Talk about rising tax values for property near the Atlanta BeltLine. Fulton County’s tax assessor this year more than doubled the value of a vacant lot near the Westside Trail. The value of some homes near the BeltLine was increased by more than 50 percent over last year’s values.
Category: Columns
Posted inColumns
Atlanta joins other cities in grassroots support of Paris climate change agreement
A grassroots movement is rising to support the Paris Agreement on Climate Change – despite the decision by the Donald Trump administration to withdraw U.S. support of the globally historic accord.
One of key power centers of this grassroots response in support of the Paris Agreement is the City of Atlanta.
“Cities have the leadership role especially in the United States,” said Stephanie Stuckey, the Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Atlanta, which is one of the 100 Resilience Cities Initiatives pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Posted inTom Baxter
George C. Marshall and the decline of political literacy
There are a lot of reasons why it’s timely to revisit George C. Marshall’s speech, given 70 years ago this week, outlining his plan for a European recovery from the ravages of the Second World War. One is its simple literacy.
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Manatees thrive as water clouds in latest skirmish over water resources
Florida fights a lot over water. Florida is fighting Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court for more water from the Chattahoochee River basin. Last week, some Florida residents lost their battle to prevent more water from being pumped from a basin north of Tampa that’s home to more than 700 West Indian manatees.
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‘Wonder Woman’ – femme-centric action flick ‘a bit dull’
“Wonder Woman” isn’t wonderful.
Okay, there, I said.
While the entire future of women in Hollywood is apparently riding on this femme-centric action flick (Variety-speak) and while the critics have raved and audiences have rallied, I just can’t join the celebration.
“Wonder Woman” is sturdy. It’s expensive. Its star, Gal Gadot (a former Miss Israel; who knew Wonder Woman was a nice Jewish girl?), is winning and hard-working.
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Yes, you can bike in Atlanta
By Guest Columnist KEVIN H. POSEY, an advocate for sustainable transportation and urban development practices worldwide
Atlanta is notorious for being a car-dependent city. Whether it’s minor snowstorms that create scenes akin to a bad disaster movie or burning bridges made of steel and concrete – materials not known for their combustibility – Atlanta’s car addiction is now in the same league as that of legendary Los Angeles. But in a revolutionary change of direction, the bike is being elevated as a legitimate way to get around for those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead in Lycra.
Posted inLatest News
Mayor Kasim Reed joins 186 mayors in supporting Paris climate accord
When Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced May 31 that Atlanta remains committed to the Paris Climate Agreement, despite President Trump’s decision to pull out of the accord, Reed was in a group of 187 U.S. mayors who represent some 52 million Americans.
Posted inLatest News
Employee complaints stall program to keep birds from flying into Atlanta City Hall
The effort to prevent birds from flying into the windows of Atlanta City Hall and hurting or killing themselves has run into problems and is delayed. New measures are to be considered.
Posted inLatest News
Slowdown noted in multifamily construction as lenders tighten credit, oversight
The once white-hot construction market for multifamily residences in the Southeast is showing signs of cooling, according to builders cited in the Beige Book released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve’s Atlanta District. Lenders report they are increasing their oversight of loans for multifamily projects.
Posted inLatest News
Hero or villain of Plant Vogtle could be billionaire pioneer of high risk junk bonds
The hero or villain of the effort to save Plant Vogtle could prove to be the head of a private equity firm who pioneered junk bonds and was nearly scuttled in 1990. Georgia Power protested terms of the loan deal, but a New York judge provided some protection and last week ordered that the entire $800 million in loan funds should flow.
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Mark Pendergrast asks: Is Atlanta on the verge of greatness or mediocrity
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.
Posted inColumns
The complicated question of how many of us there are
Remember the population explosion? Back in the 1960s, when overpopulation was considered such an imminent threat that President Richard Nixon spoke of the need to address it, the world’s population was moving past 3.5 billion. Today it’s more than 7.5 billion.
Without question, this increase in our numbers has contributed to a host of problems, from resource depletion to frictions over immigration. But the way we think and talk about overpopulation is vastly different than it was when there were half as many of us to worry about it.
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Affordability an increasingly hot topic amid soaring prices for homes along BeltLine
Note to readers: This is the second of two stories about affordability along the Atlanta BeltLine. Previously: Incentives proposed to preserve affordability of homes, shops …
Price hikes are stunning for homes sold with a half-mile of the Atlanta BeltLine – values rose as much as 58.9 percent in sales recorded between 2011 and 2015. These figures are behind the rising number of civic leaders and candidates for Atlanta City Hall who are talking about affordability, affordability, affordability.
Posted inColumns
‘The Lovers’ – Debra Winger’s return to silver screen leaves one wanting
Years ago, there was a documentary called “Searching for Debra Winger.”
Well, she’s been found. You just wish she’d been found in a better movie.
“The Lovers” is a comedy of eros. And errors. Mary (Winger) and Michael (Tracy Letts) have been together for eons. The spark hasn’t just gone out of their marriage; there’s not even any kindling left.
So both, on the sly, have taken lovers. He’s with a well-toned but unstable ballet teacher (Melora Walters); she’s with a charming but lightweight writer (Aidan Gillen from “Game of Thrones”). The joke, kinda, is that the two cheat-ees are similar, both being what you might call B minus/C plus level artistes (but pretty).
Posted inLatest News
Incentives proposed to preserve affordability of homes, shops along BeltLine
Note to readers: This is the first of two stories about affordability along the Atlanta BeltLine. Coming Monday: Skyrocketing housing prices along BeltLine. // Rising land values along portions of the Atlanta BeltLine have resulted in steep price hikes for existing tenants of homes and businesses, forcing some to relocate. A new proposal aims to preserve the affordability of now-blighted areas as they are redeveloped.
Posted inColumns
Prevent proposed development to preserve majestic coastal beauty of Cumberland Island
By Guest Columnist DAVID KYLER, executive director of the Center for a Sustainable Coast, located in St. Simons
Georgians must resolve to protect Cumberland Island as a rare natural treasure
Among my most cherished memories as a kid growing up in western Pennsylvania is a series of summer treks to the New Jersey shore. Reflecting on these memories, it’s evident that from my earliest days I found the attraction of the land-sea boundary instinctive and insistent – a place where some of nature’s most beautiful, dynamic, and, at times, powerful and destructive forces could be witnessed.
