Guest Columns
By Guest Columnist MANDY MAHONEY. U.S. program director of the Regulatory Assistance Project
The South has long been defined by its heat and humidity, so much so that bragging about the heat has even become something of a punch line in certain circles. … As the global climate warms, extreme heat is growing more common in the South, and that is putting low-income people and communities of color at the highest risk of heat-related illness and even death.
By Guest Columnist SAM WILLIAMS, Georgia State University professor of practice and former Metro Atlanta Chamber president
Metropolitan Atlanta’s universities and hospitals (“Eds and Meds”), with more than 340,000 jobs, make a larger contribution to the metro area economy than its Fortune 500 headquarters. These anchor institutions are rooted in place, not likely to relocate and relatively immune to economic swings, and help establish the economy and culture of the city.
By Guest Columnist AISHA YAQOOB MAHMOOD, executive director of Asian American Advocacy Fund
Society teaches us that education is the most powerful tool in providing people with the knowledge to better their lives. What if barrier upon barrier were put in front of this ladder of opportunity? This is the reality of many immigrant students who seek higher education.
By Guest Columnist DAVIS FOX, retired city planner who has been active in DeKalb County politics and government for many years
For now, the legislation to allow for the secession of the Buckhead neighborhood has stalled in the General Assembly. Credit goes to the courage and leadership of Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker David Ralston.
By Guest Columnist STACEY EVANS, Democratic state representative for portions of Atlanta
COVID-19 has intensified countless challenges that Georgians have faced both before and during the pandemic. Among those challenges is the critical lack of broadband access for hundreds of thousands of state residents.
By Guest Columnist MIKE DOBBINS, Georgia Tech professor of practice and former Atlanta planning commissioner
Over the last couple of years, housing costs have shot up in Atlanta. Already rising before, it is now difficult for households earning below median incomes to find decent housing in a stable neighborhood. Rentals are outpacing homeowners in the market, spawning more build-to-rent activity.
By Guest Columnist MIKE DOBBINS, Georgia Tech professor of practice and former Atlanta planning commissioner Need: A place to call home for all of Atlanta’s people Purpose: Understanding what it takes to fulfill that need * Beige, because this paper is more suggestive than authoritative, more “of color,” inviting comment, not a “white” paper, thus […]
By Guest Columnist SARA PATENAUDE, chair of the Coalition for a Diverse DeKalb
On a recent freezing night in January, two unhoused residents found refuge in DeKalb County Fire Station No. 3, located in Avondale Estates. They were shown into the station conference room, where they were allowed to sit at the tables and chairs and spend the night out of the cold.
By Guest Columnist DAN REUTER, CEO of Reuter Strategy, an urban and regional planning firm
Georgia and most states have a history of pandemic influenza planning. President George W. Bush signed the first national Pandemic Influenza Strategy in 2005. The strategy was backed up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Pandemic Influenza Plan.
By Guest Columnist JESSICA DUPEE, president, American Marketing Assoc., Atlanta
This time last year, there was cautious optimism that the new year – 2021 – would bring a return to normalcy thanks to vaccines and Covid-19 therapies on the cusp of widespread adoption (not to mention natural immunity).
By Guest Columnist JEFFREY STEPAKOFF, founding executive director, Georgia Film Academy
There are so many reasons to be proud of our state. But I’d like to share with you something that Georgia has quietly done which should be not only a point of pride for all of us, but should also give us a sense of optimism about our collective future and the role our state will play in the burgeoning entertainment, technology and creative industries.
By Guest Columnist ANTONIO MOLINA, chairman, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
As a U.S. Navy Veteran, a community leader here in the state of Georgia, and current chairman of the board for the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I am incredibly proud of the progress that the Latino community has made across the nation and the Peach state.
By Guest Columnist LIZ COYLE, executive director, Georgia Watch
More than a year into the pandemic, Georgia is still facing many pressing challenges. The highly contagious Delta variant followed by the Omicron variant, and low vaccination rates across the state, are driving a prolonged COVID-19 impact.
By Guest Columnist GIL FRANK, grief educator
At the start of the traditional holiday season, the total number of people who had died from COVID-19 in the United States exceeded 768,000, according to the Nov. 19 report from Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By Guest Columnist BRIAN McGOWAN, president of the The Centennial Yards Co.
Returning to Atlanta after spending nearly three years in the Pacific Northwest, I see a city now facing the similar opportunities and challenges Seattle encountered on its journey to becoming a top market for tech talent and employers.
By Guest Columnist Dr. PREETI JAGGI, a pediatrician based in Atlanta
As a pediatrician, I’ve seen firsthand how the burden of pollution and climate change can disproportionately fall on our children.
By Guest Columnist BO HIERS, a semi-retired marketing officer in the reinsurance industry and super-proud grandfather of his beloved grandson, Fletcher
Thanksgiving week is – with apologies to a popular song about a different holiday – my most wonderful time of the year. If I could pinpoint a single year which kick-started my Thanksgiving fandom, it would be 1961. Like all second graders, I was blown away by large events with lots of people.
By Guest Columnists JIM KULSTAD, LORI LELAND-KIRK AND CAROLYN H. RADER, environmental advocate, urban planners and friends of Alycen Whiddon
Unsung visionary, landscape architect and urban planner, Alycen Whiddon left a permanent legacy in the urban design of Atlanta that we all enjoy today. Long before linking greenway trails, creating pedestrian and bike-friendly streets and zoning for vibrant urban spaces were commonly accepted concepts, Alycen was their champion.
By Guest Columnist HUDSON McGAUGHEY, undergraduate engineering student at Georgia Tech
On a blistering July day this summer, I strolled down the side of the road in Clarkston with three high school students, chatting and taking pictures. To others, we probably looked like another group of teenage boys, maybe looking for a place to cool off, and taking photos for Instagram. However, these pictures weren’t for social media. They were for research.
By Guest Columnist MELINDA SYLVESTER, president of the Greater Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce
Across the 50 states, there are 2.6 million Black-owned businesses that generate more than $138 billion in revenue annually. Georgia is among the nation’s leaders as Black entrepreneurs and Black enterprise flock to our state to launch new business to create jobs and wealth.
