It’s been a long time in the making. After years dedicated to economic development and housing solutions, the Atlanta Regional Commission has unveiled Housing Forward 2035, “The Strategy.” The regional housing strategy will guide the 11-county planning commission through its approach to affordable and accessible housing in a rapidly changing region. ARC leaders presented an […]
Tag: Atlanta
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Who Brought the Crowds Out?
What does it take to bring Atlantans out by the thousands? Sometimes the answer is obvious. A famous face, a historic occasion, a celebration, or simply the chance to witness something you may never see again. Over the years, Atlanta has produced some remarkable crowds, gathering for reasons that ranged from the deeply emotional to […]
Posted inColumns, Delaney Tarr
The quest to restore ‘Riverbend,’ an iconic piece of long-lost Black cinema
For Michael J. Dennis, the quest to restore “Riverbend” started with a simple goal: Keep the long-lost relic of Black cinema from ever disappearing again. Weeks ago, he succeeded. At the Aug. 15 Atlanta premiere of “Riverbend” at the Plaza Theatre, Reelblack Renaissance released the 6k film restoration on Blu-ray — it’s now available for […]
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
Not to his liking
The pendulum of opinion swings freely when it comes to the question of form following function. It isn’t necessary to get into that debate here. I bring it up only to offer that, sometimes, it doesn’t matter where one stands on the question…form then function or function then form. Often, it’s the person paying the […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Developers, designers ask: Can Atlanta be a design city?
Maria Saporta finished the Atlanta Design Roundtable on Aug. 13 with a clear takeaway: “Good design has to come from the heart.” It’s the core of civic nonprofit Atlanta Way 2.0’s design roundtable series. Hosted by nonprofit and SaportaReport founder Maria Saporta, each event asks how Atlanta can become a city known for “good design.” […]
Posted inColumns
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience hosts “Climate Resilient ATL” advisory board meeting
The City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience (OSR) held an advisory board meeting on Aug. 18 with residents and local officials, including the city’s Chief Sustainability Officer Chandra Farley. With climate change impacting flooding in the city and major climate events becoming more frequent, local board meetings like this have become more important. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Penny Saved
Joe Jacobs is a name familiar to most aficionados of the City of Atlanta. He is known because he was the owner of the pharmacy that sold the very first glass of Coca-Cola, ever…anywhere. His store was located at 5-Points. There is a plaque commemorating Jacobs’ role in the history of our hometown beverage, a […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
MARTA sticks with Jonathan Hunt as permanent CEO
MARTA’s interim leader Jonathan Hunt will be the next permanent CEO. On Aug. 13, the MARTA board of directors announced Hunt would permanently take on the transit agency’s top job after a lengthy search. The finalists were announced four days ago; he beat out Cleveland Ferguson III from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Leroy Jones from […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Undeveloped Acreage
G.W. Collier was one of those Atlantans who arrived just as the ground itself was beginning to whisper opportunity. When he first came to the region, there was little more than wilderness, wagon ruts, and the faint outlines of a future not yet agreed upon. By the time Marthasville took on the name Atlanta, Collier […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Anonymous account uses art to fill holes and create a rallying cry: ‘Fix ATL’
Fix-ATL means two things. First, it’s a handle for an anonymous social media account covering sidewalk holes across the city. Second, it’s a call to action to fix the city of Atlanta. And it all began as an art project. Editor’s note: The person behind the Fix-ATL social media account wished to remain anonymous for […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The streetcar that almost wasn’t
Most people assume Atlanta’s first street railway began with rails and horses. It didn’t…It began with an idea. Just one year after the Civil War ended, while Atlanta was still clearing away the wreckage of war, a handful of visionary citizens convinced the Georgia legislature to charter a street railway company. It was a bold […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Decide DeKalb puts another $75 million to major housing bond program
Decide DeKalb Development Authority is set to administer another $75 million bond for its ambitious $155 million Housing Investment Bond Program, according to a July 31 announcement from the Board of Directors. Weeks earlier, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners greenlit the Housing Investment Bond Program with an initial $25 million bond issuance. The resolution […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Century-old mansion on Peachtree Street seeks buyer with passion for preservation
One of the city’s only remaining unrenovated Victorian mansions on Peachtree is up for sale, and the owner is seeking a preservation-minded buyer with $2.58 million to spare. Nestled among condos and high-rise buildings sits the “Rufus M. Rose House,” a Victorian home built in 1901 for local physician Dr. Rufus M. Rose. The red-brick […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Mission has Changed
What if one sentence could change the way you see an entire story? Years ago, I told the story of Roger Babson and the unusual monument he placed on Emory University’s campus. While revisiting that story, one phrase on the monument’s inscription caught my attention and sent me down a path I hadn’t explored before. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta’s First Great Nickname
Atlanta knew how to throw a party. When the nation’s railroad leaders came to town in 1857, the city welcomed them with such enthusiasm that many Atlantans climbed aboard the departing train and traveled all the way back to Charleston just to keep the celebration going. Somewhere along that unforgettable journey, Atlanta earned a nickname […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta greenlights $18 million bond to Clark Atlanta University improvements
At a July 16 Invest Atlanta board meeting, the city’s economic development agency approved an $18 million tax-exempt revenue bond to pay for construction of improvements and new amenities to the Clark Atlanta University campus. It will pay for a new dining facility, new North Campus gateway and the demolition of two vacant, outdated dorms. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta marks 30 years since Olympics with documentary screening on the Games’ legacy
On July 18, 1996, the Olympic torch touched down at Atlanta City Hall. On Saturday, a group of Olympic aficionados will celebrate 30 years since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at the Tara Theater. The theater will host a screening of the award-winning local documentary “The Games in Black & White,” which tells the story of […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Atlanta History Center opens ‘More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era,’ its most ambitious exhibit so far
On July 10, the Atlanta History Center will open its most ambitious exhibit yet: “More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era.” With hundreds of artifacts and roughly 9,000 square feet of space, the exhibit takes on the herculean task of telling the long tale of the Civil War. And it begins with a bang […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Photographer’s Wink
Every photograph captures a moment. Most are forgotten. In 1927, someone walked the streets of downtown Atlanta with a camera, methodically photographing storefront after storefront. At first glance, the images seem almost painfully ordinary. A grocery store. A hardware shop. People standing on a sidewalk, unaware that anyone would ever care. A century later, those […]
Posted inAtlanta Way 2.0
The magic of the World Cup has come to Atlanta
On June 15, Atlanta hosted its first ever FIFA World Cup game. While the game ended scoreless, it provided one of the most stunning upsets in World Cup history, as Cape Verde, the smallest country by land area and the second least populated country to ever qualify, stopped tournament favorites Spain from scoring. After the […]
