A wheelchair user describes what it's like to travel on Atlanta streets and on the city's public transit system.
Jennifer Rainey Marquez is a disability advocate living in Atlanta who uses a power wheelchair to get around. She says as her muscular disorder progressed, she became more aware of how urban design affected her ability to navigate the city.
"In Atlanta, the sidewalks are really good in some places and really bad in others. There are sidewalk closures, missing curb cuts, and crumbling concrete. I push e-scooters out of the way or pick them up when they’re blocking sidewalks or curb ramps," says Marquez.
She also uses public transportation in Atlanta. The station elevators and accessible train platforms and bus ramps mean she is able to board vehicles and is not limited to particular routes or stops. For her, the MARTA system actually stands out in comparison to other cities. "In a lot of cities, the trains are older, the platforms are older, there’s no elevator," notes Marquez.
FULL STORY: A disability advocate explains the joys—and challenges—of navigating Atlanta
MARTA To Add BRT Connection to Airport
A new rapid bus line in Atlanta will link residents to one of the nation’s busiest airports.
What Is ‘Arterial Rapid Transit?’
Atlanta is planning to build ‘BRT lite,’ a version of bus service that offers signal priority and fewer stops but keeps buses in mixed-traffic lanes.
Atlanta Gaining Two New ‘Arterial Rapid Transit’ Lines
MARTA will begin construction on two new bus lines this year, which will share lanes with other vehicles but use other tools to speed up service.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Ratepayers Could Be on the Hook for Data Centers’ Energy Use
Without regulatory changes, data centers’ high demand for energy would be subsidized by taxpayers, according to a new study.
City Nature Challenge: Explore, Document, and Protect Urban Biodiversity
The City Nature Challenge is a global community science event where participants use the iNaturalist app to document urban biodiversity, contributing valuable data to support conservation and scientific research.
A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood
Among this year’s Oscar-nominated films, only The Wild Robot passed the Climate Reality Check, a test measuring climate change representation in storytelling, highlighting the ongoing lack of climate awareness in mainstream Hollywood films.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research