Two of the most prominent planners in Atlanta have released a book to help set an agenda for equity as the city grows in the next two decades.
Atlanta Planning Commissioner Tim Keane and urban designer Ryan Gravel (famous for thinking up the idea for the Atlanta BeltLine) released the Atlanta City Design book earlier in September, culminating a two-year project intended to echo through the decades.
Jared Brey reports in detail on the story for Next City, explaining that Atlanta City Design "is meant to inform and shape all of Atlanta’s various plans, codes and ordinances. The document is not a plan itself, but 'a strategic realignment of existing plans' that seeks to lock some core city-building principles into everything Atlanta does."
Brey explains how the book embraces the city's growth, trusting that design can accommodate the city's newcomers while working toward equity as inspired by the "idea of the 'Beloved Community,' discussed by Martin Luther King Jr. in a 1957 sermon called the Birth of a New Nation." Brey writes in more detail:
The five values highlighted in the book — nature, access, ambition, progress and equity — reflect many of the efforts that cities across the world are struggling with today. How do we embrace and protect the natural aspects of the urban environment? How do people move around a landscape marked by gridlocked highways? How does a city welcome newcomers while looking out for the interests of marginalized communities? How do we fight poverty and build racial equity?
The question is, then, whether the book will influence the city's leaders as they navigate a complex election cycle and deal with the fallout of challenges with gentrification and displacement as a result of large-scale revitalization projects.
FULL STORY: New Atlanta Planning Book Takes Cue From Martin Luther King Jr.
The 'City Design Project' Aims to Make Atlanta an Intentional City
Two of the highest-profile planners in the city of Atlanta, Tim Keane and Ryan Gravel, have teamed up to lead a creative visioning process that could help lead Atlanta to a new era of planning and development.
Tim Keane, Atlanta Planning Commissioner, Headed to a New City
Tim Keane, who has led the Atlanta Department of City Planning since 2015, is set to take a new job in a new city.
Atlanta City Council Adopts Amended Version of the City's New Comprehensive Development Plan
What started out as an ambitious example of planning and zoning reforms has been trimmed back to respond to opposition from neighborhood groups—and the threat of secession from one neighborhood in particular.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.
California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland