The Atlanta Regional Commission announced $940,000 in grant funding for five communities on May 8 through its Livable Centers Initiative, a program that helps pay for planning studies and transportation projects centered around walkability, connectivity, and placemaking.
The 25-year-old initiative has invested over $312 million in over 130 communities since its creation, with grants covering 80 percent of the study and transportation project costs and the recipient matching the final 20 percent. It’s funded through federal transportation dollars. Commission Director of Community Development Samyukth Shenbaga said the newest round of recipients fall in line with the ARC’s vision of “thriving communities for all.”
“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the transformative [Livable Centers Initiative] program, we are proud to work with these visionary communities to ensure inclusive, innovative and resilient outcomes.”
Recipients span the Atlanta region, but some funding is headed close to home. The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District received $140,000 for a “creative wayfinding plan” ahead of the 2026 Soccer World Cup. With millions of visitors estimated to visit the city for eight matches, downtown officials are heavily focused on development with major projects like the newly opened Signia by Hilton hotel and upcoming entertainment district development Centennial Yards.
The $140,000 grant will fund a study to update the pedestrian and vehicle wayfinding system in Downtown Atlanta. It will look at existing maps and directories posted for visitors, as well as general signs that point to MARTA stations and major city landmarks. With an updated system, the district aims to encourage more walking, cycling and transit in the city center.
Gwinnett County received the largest grant funding portion, with $280,000 for the Jimmy Carter Boulevard Area Master Plan. The study will define a multimodal transportation network along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, help with transit-oriented development and identify strategies for new affordable housing.
Downtown Fayetteville and Powder Springs each received $160,000. Fayetteville will use the money for a creative placemaking strategy that will create a “walkable and livable” downtown mixed-use district, while Powder Springs will study ways to “better connect the city’s newest assets.” It will center on Thurman Springs Park, Powder Springs Dog Park, Hardy Family Automotive Amphitheater and the new Powder Springs City Hall.
Town Center Community Improvement District in Kennesaw also received $200,000 to update an existing decade-old plan from the Livable Centers Initiative. The new plan aims to reflect a changing landscape in the area with a growing enrollment at Kennesaw State University and expanding airport.
Alongside the initiative, the Atlanta Regional Commission will provide planning and technical support to six metro Atlanta communities through the Community Development Assistance Program: the Upper Westside multimodal concept study, the Woodstock housing analysis, Decatur affordable housing preservation, the Little Five Points culture assessment and Community Improvement District, the South Fulton housing assessment and upper South River watershed corridor study.
Woodstock and the Westside district will receive two grants, with the city taking $80,000 and the upper west side area taking $240,000. The other areas and projects will receive partner and staff support from the commission.
The Atlanta Regional Commission also received funding to conduct its own studies focused on healthcare access, announcing $543,000 in federal funds allotted to study healthcare disparities in the region.
In 2022, the Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward shut down after struggling to meet demand – months after the smaller Atlanta Medical Center South was shuttered. But the city’s population has grown by tens of thousands since the closure. Since that trauma center closed, Grady Memorial Hospital has been the only Level 1 trauma center in the area.
“We know that health care access in the Atlanta region varies greatly by your ZIP code,” Atlanta Mayor and ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens said in a statement. “It’s time for action to address these disparities.”
In areas of the region, particularly south of I-20, residents are about an hour away from the nearest emergency room with traffic. The study will map mileage to the nearest emergency room, gather emergency medical service wait times and determine how to make hospitals more accessible to more people in the area.
“This study is a critical first step that will provide the hard data we need to make informed decisions that can save lives,” Dickens said.
Great and informative article…