The city’s Public Information Officer Casie Yoder informs us that the city’s recently completed “Diversity Project results PowerPoint presentation from the Aug. 4 City Commission work session is now available here. The full written report is being finalized and will be available later this month.”

Christian Perry, a master’s candidate at GSU in the Public Studies program and a Decatur High grad, who is interning at the city presented some of his findings at Monday’s Decatur City Commission meeting.  You can view the presentation HERE.  Also, Decaturish has a summary of Perry’s presentation HERE.

Among other items, the deck shows that Decatur’s white and “non-black minority” groups have steadily grown from 1990 to 2010, while the black population declined, which is inverse to Atlanta’s race trending over that period.  Decatur is also getting older, as 25-34 year-olds registered the largest decline from 2000-2010 and 55-64 year-olds registered the largest increase percentage-wise.  The report also shows that Oakhurst and WInnona Park have seen large increases in median household income over the last 10 years.

That just scratches the surface.  There’s much greater detail in the report breaking down the changing racial makeup of the city by neighborhood and age.  It also looks at the city’s same-sex city households vs. other Atlanta cities and DeKalb and “educational attainment” over the last 30 years.

From Monday’s AJC…

Kecia Cunningham, Decatur’s second ever African-American commissioner, said Monday she’s concerned about the recent census revealing a diminishing minority population.

It’s particularly dramatic in Decatur’s southwest corridor that’s gone from 70 percent minority and 30 percent white in 2000 to a 70-30 white-minority ratio in 2010. “We are basically losing our long-time African American neighborhoods,” she said. “We are a city that’s long prided itself on diversity, yet when the rubber meets the road, we’re not living up to that promise. We’re becoming more of a homogenous middle-class city.” Bill Banks for the AJC

Thanks to Karass for pointing it out!

On to Principle B of Decatur’s 2010 Strategic Plan draft: Encourage a diverse and engaged community.

What concrete steps will Decatur undertake to maintain and encourage a diverse population?  Here they are!

Goal 5: Maintain and encourage diversity of race, ethnicity, income, culture, age, family type, and other kinds of diversity

Task 5A: Promote Decatur as a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC ) where people can stay in their homes and communities as they age.

Task 5B: Continue to encourage the participation of artists and performers that represent a broad range of cultures at festivals and special events.

Task 5C: Identify and support marketing and media outlets that target diverse cultures.

Task 5D: Track and report policies that encourage diversity and attendance at festivals.

Task 5E: Identify networking opportunities for minority groups and reach out to these groups to solicit them to live, work, and play in Decatur, as well as participate in community leadership roles.

Task 5F: Adopt universal design guidelines to allow new buildings and homes to be visitable by those with mobility impairments.

Even the most able-bodied members of society will one day reach periods in their life where their mobility is impaired. Creating housing that is accessible or visitable to a wide range of citizens would benefit both current and future residents, and make the city resilient in the face of demographic changes.