Momentum is building to address metro Atlanta’s dismal ranking of 50th out of 50 cities when it comes to economic mobility. On Jan. 13, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation invited Harvard Professor Raj Chetty to come to Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium to talk about his research on economic mobility, with a focus on the […]
Category: Maria’s Metro
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Vision for Midtown Jewish cultural center lives on
Key local leaders remain dedicated to developing an intown Jewish cultural center that would include the Breman museum and other cultural offerings, such as the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The future of an intown Jewish cultural center came into question when the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta moved its offices from Spring Street in Midtown to Sandy […]
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Woodruff Foundation invests a record $4 million in Park Pride
For Park Pride, equity is not a dirty word. Quite the opposite. With backing from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and several other major foundations, Park Pride has been doubling down on making grants in Atlanta’s historically disinvested communities. Park Pride, founded the same year as the Piedmont Park Conservancy, celebrated its 35th anniversary last […]
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Atlanta Mayor Dickens envisions Downtown as a vibrant transit hub
Imagine Downtown Atlanta as fulfilling its historic legacy as a hub for local, regional and intercity transit. This is not just wishful thinking. In the past month, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens shared his desire for Amtrak to move its Atlanta station from the Brookwood Station to Downtown Atlanta — preferably as part of the Centennial […]
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Monterio Bass: ‘I’ve been living on newspapers for so long’
The relationship one has with a newspaper delivery person combines anonymity and regularity. Every day, someone you don’t know delivers a paper to your front door, giving you a printed window to our town and our world. On Jan. 1, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cease printing the newspaper. That means the people who have been […]
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Educational findings in metro Atlanta show much room for improvement
The just-released annual State of Education in Metro Atlanta report showed disappointing results in third-grade literacy and postsecondary enrollment and completion. But the report, conducted by the unique nonprofit Learn4Life, spotlighted programs that are having success. Learn4Life is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit that is a collaboration of the big four entities that have a regional mandate. […]
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Hope Atlanta striving to meet growing needs for homeless services
Metro Atlanta is navigating through uncharted waters when it comes to serving the homeless and people in need of food, shelter and basic services. “Telephone lines are swamped, and waiting times have increased,” said Milton Little, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Atlanta. “There’s an abundance of new people calling for help. […]
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Historic Georgia Baptist Hospital is now rubble
Three men walked into a meeting — a preservationist, a developer and the head of a demolition company. The topic was the historic Georgia Baptist property, which is being redeveloped by the Integral Group. We met in the offices of Barry Roberts, founder and an executive of Atlanta Demolition, which is clearing the site of […]
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Home Depot CEO Ted Decker: ‘the founders were brilliant’
Thousands of Home Depot employees were busy volunteering their time on a myriad of projects across the country in honor of Veterans Day. At the Store Support Center, a corporate headquarters for most companies, hundreds of associates braved nearly freezing temperatures to build a variety of toy houses or to assemble bicycles and wagons for […]
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Noah Glassman seeks to preserve and protect Amata – a beloved community
Walking around Amata, a property just west of the Lake Claire Community Land Trust along Nelms Avenue, feels as though one is stepping back in time to a place where people lived communally — in harmony with the environment and with each other. In truth, Amata embodies all the attributes the late husband-and-wife team, Norman […]
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2025 OnBoard study finds little progress for women on Georgia’s corporate boards
The percentage of women on Georgia’s public company boards has steadily increased every year. Until now, that is. Women directors make up 27.4 percent of the state’s corporate board, virtually the same as 2024, when women held 27.2 percent of director seats. The 2025 OnBoard study also showed some backsliding of key metrics. OnBoard tracks […]
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New partnerships needed to create a healthy Downtown and Atlanta region
Two events served as ideal bookends of how Atlanta is doing — good and not so good. Central Atlanta Progress held the “State of Downtown” breakfast on Wednesday Oct. 22 at the Commerce Club. Two days later, the “State of the Region” breakfast was held at the Georgia World Congress Center, also in the heart […]
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Tom Johnson: A man ‘Driven’ to make a difference
After 10 years of agonizing and reflecting over his incredible life, Tom Johnson has written his autobiography. Titled “Driven: A Life in Public Service and Journalism from LBJ to CNN,” the book details the ups and downs of his 84 years. “Driven” covers Johnson’s life — as a cub reporter for the Macon Telegraph, as […]
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What metro Atlanta can learn from Charlotte’s economic mobility story
Charlotte, N.C. — More than 100 people from around the country gathered in Charlotte on Oct. 7 to learn how they can improve economic mobility in their communities. Charlotte has emerged as a national model for tackling economic mobility issues, given its success as seen through the research of Harvard University’s Raj Chetty, founder of […]
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Atlanta-based Cortland caters to those who choose to rent rather than own
When looking for a name for his apartment development company, Steven DeFrancis turned to one of his favorite books, The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. The lead character in the book is architect Howard Roark, who strives to design a perfect multifamily community — Cortlandt. DeFrancis settled on the name Cortland, dropping the “t” to simplify […]
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Transit in Atlanta is at a crossroads
As Atlanta Beltline Inc. celebrates its 20-year anniversary, it is still up in the air on how the city will move forward to build out the vision for transit. The most tangible Beltline rail project is putting light rail on the Eastside Trail, extending the downtown streetcar to the Beltline and continuing the rail to […]
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Shaky Knees at Piedmont Park: creating a city within the city
Moving the Shaky Knees Music Festival from Central Park in the spring to Piedmont Park in the fall went as smoothly as could be expected. Shaky Knees held its annual festival from Sept. 19 to 21 at Piedmont Park. Reading messages on Next Door and other social media apps, the level of outrage was minimal. […]
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Expanded Civil Rights center reaffirms Atlanta’s role in the movement
When the National Center for Civil and Human Rights first opened in June 2014, Atlanta proclaimed its rightful place in history as a place that championed civil and human rights. The development of the Center helped solidify Atlanta’s identity on the global landscape. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is undergoing a major expansion, […]
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Biography of former U.S. Sen. Wyche Fowler offers lessons for today
One could spend all day listening to Wyche Fowler recount tales of his colorful life in and out of Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Saudi Arabia. Fowler’s political and diplomatic career has spanned decades, starting with the civil rights era in Atlanta and the nation’s capital. Now, there’s a biography that chronicles his life, focusing primarily […]
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Atlanta leaders exploring best site for new Amtrak station
All aboard! Let’s pick the best location for a new Amtrak station in downtown Atlanta. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the City of Atlanta have joined forces to conduct an in-depth $625,000 Passenger Rail Station Alternatives Study to determine where a new Amtrak station should be built in Atlanta. ARC, through federal funds, allocated $500,000 […]
