In the eyes of Mark Pendergast, Atlanta is a “City on the Verge.”
Pendergast, an Atlanta native and author, has just penned an elaborate and exhaustive tale about the Atlanta BeltLine in his most recent book – “City on the Verge.”
Throughout the book, Pendergast sandwiches in slices of Atlanta’s history – providing a non-judgmental view of the city’s racial tensions and successes as well as its obsession with transportation and its own identity – nationally and internationally.
The Center for Civil and Human Rights 2017 Power to Inspire Tribute dinner on May 18 provided nourishment for the soul.
And that’s just what event planners intended.
“We wanted to articulate the spirit of human and civil rights, and honor those who lift that spirit up – those who do the heavy lifting,” said Ingrid Saunders Jones.
For decades, Atlanta has been a capital of black political power – dating back to the civil rights movement and to the 1973 election of Atlanta’s first black mayor – Maynard Jackson.
Now 44 years later, Atlanta’s racial dynamics are re-entering the national spotlight as the city could elect its first white mayor in nearly five decades.
This is second in a multi-part series about Atlanta’s tree canopy.
We have always described Atlanta as a city in a forest.
Amazingly, it is true. Our old growth forests are among our most special treasures in metro Atlanta.
Joan Maloof, founder of the Maryland-based Old Growth Forest Network, is an author who has written several books about the environment including her latest: “Nature’s Temples: The Complex World of Old Growth Forests.”
Hundreds and hundreds of trees will be cut down in the Peachtree Hills community as a result of two developments currently being proposed.
Ashton Woods – an ironic name for the developer – is planning to clear cut a 4-acre parcel next to Peachtree Hills Park – removing a total of 148 trees.
Detroit, Michigan may sound as an unusual place for a group of metro Atlanta to visit to learn how another region has addressed similar issues.
But the top leaders of the Atlanta Regional Commission – Executive Director Doug Hooker and Chairman Kerry Armstrong – believed the lessons to be gained from Detroit would be enlightening for the 130 metro Atlantans who will be part of the 2017 LINK (Leadership. Involvement. Networking. Knowledge) trip.
For several years running, Atlanta has become the venue for addressing the problem of poverty in the United States while focusing on solutions.
The convener is Operation HOPE’s Global Forum, which just met in Atlanta at the Marriott Marquis from April 10 to April 12. This year’s theme was “Uplifting the Invisible Class” – focusing on the people who have fallen between the cracks.
A new leadership team is in place at Morehouse College as its Board of Trustees elected a new board chairman – Willie Woods; and named William “Bill” Taggart as the interim president.
The trustees, who met in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, made the leadership changes after a host of reports revealed a fractionalized relationship between the board – in particular its Chairman Robert Davidson – and its president for the past four years – John S. Wilson.
Transportation options.
Never have those two words held as much meaning for Atlanta as they do now. The Friday collapse of a section of Interstate 85 – has severed a key transportation artery for the region.
Immediately, and with good reason, there were pleas for us to get serious about regional rail transit – once and for all. A silver lining of this manmade disaster is the probability that transit will gain momentum during this transportation debacle.
While it’s anyone’s guess who will be the next mayor of Atlanta, one thing is certain. The Atlanta Committee for Progress is already putting the pieces in place to ready to help make sure the next mayor is successful.
ACP, as it’s known in powerful circles, is composed of many of the top CEOs and civic leaders in Atlanta.
When the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development came to Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2015 to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it turned to Renee Glover, Egbert Perry and Shirley Franklin to highlight its successes in Atlanta.
Former U.S. HUD Secretary Julian Castro was so impressed by what he saw in Atlanta during the 50th anniversary visit, that he complimented Glover, Perry and Franklin for all their “trail-blazing work” in transforming communities.
A large majority of Georgians (74 percent) support passing a state law to protect gay and transgender people in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations, according to a survey conducted by the Just Win Foundation.
But the same survey shows that an equal percentage of Georgians think it’s already illegal under state law to fire, refuse to hire, deny housing or public accommodations access to a person who is gay or transgender.
The Ice Cube melted Sunday morning as the sun was rising over downtown Atlanta.
Actually the Ice Cube was imploded with 500,000 pounds of explosives which brought down the 14-story building in less than 33 seconds.
The 52-year-old former Georgia Archives building had turned into dust.
For too long, growth in the Atlanta region has translated to the clear-cutting of mature trees – undisputedly one of our greatest natural assets in Georgia.
It happened again in early February.
Several groves of mature oaks and magnolias in front of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital on Peachtree Road were cut down to make way for the new Piedmont Atlanta Hospital Tower.
Atlanta’s significant role as a center for global health is now well-recognized and appreciated.
But last week, when the Atlanta-based Carter Center hosted the Climate & Health Meeting, it became apparent that our region’s contributions to improving global health must now take into account the growing challenges of climate change.
And Atlanta has an opportunity to become a nexus for expert knowledge and action to address how climate change will impact global health.
From its inception, Atlanta has been a hub of transportation, commerce and communication.
Those factors have made Atlanta a center of global commerce – a role that has been boosted by having the world’s busiest airport and one of the world’s largest airlines.
Georgia also is a leader in global commerce and trade – and its presence is growing because of the state’s investment in its Port of Savannah, one of the fastest growing seaports in the country. The state also has numerous international offices established to promote the exports of Georgia products, as diverse as agriculture, poultry and professional services.
HOUSTON – Atlanta could taste the sweetness of victory….until the final few moments of the first Super Bowl overtime in history.
New England Patriots 34. Atlanta Falcons 28.
Yet this loss was different from previous ones.
“We will be back,” proclaimed Paul Bowers, Georgia Power’s CEO.
First in a two-part series
An anti-urban wave is flowing downstream from Washington, D.C. – bringing with it anti-immigrant, anti-refugee and anti-trade policies.
Atlanta is among the major cities in the United States – as evidenced by the protests and the words of its civic leaders – trying to reverse the sentiments of isolationism, protectionism and prejudice.
And Atlanta could be one of the cities that will experience retribution from the administration of President Donald Trump.
Atlanta is a city known for peaceful protests and a commitment to civil and human rights.
As evidence of Atlanta’s legacy, Saturday’s March for Social Justice and Women attracted more than 63,000 people to walk from the Center for Civil and Human Rights to the State Capitol.
The peaceful spirit for a more inclusive society was in full force – until the marchers arrived at the State Capitol.
Transit in the Atlanta region is gaining traction.
As evidence, an incredible trip took place last Thursday and Friday with the state’s top transportation leaders and officials from Fulton County going to the Dallas region to take a focused look at possible transit options.
That took place two days after Georgia House Speaker David Ralston’s strong support for transit during his comments at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast on Jan. 10 – suggesting the state could be more supportive of transit.
