist. This survey also uses the word “neighborhood.” You can interpret this term in any way that makes sense to you.

This information will help the USDA Forest Service understand how trees might relate to neighborhood quality. Participation in this survey is voluntary, and you may skip any question or stop responding at any time. The answers you provide will be kept strictly confidential.

We ask that the person 18 years old or older living in the home who had the most recent birthday complete the survey.

Thank you very much for your time!

Cassandra Johnson Gaither, USDA Forest Service

Survey of Atlanta’s Urban Forest and Atlanta Neighborhoods

Community context

Please think about this neighborhood. Define neighborhood in any way that makes sense to you. The first question I’d like to ask is about neighborhood needs.

1. What is most needed in your neighborhood?

• employment offering livable wages

• more effective policing

• more parks or other green spaces

• better community/neighborhood planning groups

• code enforcement to combat illegal trash dumping

• sidewalks

• neighborhood cleanup of trash

• more frequent bus service

• affordable housing

• more options for nutritious food sources (grocery stores)

• storm water management infrastructure (to combat frequent flooding)

• clean up of dilapidated housing or other structures

• other (write in below)

Please read the following statements about this neighborhood, then indicate how much you agree or disagree with the statement OR how likely you feel that the statement is true.

2. This is a close-knit neighborhood.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

3. Most people in my neighborhood can be trusted.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

4. People around here are willing to help their neighbors.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

5. Most of my neighbors have lived in their homes a long time.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

6. I can recognize most of the people who live on my street.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

7. I feel comfortable inviting neighbors into my home.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

    

8. If a group of neighborhood teenagers were outside, disrespecting people walking by, how likely is it that your adult neighbors would ask the teens to be respectful?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

9. If someone were spray-painting gang signs in your neighborhood, how likely is it that people in your neighborhood would do something about it?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

10. If there were a neighborhood house suspected to be a place where illegal drugs were sold, how likely is it that community members would do something about it?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

11. If there were a fight outside and someone was being beaten, how likely is it that your neighbors would break it up?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

12. Suppose that budget cuts meant the elementary school closest to your home was going to be closed by the city. How likely is it that neighborhood residents would organize to try to do something to keep the school open?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

13. If a well-known neighbor was short of cash to pay bills, how likely is it that he or she would be able to borrow money from people in this neighborhood?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

14. How likely is it that people in this neighborhood would join together to ask the city to clean up vacant properties?

Very Unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Very Likely

    

Forest patches & neighborhood stability

This is a picture of a place in this neighborhood.

[insert image of forest patch from two angles].

15. Do you recognize this place?

• yes

 no [skip to question 20]

16. Does it have a name?

 yes (write name) ___________________________

 no

 don’t know

17. If any of the statements below express your feelings about this site, please check the corresponding boxes.

• Trees growing at that place help reduce stormwater runoff.

• It is an eyesore.

• Trees and other growing plants at that place help to provide clean air for our community.

• Natural features at that place increase the number of plants and animals in our community.

• It’s a site for illegal trash dumping.

• No opinion

18. Do you have other opinions about this place?

19. What would you like to see happen with this place?

• I would like to see it turned into a space for affordable rental housing.

• It should be turned into a community park.

• It should be turned into a community run urban garden.

• I would like to see businesses occupy the space.

• Leave it as it is.

• Other uses (please list below)

20. Do the trees and other plants growing at this location provide any benefits to your community?

• yes

 no

 don’t know

21. If you answered “yes,” what are these benefits?

22. Should neighborhood residents decide what happens to this place?

• yes

 no (If not, who should decide? _____________________________________)

 don’t know

23. Have neighborhood residents organized to decide what happens to this place?

 yes (What was the outcome?) ________________________________________

 no

 don’t know

24. Do any of the following prevent neighborhood residents from organizing to decide about the future of this place?

• Lack of interest in the site

• Frequent moving of residents in and out of neighborhood homes

• Lack of knowledge about how to organize

• Evictions

• Lack of interest in the neighborhood

• Lack of time

• Lack of a place to gather to make decisions

• Lack of neighborhood leaders

• Other

25. How stable would you say your neighborhood is—in terms of people moving in and out of neighborhood homes? Please check the box that corresponds to your experiences.

• Most of my neighbors have lived in this neighborhood for many years. (Skip to question 29)

• There is some of turnover of residents, but the neighborhood is mostly stable.

• There is a high turnover of neighborhood residents.

• I have no idea because I am new to the neighborhood.

26. Does turnover of neighborhood residents have any impact on people being able to form groups to address neighborhood issues?

• yes

 no

 don’t know

27. Does turnover of neighborhood residents make it harder for this community to address the area shown in this photograph?

• yes

 no

 don’t know

28. Do you know why people move so frequently from this neighborhood? Please check all that apply.

• The quality of homes in this neighborhood is poor.

• People move because they get a Section 8 voucher in a better neighborhood.

• People are evicted from their homes.

• The crime rate in this area is high.

• The schools are not good in this part of the city.

• This neighborhood has become too expensive to live in.

• Other

29. Earlier, we asked about the greatest needs in this community. Now, thinking about those needs—does the place in this picture help to address to those problems?

• yes

 no

 don’t know

30. Does this place make neighborhood problems better or worse?

• better

• worse

 has no effect

31. If you answered “better” or “worse,” how does this place improve or worsen neighborhood conditions?

Demographic Information

Finally, we’d like to ask you some questions about yourself.

32. How long have you lived in this home?

• Less than 1 year

• 1 to 5 years

• 6 to 10 years

• 11 to 20 years

• More than 20 years

33. Is this home:

• Owned by occupants

• Rented by occupants

• Other arrangement

34. What race or races do you consider yourself to be? Select all that apply (show list to respondent):

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

• White

• Other: ___________________________________________________

• Don’t know

• Would rather not say

35. Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin?

• no

• yes

36. What is your age range? _____________

• 18-30

• 31-45

• 46-64

• 65 +

• Would rather not say

37. How do you identify your gender?

• Male

• Female

• Other

• Would rather not say

38. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• Less than high school

• High school, GED, or equivalent

• Associate’s degree

• Bachelor’s degree

• Graduate degree

• Other: _____________

• Would rather not say

39. Do you have any comments or questions about the survey? If so, please write those below.

Thank you!

Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0596­0237. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 12 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202.720.2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250­9410 or call 800.795.3272 (voice) or 202.720.6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Expires (to be updated).