This summer, The Wall Street Journal headline sent shivers down spines in city halls, chambers of commerce and real estate firms across our metro region: “Atlanta’s Growth Streak Has Come to an End.” More domestic migrants left than came to metro Atlanta between 2023 and 2024, for the first time since such data were recorded. The AJC also took note.
We can question whether in-migration is the right metric for a city’s success, but growth has been definitional for Atlanta throughout its modern history — part of how the city measures its prosperity, openness, and stature.
The alarm bells should prompt us to reflect on how our city has grown for a half-century, and to ask whether this model can be sustained going forward. As a professor of urban planning, I see a city not fully grappling with its need for reinvention.
It barely needs stating that Atlanta’s explosive growth was built around cars and single-family homes — in a word, sprawl. All American cities that grew rapidly after WWII were molded by federal policies that subsidized autocentric suburban development: cheap gas, expansive highways, incentives for homeownership, and destruction of urban fabrics under the guise of “renewal.”
In Atlanta, this growth model was paired with “business-friendly” policies to lure companies to the New South. It worked — at least through the narrow lens of population growth.
Now, we’ve hit the limits of sprawl’s ability to accommodate more people, as economist Paul Krugman wrote in response to the WSJ article.
But why? The limits of Atlanta’s old growth model reflect three interconnected problems: income inequality, the end of cheap land, and the lack of efficient mass transit.
While our economic development strategy created jobs for college-educated workers at Fortune 500 companies, universities, and hospitals, it also included efforts to keep wages low for everyone else, such as impeding unionization. The result is soaring income inequality. A 2018 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the average income of metro Atlanta’s top 1 percent is 23.2 times that of the bottom 99 percent. In Fulton County, it’s 42.3 times.
Rhetoric on housing tends to focus on supply, but inequality is a hidden driver of the housing affordability crisis. Research shows a strong link between income inequality and housing unaffordability. That’s because concentrated money at the top bids up the price of housing and other local goods.
That link gets stronger as it becomes harder to build new housing, which is where land comes in.
According to an analysis of satellite data I conducted with Max Buchholz, Tom Kemeny and Michael Storper — professors at Berkeley, University of Toronto, and UCLA — about 82% of the land within 20 miles of Downtown Atlanta was “developable” in 1940; it had no existing structure, water body, or steep slope. By 2020, this figure had fallen by almost half.
The only option is to build up, to shift from “outfill” development (big subdivisions on the periphery) to “infill” development (higher-density units on small parcels in central locations). Atlanta is doing that: in 2024, almost 24,000 new multi-family units were delivered, the third most of any American city.
The problem is that infill land and construction costs are inexorably higher than outfill costs. Our leftover bits of land are fragmented, meaning developers cannot assemble them into massive tracts to leverage economies of scale. They’re also expensive, because of the land’s scarcity but also its location in a big, productive city. That means the new higher-density housing is unaffordable for most of our population, living on the low to moderate wages that long underpinned Georgia’s growth. A growing number lie vacant, as the Journal reported.
Another big problem with infill development is that density becomes politically unsustainable if not paired with mass transit. Recently, the city council narrowly approved a mid-rise, mixed-use development in Virginia-Highland against intense local opposition. Those trying to block the project were labeled “NIMBYs” (Not in My Backyard), but they were right that, without any commitment to transit, such developments worsen traffic and lengthen commutes. Neighborhoods then become more anti-development, further eroding support for future projects.
In other words, Atlanta’s growth model is dying — choked by the escalating costs of housing and autocentric transportation, alongside wages that can’t keep up. No simple fix will transform this vicious cycle into a virtuous one. But some guiding principles should guide our search for reinvention.
First, our housing strategy must emphasize permanent affordability. The creation of the Atlanta Urban Development Corporation to build mixed-income housing on city-owned land is a good start. We also need investment in other models of permanent affordability, like community land trusts.
Second, we must pair density with mass transit. Atlantans will accept neighborhood change if it comes with the promise of better mobility. This means delivering quickly on more and better MARTA — including Beltline Rail, proposed in-fill stations, Bus Rapid Transit, and more frequent, reliable service. Suggestions to the contrary from any planner or policymaker are malpractice.
Third, we need to create more ways for communities to build intergenerational wealth and remain in place. Homegrown organizations like The Guild and Kindred Futures are creating co-ownership models for business and property, but these are nascent efforts that need public and philanthropic investment to scale.
The City of Atlanta can’t do this alone; it contains less than 10% of the metro population. Other municipalities must step up — it’s in their interest. So must state lawmakers, if for no other reason than to sustain the economic engine powering two-thirds of Georgia’s GDP.
Atlanta is a radically different place than when its growth spurt began. The city can only continue its ascent through reinvention.
Thank you for the information very helpful
Sadly I now have to tell visitors to not take MARTA and use car service instead. This because one visitor was pushed to the ground by an aggressive and hostile panhandler, and one was struck in the head by a random assailant, both using MARTA from the airport. But somehow building more mass transit is going to fix this? People don’t even use what we have – because it, like reflection of the city itself, is known across the country for its unsafe and toxic culture. When you have to make drastic changes to the way Marta is policed during the upcoming FIFA World Cup but then those are temporary and we go back to “never take marta”. Atlanta has been going the wrong way in the decade I’ve been here and it’s quite frankly embarrassing and now planning my escape. FIX THIS.
I take MARTA and know many people that do. Previously, I lived in NYC and took public transit exclusively for 20 years, as did all my friends and colleagues. I dont know anyone who ever experienced violence on the train. I’m truly sorry these rare incidences happened to your friends, but they don’t reflect an overall issue with violence on trains. The great majority of train riders never have an incident, and aren’t fearful.
For more train and bus usage, we need better signage and expansion of the train into more convenient stops in the city.
Ditto Cassi. There is still a good ole boy, ignorant mind set in Ga. That’s why MARTA is limited. Suburban folks said that inner city folks would take MARTA to the burbs and rob them via MARTA. That’s hillbilly thinking.
Fantastic article. The Portman development at Amsterdam Walk in Virginia Highlands/Morningside, will shut down Monroe Drive with its additional 4,000+ car trips. Portman is against rail on the Beltline so this massive development will have only a single road to access it. Monroe is already over capacity according to GA DOT, but our City Council per usual wants more development, proper infrastructure be damned. Our tree canopy is being destroyed under this administration as well.
Your information is pertinent informative and intelligently written. I hope state and city officials consider your planning options. Our family moved to Dunwoody in 1969 & I moved back to Georgia to raise my family and have a community based business. GA. has been good to us.
Just to be clear: new homes don’t cause traffic. Per this editorial, Atlanta has added tens of thousands of new homes every year, but traffic is declining (as documented in GDOT’s public traffic counts). In the specific case of Amsterdam Walk, Monroe today sees 10,000 less daily car trips than it did in 2017, so even if the ridiculous claims of 4,000 car trips were true, the street easily has the capacity to absorb higher volume.
Absolutely wrong!!! New homes do cause traffic! I’m a living witness of this as a resident for eight years along the East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead. I have witnessed immense growth of condos and apartments on this busy road. We are consistently bombarded with heavy, loud traffic and cars with loud pipes racing all day and night and experiencing very little sleep and nerves totally rattled. This is with very little intervention from APD, located only a few blocks away. Come by East Paces Ferry Road and Maple Drive in the weekend, starting at about 8pm to 4am, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and after 10 am on weekdays. Wasn’t like this seven to eight years ago before the building started.
We should not forget that Buckhead is not Midtown, quantitatively (i.e. distance from closest marta station) and qualitatively (desire of its residents to commute with alternative means, public transportation or biking).
That may be true for one demographic section, but not true for the metropolitan area. The tremendous growth in population is still supported by a highway system from 1973. While there has been highway expansion in some areas, other areas are facing virtually round the clock traffic problems and also in areas like Cascade Road and MLK Drive, highways have gone from being 4 lane to 2 lane. I have not seen this horrible level of decrease in Cobb or other areas, but it might be occurring in other areas as well.
Not a ridiculous claim by any stretch. Look at the traffic study Portman paid for specifically for Monroe Drive. Kimley Horn conducted the study on a single day during the week, never included weekends or events at Piedmont Park. Anyone stating Monroe Drive can “easily absorb higher volume” clearly doesn’t use Monroe daily. It’s one of the most dangerous streets in the city according to GA DOT, with serious accidents occurring at the intersection with Amsterdam Drive on nearly a weekly basis. The Kimley Horn traffic study stated “New Driveway Volumes Amsterdam Walk is 3,832 cars PER DAY.” This number will be higher because Portman increased the number of apartments from an already absurd 840 units to 1,200 units. This development has ONE road to access it, Monroe Drive. Monroe Drive can’t absorb thousands of more cars trips, particularly at this intersection. It’s criminal to suggest it can.
Not a ridiculous claim by any stretch. Look at the traffic study. Portman paid Kimley Horn to conduct the study on a single day during the week, never included weekends or events at Piedmont Park. Anyone stating Monroe Drive can “easily absorb higher volume” clearly doesn’t use Monroe daily. It’s one The Kimley Horn traffic study stated “New Driveway Volumes Amsterdam Walk is 3,832 cars PER DAY.” This number will be higher because Portman increased the number of apartments from an already absurd 840 units to 1,200 units. This development has ONE road to access it, Monroe Drive. Monroe Drive can’t absorb thousands of more cars trips, particularly at this intersection. It’s criminal to suggest it can.
Trusting an advocate media to offer truth is the worst idea because their statements are essentially lies using cherry picked data to show their one side driven agenda point. This writer wants to show that Atlanta is less desirable and less diverse and high inequality for their agenda but thats false. Here’s the truth about this subject.
AI Overview
+5
During the 12-month period ending in mid-2024, more domestic migrants left the metro Atlanta area than moved in. According to U.S. Census data, this was the first time in at least 30 years that metro Atlanta experienced a net loss in domestic migration. The net decline was around 1,330 people.
However, the region’s overall population still grew during this period due to international migration and more births than deaths.
Key factors influencing migration trends in Atlanta include:
Rising costs Surging housing costs and high traffic congestion are pushing some residents to smaller, more affordable cities.
Growing suburbs Many people are still relocating to the broader Atlanta area, but they are increasingly choosing suburbs over the inner city.
Strong economy Despite the shift in domestic migration, the overall Atlanta region continues to grow, attracting new residents due to its diverse economy and job opportunities.
I fervently disagree!!! I’ve lived in Atlanta for 32 years and it has become a miserable place to live. The writer is tight in point regarding issues I’ve seen taking place over time, particularly with regards to income inequality and development that has caused miserable in town traffic! I’m a living witness as a resident in Buckhead. I am so very grateful for this revelation.
“Income inequality” isn’t a problem. It’s simply a leftist narrative flung into the wind against any perceived problem. There will always be smart, hardworking go getters to start businesses and innovate and people who chose to not make much of themselves. I recently pulled into a convenience station after coming home from the airport in mid day in the city. A much of men playing slots inside a gas station at 2pm. No amount of public policy will cure laziness. This is true in any society in history.
Atlanta is taxing itself to death and is spending billions on “mass transit” and has a 168 billion dollar transportation plan that includes billions on mass transit. It takes decades to build for a host of reasons like regulation and arcane environmental reviews that take years. You can’t add dense housing and expect to build a brand new train stop near every development.
It’s fun to yell “mass transit” in every article like it’s the savior to every problem, but consider the mass transit that Atlanta does have is only used at about 20-30% of it’s capacity. NO ONE wants to take a Marta train. It’s slow and dangerous because of leftist policies. I took it once and got harassed by a thug. No police. Last trip for me.
These are simply recycled liberal talking points by every self proclaimed “urban planner,” who are almost exclusively left wing progressives. No revelation here.
you drink a lot of orange koolaide, don’t you?
It is dangerous to visit a right wing town full of meth labs and hateful backwards minded conservatives
Well stated Tom! The truth is MARTA ridership keeps declining, the writer and anyone else can easily research this. Why is it so poorly managed with crumbling infrastructure, elevators that reek of urine specifically at the Arts Center station, dirty:borderline filthy stations and many trains, harassment by riders (unlicensed “vendors”), etc. I use MARTA trains often despite it being so unpleasant as I support public transit. But MARTA is an absolute embarrassment, especially when I have out of town and international visitors. Please fix the management of this important institution before throwing more taxpayer dollars at expansion! Common sense people!!
You are spot on correct!
On more transit, he is not echoing the standard leftist call for Gwinnett and Cobb to join. He’s saying that the current rail infrastructure is underused and that it underserves the area it’s already in. I’m a native Atlantan over 50 and fully agree. Infil stations, better service and re-development on the southside will give the city some of the growth it needs.
Talk about a woke, liberal take on Atlanta, jeez. It’s always about inequality rather than opportunity for liberals. The truth is that Atlanta has one of the best job markets in the country. The problem with Atlanta is that it’s known around the country as a black city. Blacks have a very dysfunctional culture. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Aww this is the pure racism that I appreciate no beating around the bush. Dave Roberts be honest you love Black people it’s ok to admit it.
I agree with you Dave and I’m Black. And others know you right but it’s still “socially acceptable” to write you off as a racist for speaking “uncomfortable” truths about a race you don’t belong to. Been Black for a very long time and I can honestly say “systematic racism” isn’t holding Black people back it’s Black people and their liberal enablers that’s holding them back too.
I’m so tired of this victim mentality pushed on Black people as if no one Black has ever overcome challenges. Oprah went from dirt poor in rural Mississippi to filthy rich in Beverly Hills and she’s not alone so like come on. And Atlanta is reversing in domestic growth b/c Blacks and lazy hippies are being forced to leave and stay out so the future of Atlanta is bright. Atlanta for many years was known as a easy place to live cheap-ish, get governmental assistance, and scam your way thru life. Not so much today. Scammers are getting caught more often now thanks to AI advancements, cost of living has gone up, and Trump is cutting social program WASTE!
Not sure why everyone has to blame each other. Please explain why you say this issue is exacerbated by leftists. Not sure what a leftist is.
If someone works in education, retail or food service, emergency medical services or social work and puts in 8 hours a day, 5 days a week they do NOT deserve to be able to cover the cost of housing, food and healthcare. These are not jobs that hardworking, young go-getters will do. If someone does those jobs it’s because they’re too lazy to do anything else and clearly deserve to live paycheck to paycheck until they make something of themselves. Only people that make something of themselves deserve to afford living expenses; if you work at McDonald’s you’re nothing. The exaggerated, all-time ratio of the CEO pay to employee pay is a function of the value CEOs bring to a company nowadays. Glad to I’m not the only one with common sense and that we share views. Good riddance to that leftist brain rotting slop.
To recap your point: income inequality isn’t a problem because you saw men at a gas station enjoying something you think isn’t worthwhile? Income inequality is a story told by numbers: lots of poverty meets a significant amount of high income people on the other end of the spectrum with not enough middle distribution. Why does your anecdote colored by your personal preferences negate these demographic data? I’d also be curious to hear more about this MARTA harassment you experienced. I’ve never had an issue on a train here, but I also don’t sneeringly look down on people who are different from me, the way you just revealed you do by your disdain for the gas station guys.
Ditto Faith. Keep the Faith.
Oh Tom. You have to come out of your Good Ole Boy cave. Economic data, statistics and trends are indeed factual that can’t be ignored by privileged, scared, arrogant folks like yourself.
Oh Tom, let’s start prepping in the woods of West Virginia. Would that make you feel better to be with the MAGA zealots stealing, raping and robbing? You know Tom, that is your heritage. Yeah haw.
this city like nashville needs musk … both boring tunnels and tesla robotaxi / and mid density robovans transportation!
but the transportation is the problem and better designed mid to high rise niches of development more like buckhead sandy springs / perimeter… and cobb galleria ballpark areas … but think mid range housing / affordable housing
This assessment is the same as when I was in school 49 yrs ago. The problem lies in a the basic premise that growth is inevitable and with it higher costs. Basic Supply & Demand. Traffic is a byproduct of “stack em & pack em” DENSITY policies, not a cause or solution. Plowing more and more tax dollars into inefficient mass transit is not the answer. Americans don’t relate well to the constricted scheduling of the movement. Robo taxis are a better, more diverse avenue to accommodate our freedom of movement. Cities are no longer the place for the lower tier of the socioeconomic tier to be cheaply housed as low-skill/high labor businesses no longer seek to be located there (take the new Rivian or Hyundai plant locations for example) Wealth inequality is determined by desire of the wealthy to live in an area of limit supply. Gentrification is the natural evolution of the fact that land values are never static. Housing is not worth what you paid for it, rather what someone else is willing pay for it.
The two items (traffic & income inequality) should not be conveniently mingled. Providing inefficient, subsidized Mass Transit will not offset income inequality. Only low density policies will help with traffic congestion. It can be argued that a city bus stopping every 2 blocks does more to impede the flow of traffic as it is not accounted for in traffic signal programming and driver feverishly attempt to switch lanes at the last second to avoid getting stuck behind the rolling delay maker.
When the pandemic loosened in office work schedules (and traffic levels) this made Atlanta’s sprawl more tolerable. However affordable housing coupled with transit and density will be difficult, at best, for cities like Atlanta, with cheap ex-burb land and lower taxes.
Funny how the picture of this guy doesn’t show that he has a pointy head
Until the City of Atlanta adds additonal lanes to its streets, roads and highways, it does not need to approve ANY MORE building inside the perimeter. The article says that in 2024, 24,000 new multi-family homes were established in Atlanta. That means at least 24,000 more people, and their 24,000 cars will be added to the citys already dense population. Common Sense tells us that when you add that many new homes to an already crowded density map, you have to add to the streets roads and interstates to accomodate for those additional 24,000+ new cars. Has the city added new lanes or added more space to its streets, roads and highways? NO! IT HASN’T! In fact-the city is SUBTRACTING from its existing streets roads and highways. Take Juniper Street. The city has approved formany new sky high condos and apartments to be built all along Juniper St (of which, I would estimate are included in th make up of that 24,000 numeric value). Juniper Street is one of three surface level streets that connect midtown to downtown, and to the interstate exits on 10th St and North Ave, and anybody eho has ever worked or lived intown will tell you that Juniper Street has been a daily blood clot for guaranteed traffic from 7am until 7pm, traffic for at least the past two decades. COMMON SENSE would tell you “Hmm. We should probably make sure Juniper Street is left unobstructed since we have all this new growth, and we have designated it as a main artery fo the ingress an egress of the commuter traffic that comes in and out of the city”.
Nope! Thst would make too much sense. Instead, the city approves a bird brained beautification project that permanently reduces the number of lanes on Juniper Street, from 3, down to 2. For the love of God-will somebody please take the pen out of the hand of the nincompoop who keeps signing off on approving all of this new building and growth, without first accounting for it in our infrastructure!! I am just an everyday garden variety resident of midtown, but I see this unfolding, and it is reaching a fever pitch. You can only stretch a rubber band so far before it breaks.
Agreed. I used to live between Juniper and Peachtree St in Midtown.
Went there in 2012, and really liked the area. But high-rise and ‘low-rise’ (like 6 stories) buildings went up, blocking our view, and yes – the traffic…
Add in the taxes from the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, and I was mighty glad to get out of there in 2023.
It’s sad how every article generates some fight of left/right nonsense. The original article is from the WSJ. Not exactly a left wing mouthpiece. The fact is Atlanta is at a tipping point of congestion. Low income folks are moving to the suburbs. Extended stay hotels are in Cherokee, Bartow and all northern counties. Moving folks around faster AND more efficiently is critical and folks need to cut the crap and solve the problems. You can also be a capitalist and understand the basic math of income inequality. Feudalism failed due to it. At the same time all parents can provide their kids the elite parenting to keep their kids off screens and motivated to succeed in a complex economy. Every person wants a better life for themselves and their kids. We can do that collaborating.
I agree. I didn’t see this kind of left / right argument in the comments here. I really hate that comment sections always end up like this. And some 9f these racist comments should be deleted. Atlanta is proud of our diversity, and proud of being an area well known for Black history and excellence. There are always people who will insist Black people are the problem and hate/fear cities because they have deep bias based on bad stereotypes.
Good piece Greg. I would only add that government needs to capture more of the greater land values, especially in the densifying core, to provide a much greater investment in the permanent affordability you describe and it must do so at the lowest income levels where the need and the benefits to economic mobility are the greatest. Over 80% of the public investments in affordable housing (only 6% of which are coming from local revenue sources, the rest are federal or state) are going to families below 50% of area median income.
*note: these numbers are for the City of Atlanta.
I don’t buy the article’s claim that Atlanta’s old growth model is collapsing. It leans on short-term migration stats and big statements about land scarcity and inequality without showing real causation or ruling out other factors like national housing cycles, remote work, or local zoning rules. Cities adapt in non-linear ways—densification, modular construction, and smarter policy can offset higher infill costs—and mass transit isn’t automatically a fix without solid ridership and funding data. The piece reads more like a narrative than a data-driven analysis, missing comparisons to peer metros or any serious scenario modeling, so its predictions feel premature.
Look at Gainesville, Dawsonville or Pooler. The growth model is in use. I’d like to see peer data on Dallas. Something tells me domestic migration is solid there, and it’s suburbs aren’t falling into collapse (Mableton, Tucker, etc.)
Atlanta has lost several very large corporations over the years, is known globally for a toxic culture, and offers among the lowest quality of lifestyle in its region. Traffic and ridership can’t solve this.
Lol. Atlanta “has lost several very large corporations”. You obviously haven’t been paying attention over the past year (and the years before that too) and the announcements of companies moving their HQs/offices to metro Atlanta or expanding here. It clearly outweighs the “losses”. Your other statements are biased opinions, too. Get lost.
Peachtree center is a total disaster. That’s like Times Square being a disaster, again.Bad sign.
Even worse is that Atlanta talks like it’s Austin or Nashville. Sadly, unfortunately, everyone knows the reality here. Still many good people here, for now anyway.
Sounds like we need another sherman to visit atl.
Dave, of the things you say, some of them I agree with a little, and some I agree with a lot. But the thing that is sadly the most true, or rather grievously and tragically true, is that black culture is indeed broken. It’s the elephant in the room and discussion of transit always somehow ends there in one way or another. The elephant is not just present in Atlanta, it’s present in all of America. For that, we can partly thank the notable so-called reverends /civil rights leaders who have for decades sat silent on so many occasions of black violence on which they should have stood and spoken, and loudly. But they didn’t and so America has suffered, most of all, it’s people of color. Ultimately, whether or not we can have nice things is trivial next to that far greater loss.
I’ve said this to a few friends on and off for years but I’ll say it here for a wide audience, despite being off topic. Its this: America is in desperate need of a spiritual revival. In the wake of Mr. Kirks killing, we can see the seeds of revival being sown already, but they’re only seeds. I also tell them that America needs another man of God who preaches repentance of sin like it had in the Rev. Billy Graham not all that ago ….. Except that the next Billy Graham needs to be black.
Yes, that’s what I tell them, that is, if they really want to know.
“As a professor of urban planning, I see a city not fully grappling with its need for reinvention.”
I agree. It’s not clear what Atlanta wants to be. I hear World-class, the “X” of the south, top 5 this or that. These are nonsense terms stemming perhaps to some degree from not knowing where to go next.
What you seem to be saying is that the town can’t be a suburban hot spot any longer. And if you drive (and you would have to drive) around town that’s clear. There is a battle going on for suburban retention instead of growth, Roswell for instance is in the middle of that. It will cost an arm and leg to live there when they finish.
Atlanta started as a rail road town and It will probably now morph into something unexpected. A huge advantage is the region in which it’s located is growing as the North East and CA shed on their cycles.
There are advantages to living in this area, but the city of Atlanta has not typically been one. The airport has been. Finding ways to make the city more of an advantage could shift the dynamics and if growth really does stall out, that may be the convo that has to happen.
Atlanta needs to invest in Intown mass transits needs so middle c6 residents can move between neighborhoods rather than wait for lumbering Marta busses.
I’ve lived in Atlanta for my entire life ( 63 years and counting) and the changes I’ve seen have been nothing short of unbelievable!!
What was once a sleepy little idlyic town of less than 1 million exploded into the L.A. or New York of the South with movies, tv shows, a bustling music scene, etc.
Housing became very expensive and traffic became a nightmare of epic proportions and yet the building, development, destruction of old growth trees continued unabated for decades with city, county and state leaders all on board despite intense opposition from local residents. Their cries went unheard and you can bet your ass that there is money pouring into our corrupt leaders/officials pockets all the way up to our Illustrious Governor Brian Kemp.
I recently came back from a visit to Florida, Miami to be precise and although I DESPISE Ron DeSantis with a PASSION Florida should be a template for Atlanta at least as far as transportation, roads, infrastructure, bike lanes, wide pedestrian friendly SIDEWALKS WELL LIT and bike rentals galore.
Atlanta was NOT a planned city and it SHOWS BIG TIME!! Crumbling roads and highways many with the lane marking washed out and invisible or better yet simply NONEXISTENT!!
Unlit highways ( 285 I’m talking to YOU) and you’d wonder how this city ever made it through the 20th Century.
As far as my ideas of what needs to be done here goes nothing. First require any and all residential developments to have a MINIMUM OF 25% of their properties to be Affordable for those on the lower to middle class socioeconomic ladder. Secondly require any and all new or current pending developments to pay a IMPACT FEE to cover additional demand on water and sewer systems, roads, flood mitigation, etc. and further require funding to preserve and protect as many trees as possible and plant more through their profits.
I think 25% is reasonable to me at least.
Regarding the uptick of crime, loud exhaust, trash etc. I say we pass a NOISE ORDINANCE that BANS ANY AND ALL OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD CARS, MOTORCYCLES AND MAKE ALL OWNERS OF SAID VEHICLES TO INSTALL NORMAL MUFFLERS or Face the Consequences!!
I cannot tell you how much these OBNOXIOUS OBSCENE AND DOWNRIGHT INCONSIDERATE DEGENERATES Ruin it for the rest of us Civilized Folk.
And last but not least African Americans if you don’t know how to raise your kids and DISCIPLINE THEM, KNOW WHERE THEY ARE WHEN THEY’RE TEENAGERS AND EVEN YOUNGER then don’t have kids PERIOD!!
This city has become SO UNSAFE you can’t even go to the mall anymore. Take Responsibility and Quit blaming ” Society” and “Racism” for your children’s behavior…. it’s getting REALLY OLD!!!!
The idea that getting around in a crowded city means fixed rail lines and huge buses is a huge mistake. Get yourself a cargo bike.
Those who are blaming “black culture” need to learn some critical thinking skills and also need to get out more. The things you are referring to are not the result of “black culture;” they are the result of poverty. Read the history of Atlanta or any American city – redlining, excluding black families from mortgages, harassing and intimidating black families who moved into middle class neighborhoods (with impunity), and you will understand that black Atlantans were systematically excluded from the means to build generational wealth. This is also true in majority-white Appalachia where poverty and drugs are rampant and the same type of “dysfunctional” behaviors are present. The problem has nothing to do with race. It has to do with CLASS. Individual responsibility is absolutely a factor, but you can’t just ignore history and pretend it didn’t happen.
As to the article, it’s spot on. Atlanta is far too car-brained, and sadly too many Atlantans have never visited or spent much time in a livable, walkable city and thus don’t even know what it’s like to have great public transit and pedestrian infrastructure.
The U.S. is a stressed out capitalist hellscape in significant part because people spend all day in their cars. Get out, walk around, talk to some real people face to face, smell a flower. Go on a bike ride. Do something that makes you feel like a human
I have lived in Georgia all my life.I have lived in Atlanta, permanently,since 1990.This is the south, do not want to live on top of each other.We don’t want to live over restaurants and other businesses.Nor do we want big skyscrapers.We want to keep our distinctive qualities. I feel the state should keep a closer eye on developers who want to come and just make a buck .There should be tighter building restrictions and codes.Growth is fine,but in the proper context.