It's nice to see both historic preservation *and* new development happening on Auburn Avenue in Downtown Atlanta! This investment couldn't be happening to a better street in the city. May it continue. Auburn should be second only to Peachtree in terms of being a highlight corridor for Atlanta.

Yuck. Ralph McGill Blvd, next to a staircase leading to the Beltline. Maybe if we charged for parking on streets like this, we could improve pedestrian conditions around the City. Then people wouldn't feel compelled to drive to the Beltline to have a nice place to walk.

For the 1st time in the 1st year of a presidential administration since at least 1993, under Trump 2, the Federal Transit Administration signed 0 new contracts for major transit projects, like subways or light rail. The US is facing a crisis of rail transit investment: www.urban.org/urban-wire/r...

2003 video selling the Atlanta Beltline as a light-rail system with parks. I attended early public engagement meetings about the Beltline where the plans for rail were front and center. Then we voted for a More MARTA tax to fund it. Bait and switch. And I took the bait. youtu.be/YmOmcIm0M2Y?...

Introducing Who Owns Atlanta? who-owns-atlanta.org an open-source project mapping the ownership networks of 615k+ properties in and around the City of Atlanta. From the researcher tracking 1000s of parcels to residents trying to find absentee landlords, this is for you. You, too, nosy neighbors.

Evidence of the need for slower car speeds: "Atlanta police are investigating after a car crashed into a building near a restaurant in Midtown...While officers were investigating that crash, a white SUV rear-ended an emergency response vehicle on the scene"

Is it really a "transit oriented development" when the sole path between the apartments and the transit station constantly looks like this? King Memorial MARTA Station TOD. The City owns the sidewalk, MARTA owns the wall, CSX owns the sludge behind the wall. But no one is "owning" a real fix.

We visited Juniper Street to see the newly opened bike lane in action! One down side: there's no northbound lane to serve as a counterpart to this southbound one, and several people were going the "wrong" way. It's going to be awkward until a northbound one is built. Nonetheless, it's progress!

15 years ago, I worried the Beltline's multi-use path would be little more than a backyard amenity for wealthy property owners. I was wrong. It became a popular drive-to spot; which is problematic for sure, but at least it shows that people want a nice place to walk. 1/2

Very excited to have these new homes in my neighborhood! And the free bike is badass.

Good news! NYC's successful congestion-pricing program, which has lowered traffic while providing *big* funding for public transit, has survived a court battle. 🙌 Cities need this program to thrive, so it can serve as a model for scaling back car trips & funding transit.

I'm starting up the @threadatl.bsky.social podcast again (let me know if you have ideas about subjects to cover regarding Atlanta's urbanism!). The planning, recording, and editing process is a pain in the rump, but all it's worth it when I get to chat with experts about the city. 🥰

Anyone remember the plan to put Bus Rapid Transit on Atlanta's North Avenue? I liked that one. It was a key part of the More MARTA Atlanta expansion plan, but in 2023 it was deferred to 2035 or beyond due to "financial constraints." I wish we had all the money for building all the transit.

Randomly scrolling around and seeing Atlantans preach about the connection between low-density sprawl and car dependency gives me life. 🥰 Expanding access to transit within Sprawlanta is complex work, and building walkable density is a big part of it. www.threads.com/@_erynnb_/po...

Joe Iacobucci, the new VP of transit innovation for the Beltline, will lead the "design & delivery of transit" While at TYLin International, Iacobucci worked on a consultant team to evaluate transit modes for the Beltline..."TYLin favored autonomous shuttles" 🤬 www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news...

Beautiful image of a slip lane becoming a new sidewalk in NW Atlanta! I love seeing slip lanes go away; these are awful spots for pedestrians. Creating nicer places for walking involves hundreds of little changes like this. 🙌 Image source: Hasbun Construction www.linkedin.com/posts/hasbun...

In the past year, metro Atlanta saw more evictions than all of New York City—despite having *one-quarter* the renters. Multiple Atlanta apartment complexes averaged an eviction a day. "The numbers are mind-blowing," said Grace Hartley of Princeton's Eviction Lab.

💯 "I believe that the Beltline is a failure without rail." — Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, addressing MARTA interim general manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt at Wednesday's Transportation Committee www.axios.com/newsletters/...

I like the colorful lights on the fountains in Fourth Ward Park! We had a lovely walk to dinner tonight. The weather is wonderfully mild, but the scenery is what made it really special. I feel like walking is more of a joy when the view is nice.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that when Atlantans talk about places being "accessible," they usually mean "there's a bunch of free parking near the door." I had optimistically assumed they mean there were great sidewalks, crosswalks, buses, and ADA ramps.

Good! Atlanta Police need to be accountable for using jail diversion as often as possible. Throwing people in Fulton Jail willy nilly is irresponsible and inhumane especially when that Jail is in crisis and exorbitant fixes are going to burden family budgets. #GApol

Any time there's a heavy snow or ice storm that keeps cars off the roads of a major city, you can walk outside and enjoy the quiet. Cities aren't noisy. Cars are.

I'm seeing a lot of frustrations with the lack of expansion of MARTA rail into metro counties. Which is good -- we should be upset about that. But we also need to understand that it's not MARTA's call. Counties have to approve it and the state/fed government has to fund it.

Posting live from a bus on my way to a Dr appointment. Just a reminder that many people need bus service to work well for crucial reasons even beyond commutes.

1941 ad for Atlanta streetcars: "All of the people in all of the automobiles out in the stream of traffic could have been accommodated in the one street car." WTF happened that we don't promote transit like this anymore?

Doctors: "Walk at least 7,000 steps per day to stay healthy!" Atlanta:

I'm waiting for Better Atlanta Transit (the anti-rail group) to see these puddles and start suggesting paddle boats as the best transit option for the Eastside Beltline.

If Altanta built out the proposed beltline rail, over 40% of the city of Atlanta would be within a 10-15 min walk from rail. This barely considers all the connectors and cross-city options that have been suggested to complement the system.

Atlanta's freeway damage, its 1970s-era MARTA rail footprint, and the way forward... Expanding transit is worth the enormous cost, but realistically we need to put an equal weight on adding density near existing transit lines. atlurbanist.substack.com/p/atlantas-f...

The hosts of the popular "War on Cars" podcast will talk about their new book, "Life After Cars," at the Plaza Theater on Friday, March 13 at 8 PM, along with special guests. Tickets are $30. Presented by Propel ATL. givebutter.com/lifeaftercars

Nice choice! Atlanta City Studio has picked "Atlanta Underground: History from Below" by Jeffrey Morrison for its March 2026 Book Club meeting. Monday, March 16, 6:30pm - 8pm Location info and registration at the link: www.eventbrite.com/e/march-2026...

The U.S. Supreme Court just now struck down Trump's tariffs, saying that he overstepped his authority. 🤘 Among other things, this is good news for transit agencies which were faced will big increases in the costs of vehicles: www.planetizen.com/news/2025/11...

Currently under construction at Old Wheat & Hilliard Streets, where housing used to be (and near the Atlanta Streetcar): Bus storage and administrative offices for GSU, including surface parking. No impact fees. Cost of Construction: $1,197,600.00 ssl.doas.state.ga.us/gpr/eventDet...

It would be cool if the AJC didn't treat the broken promise of rail on the Beltline as an issue that requires equal time for opposite opinions. But I guess this is part of Atlanta's character; we rationalize bad decisions about our urbanism. Over. And over.

Destroying homes in order to add new capacity for an Atlanta interstate. The dream of the 1950s is alive in Georgia in 2026. www.wsbtv.com/news/local/d...

While walking over the Jackson Street Bridge yesterday I spotted a driverless Waymo entering from the interstate ramp. Are those able to use interstates now?

I got to use the streetcar today! After I had a great lunch from Afro Dish at the Municipal Market and bought some groceries at one of the produce stands at the Market, I took the streetcar a couple of stops so I could be a little closer for my walk back home. $1 (paid on the Breeze app). Worth it.

New bike lanes are awesome, but their value is lessened when car drivers are still able to rule the road with aggressive behaviors. Every step we make towards becoming a less car-centric city is a good one.

As if the City of ATL's handling of Cop City wasn't bad enough... The city paid a clerk nearly $1mil to check petition signatures as part of an effort to undermine and delay protestors, and the clerk didn't even finish the work, but took the money. www.ajc.com/news/2026/02...

It feels wonderful to have opportunitues like this to be proud of my GA senators. Thanks to Warnock for fighting against these ICE detention centers! www.ajc.com/news/2026/02...

Bike and scooter parking -- and flowers! -- on section of street in Midtown Atlanta that used to be just for car parking 🙌

Good news! Despite pushback from people in the neighborhood, a Kirkwood church's effort to use its property for 47 units of affordable housing for seniors was approved last night by Atlanta's Zoning Review Board! The proposal goes next to City Council. www.wsbtv.com/news/local/a...

We see tragedies like this over and over in metro Atlanta and I wonder how many people have to die before GA State Patrol changes its policies on police chases? Yet again, an innocent person -- a pedestrian in this case -- is killed during chase. www.fox5atlanta.com/news/pedestr...

This was approved by the Zoning Review Board tonight!! That's great news. Next it goes to a Council committee for a vote, then to Full Council.

Today at 6pm, Atlanta's Zoning Review Board will consider a Kirkwood church's request to use some of its property for affordable housing for seniors -- a great idea! Sadly, the proposal is opposed by some Kirkwood residents who want to block the rezoning. www.axios.com/local/atlant...

I just donated to Atlanta Community Press Collective because their coverage of local politics is important! Please support them if you can.

A 50 and a 51, both stuck in North Avenue traffic. It happens every weekday.

Big, big thanks to @julianbene.bsky.social for being such a great advocate here and forcing Fulton County to finally address this ridiculous under-valuation of taxes on trophy properties, hurting public services like schools that rely on the money.

Free buses in NYC during the World Cup? My first impulse is to point out that all ATL did for the World Cup is repave roads. But I know it's an unfair comparison. NY has Hochul as governor. GA has Kemp. Atlanta needs a progressive Dem governor -- an ally for civic progress.

A MARTA train with 118 passengers derailed in December after heavy winds toppled a tree: www.ajc.com/news/2026/02...