Author Archives: Midtown Alliance

By Carden Wyckoff, Citizen Advocate for People with Disabilities I often get asked if I have always used a wheelchair; the answer is no.  I was born with a progressive muscular disability which gradually led me to use one full-time at 23. In high school, ascending and descending stairs marked one of the first significant […]

By Jenny Jobson, Executive Director, Midtown Assistance Center One of the most beautiful things about the Midtown Assistance Center (MAC) is that it brings together an incredibly diverse group of people – different faith traditions, socio-economic backgrounds, and various life experiences who have a shared vision for a better community and place for all our […]

BY ELLIE HENSLEY, STORY EDITOR AND PRODUCER Midtown comes alive in the spring, with flowers blossoming, lush green trees – and dozens of free events happening in the great outdoors.  A big part of Midtown Alliance’s work plan for 2023 is programming and activating outdoor spaces such as Commercial Row Commons, 10th Street Park, and […]

BY ANSLEY WHIPPLE, MIDTOWN ALLIANCE PROJECT MANAGER Midtown Atlanta is a place for people, and the innovation capital of the South, where big ideas come to life. Our goal is to have something fun and exciting in our neighborhood everywhere you look — a pop-up bakery on the corner, a free holiday event in a […]

BY Julie Harlan, Midtown Alliance Transportation Project Manager Coming soon: another community gathering spot on Peachtree Street in the form of a parklet.  What is a “parklet,” you ask?  A parklet is a sidewalk extension created by repurposing parking spaces to provide more space and amenities for people using the street. In response to a […]

By Anna Muessig, Director at Gehl For the past decade, I’ve worked closely with over a dozen cities to support thriving public life and quality public space as a driver of community transformation. Midtown Atlanta has what many other districts work decades to achieve: A tree-lined, walkable street grid with a growing, mixed community of […]

By Ansley Whipple, Project Manager of Programming and Activation In Midtown, we believe that great public spaces are places people remember vividly and tell stories about. They are the places where serendipitous things happen, serving as central gathering places for public life. The North Avenue MARTA station plaza, an underused but centrally located space at […]

By Brian Carr, Director of Marketing and Communications, Midtown Alliance I met recently with a restaurateur who bravely opened his wine and coffee bar on Peachtree Street during the depths of the pandemic. We talked about foot traffic and learning the cadence of his dining crowds. And his candid observation was that after nearly two […]

BY ELLIE HENSLEY, MIDTOWN ALLIANCE EDITOR + PRODUCER ‘Tis the season for hot cocoa, holiday lights and gatherings with friends and family. No matter how you feel like celebrating and who you want to celebrate with this year, Midtown has something for you in the heart of it all. We’ve heard the arguments about how […]

BY ELLIE HENSLEY, MIDTOWN ALLIANCE EDITOR + PRODUCER Park space is more important than ever in fast developing Midtown, which currently has 17 tower projects under construction. Setting aside open space helps us to create a future where there is always somewhere just a short walk away from a space to experience city life in […]

By Christi Nakajima, Program Manager for Midtown Transportation, Midtown Alliance There’s no doubt that driving alone impacts the world around us. From air pollution and carbon emissions to expensive wear on infrastructure and potentially life threatening collisions, driving is a problematic way to get around. When many of the 100,000 people living in, working in, […]

By Brian Carr, Director of Marketing and Communications, Midtown Alliance Cities are shaped by complex negotiations between different groups of people and their priorities. And we hold fast to one simple truth about the work our team is doing to improve Midtown Atlanta: People like to be asked for their thoughts on how Midtown can […]

By Ellie Hensley, Editor + Producer at Midtown Alliance Midtown is an increasingly dense urban place, with sleek new towers going up in every direction you look. Although we’re proud of our district’s transformation, Midtown Alliance also recognizes that it is also important to create street-level outdoor spaces for people wherever we can — as […]

By Rob Kelly, Senior Program Manager, Midtown Transportation Rush hour traffic is back and gas prices are climbing, but the stress of a drive-alone commute doesn’t have to be inevitable. Whether you’ve already made your return to the office or you’re planning to report back soon, now is the time to consider hitting the reset […]

By Shirley Gouffon, Senior Vice President, Selig Enterprises and Midtown Development Review Committee Member Restaurants and retailers alike have been evolving over the last several years, but the pace of evolution has been decidedly robust since and during the recent COVID pandemic. There are some “silver linings” to be found within the pandemic, not the […]

By Brian Carr, Director of Marketing and Communications, Midtown Alliance Maybe it’s just our dedicated staff of 40+ urban enthusiasts. But if you take a walk around Midtown Atlanta right now, how can you not feel energized by the sight of shovels going into the ground and the sound of hammers driving nails into 2x4s? […]

By Forrest Rose, Project Manager, Transportation & Sustainability, Midtown Alliance Midtown Alliance kicked-off construction of two new parklets on the west side of Spring Street between 8th Street and Peachtree Place.  Sounds like good news, right, but what exactly is a parklet? Parklets originated back in 2005 when several urbanists installed an intervention in a […]

By Ansley Whipple, Midtown Alliance, Project Manager of Programming and Activation A robust public life is an essential component to a thriving urban community. What does this look like? Activity at the street level that delights and invites you to linger, interact, and connect. Public events, programs, and installations that reinforce a sense of place […]

By Lauren Radman, Project Manager, Urban Design and Placemaking at Midtown Alliance Public art enlivens the urban experience and contributes to dynamic public spaces. It’s magical to see blank walls transform into large-scale works of art in real time. After working primarily inside their studios since they moved in late last summer, Midtown’s Artists in […]

By Matthew Lister, Partner and Managing Director, Gehl Studio NY; 2022 Midtown Alliance Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker Greetings Midtown Atlanta. I couldn’t be more excited to be speaking at the Midtown Alliance Annual Meeting next Tuesday, March 21st. The title for the event is All Together Now.   All Together Now… Finally! After spending two […]