ThreadATL Podcast

You may have read about the shipping containers converted to housing for unsheltered people in Downtown Atlanta. It's called The Melody and it's the product of a City of Atlanta initiative for finding land the city owns and potentially using it for housing.

The effort is supported by an analysis of city properties done by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

We talk with Kyle Wedberg, Ph.D. Senior Manager, Research and Consulting at GFOA about that analysis, and with Joshua Humphries, Senior Housing Advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

The great value of making better use of the city's land is clear. But can we also make sure the results are putting lower-income residnets in homes that are part of walkable, transit-served neighborhoods?

Links:

Can Atlanta’s foray into cargo container housing deliver 500 units for unhoused people?
https://atlantaciviccircle.org/2024/01/31/atlanta-to-make-500-affordable-housing-units-for-homeless/

New Uses of Public Assets Are Helping Atlanta Fill Its Affordable Housing Gap
 https://www.governing.com/housing/new-uses-of-public-assets-are-helping-atlanta-fill-its-affordable-housing-gap

Sometimes folks will be 'on board' with having great new transportation routes in their neighborhood like bike lanes or wider sidewalks, but they don't want new apartments or duplexes nearby, or they may be fine with new population density but will oppose bike lanes becuase they fear a 'traffic nightmare' if car capacity is reduced.

These extremes prevent the city from doing what cities do best: achieving a population density and an urban design that truly support alternatives to driving, while reducing car trips.

We talk with transportation engineer Phil Veasley about the importance of improving this intersection between transportation and land-use in Atlanta. 

Links:

The Urban Connector
https://philveasley.com/the-urban-connector/

Atlanta’s population density: are ‘we full’?
https://www.threadatl.org/2018/05/16/atlantas-population-density-are-we-full/

What's a STROAD and Why Does It Matter?
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/3/1/whats-a-stroad-and-why-does-it-matter

(Photo courtesy of Steve Eberhardt)

We talk with Aiya from Atlanta Bike Grid about the state of bike lanes and safer streets in Atlanta, and we mourn the loss of the Peachtree Shared Space project. What will it take to see the bold advances we need for Vision Zero road deaths and a connected bike grid here? It may require new leadership, says Aiya.

Links:

Atlanta Bike Grid
https://www.instagram.com/atlantabikegrid/

Peachtree Shared Space gets removed
https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/city-plans-remove-people-friendly-project-peachtree-street

New protected bike lanes in Downtown Atlanta
https://www.letspropelatl.org/celebrating-downtown-bikelanes

We talk with national transit expert Jerome A. Horne about what Atlantans can expect to see in the future with our public transit services, from MARTA's upcoming Bus Rapid Transit lines to its new rail cars with open gangways. Horne also addresses the tricky subject of freight rail companies and whether they'll ever allow passenger trains to operate on their right of way.

Links:

Atlanta’s Incredible Shrinking Transit Plan
https://www.governing.com/community/atlantas-incredible-shrinking-transit-plan

MARTA lends sneak peek of new railcars in action
https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/marta-new-trains-railcars-images-in-action

2020 40 Under 40: Jerome A. Horne
https://www.masstransitmag.com/40-under-40/article/21147601/2020-40-under-40-jerome-horne

We talk with Steve Davis from Smart Growth America about their Divided By Design report, which focuses in part on the damage that freeways like I-20 did to Atlanta neighborhoods, why it happened, and what a better future could look like. 

Links:

https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/divided-by-design/atlanta-ga/

https://www.ajc.com/news/highways-divided-black-communities-infrastructure-money-could-bridge-gaps/4WE4HEEYMZB4DNECJXWWZKSFU4/