Advocacy groups to hold Atlanta city election forums on housing, transportation issues

By John Ruch

A coalition of housing and transportation advocacy organizations is holding a series of Atlanta city election candidate forums, kicking off Aug. 26.

Dubbed “What’s Your Plan?,” the series is supported by organizations that support new City zoning rules that would allow more dense and affordable housing in more places, and to speed construction of light-rail transit on the Atlanta BeltLine.

The partner organizations include: Neighbors for More Neighbors-Metro Atlanta, a chapter of California-based YIMBY Action, which supports increased housing construction; Housing Justice League, a nonprofit that works to prevent gentrification and displacement; the transit advocacy group BeltLine Rail Now; ThreadATL, which advocates for improved city planning and design; and Partnership for Southern Equity, which works on a variety of fronts, including development, healthcare and income inequality.

All of the forums will be held virtually via Zoom. The following is the list of currently scheduled forums. A mayoral forum is still in the works and a City Council District 6 forum may be scheduled as well, according to ThreadATL. For updates and details, see linktr.ee/moreneighborsATL. For a list of who’s running in the Nov. 2 elections, see our story here. And see interactive maps of the council districts here.

• City Council District 4: Aug. 26, 6 p.m.
• City Council District 5: Aug. 28, 2 p.m.
• City Council Districts 10 and 12: Aug. 30, 6 p.m.
• City Council District 1: Aug. 31, 6 p.m.
• City Council District 3: Sept. 2, 6 p.m.
• City Council Post 3 At Large: Sept. 9, 6 p.m.
• City Council President: Sept. 11, 2 p.m.
• City Council Post 1 At Large: Sept. 14, 6 p.m.