Officials across south metro Atlanta say that while federal funding is no longer available for a proposed 31-mile multi-use trail connecting the area to the Atlanta Beltline, they remain committed to moving the project forward. The proposed trail network, which includes the Flint River Gateway Trail, generated momentum last year after a promising $64.9 million […]
Tag: Atlanta Regional Commission
Posted inColumns
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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Metro Atlanta Speaks survey ranks housing affordability as top problem
Atlanta Regional Commission released its annual Metro Atlanta Speaks survey at the Oct. 24 “State of the Region,” where over 4,000 people ranked issues facing the region – and affordable housing topped the list. 28 percent of the people who responded to the survey put housing affordability as the top issue facing the region, and this […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
ARC cancels 14 Flint River trail projects, pivots to smaller scale
The Atlanta Regional Commission announced it cancelled 14 Flint River Gateway Trail projects after the federal government rescinded a $64.9 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant. At the Oct. 8 board meeting, Transportation Planning Principal Michael Haire announced the cancellation but said the ARC is still working on a few projects. “The ARC is still […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
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 […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Metro Atlanta leaders going to D.C., Maryland and Virginia on LINK trip
The Atlanta region’s 28th LINK trip will be headed to the Greater Washington D.C. area, beginning on Aug. 20 through Aug. 23. The focus this year will be on the suburban communities outside Washington D.C. in Maryland and Virginia. The suburban-focused trip is a stark contrast to the 2024 LINK trip that was held in New […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
Autonomous cars are rolling through Atlanta, but are they ready for our streets?
Waymo has arrived in Atlanta. What is the experience like for riders and who is left out of consideration when autonomous vehicles are in the mix?
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A tall order: Attracting a MARTA leader to operate and build a world-class transit system
Government, community and transit leaders agree — the departure of MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood puts the transit agency at an inflection point. The following questions need to be answered: Will local, regional and state leaders coalesce around a “world-class” vision for transit in Georgia’s capital city? Will those community leaders be able to convince a […]
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ARC convening inaugural Regional Assembly of Public Officials
For the first time ever, the Atlanta Regional Commission will convene the mayors, city council representatives and county commissioners from the 11-county region. The all-day Regional Assembly of Public Officials will be held June 26 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Cobb County. The event will bring together elected leaders from 76 cities and 11 […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Chattahoochee Hills opens direct river access at RiverLands Park
Amid kayaks and campsites, Chattahoochee Hills city officials and state park leaders gathered on April 1 to cut the ribbon on New RiverLands Park, one of Chattahoochee River’s two new points of entry. New RiverLands Park and Campbellton Park both opened on April 1 to create direct access to Georgia’s 430-mile-long river in the South […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Metro Atlanta leaders talk affordable housing decline ahead of population boost
Metro Atlanta’s affordable housing is on the decline. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, the area lost over 230,000 affordable units from 2018 to 2023. It’s a stark number from the Atlanta Regional Commission. CEO Anna Roach presented the data at the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commission on March 13, […]
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Metro Atlanta is dead last when it comes to economic mobility
Atlanta ranks 50th out of the top 50 metro areas when it comes to upward economic mobility. That’s according to Harvard University’s Raj Chetty and his research group Opportunity Insights, which published an updated economic mobility study in 2024. The initial economic mobility study came out in 2014. At the time, Atlanta’s rank was 49th, […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Michael Hightower’s career focused on lifting up the Southside
In the late 1990s, Michael Hightower was flying high. Hightower, a native of College Park, was serving on the Fulton County Commission (defeating a two-term commissioner in 1986) representing southwest Atlanta and South Fulton. He already had served seven years on the City Council of College Park — the first Black person elected to that […]
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Seeing New York City through an Atlanta lens
Metro Atlanta leaders returned from a three-day trip to NYC full of ideas and observations of how our region can evolve into a vibrant metropolis.
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens ‘thinking big’ while on NYC LINK trip
On Mayor Andre Dickens’ third LINK trip, the mayor clearly was impressed by the scale and scope of New York City, the most populous metropolitan area in the country.
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Metro Atlanta leaders going to NYC for 2024 LINK trip
About 145 regional leaders from Atlanta will visit New York City from Aug. 14 to Aug. 17 – the largest group ever to go on a LINK trip.
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CAP’s Stitch project moving forward as Connector park in Midtown put on hold
Three proposals to cap over Atlanta’s highways – the Stitch, the Connector and HUB404 – are now down to two.
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Metro Atlanta driving headfirst into a traffic nightmare
The Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts the Atlanta region’s population will hit nearly 8 million people by 2050 – an increase of more than 1.8 million people. So, how will all these people get around our region? Cars, cars, cars and more cars.
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Expanding transit in the Atlanta region remains elusive
The state of Georgia has a really good track record of creating regional transit agencies. But none of them has a good track record in actually building regional transit.
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens as next chair of ARC: ‘I will bring my whole self’
Several milestones were reached on Nov. 8 when the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission unanimously elected Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to be its next chair beginning Jan. 1.
