ThreadATL

The high costs of rents came down in Austin, TX after the city made three key policy changes: they tweaked their zoning to allow large apartment buildings near jobs and transit; they used a $250 million bond measure to repair affordable housing; and they reformed permitting processes to speed development and reduce costs.

That's according to a new report from Pew.

From the report:

"The efforts worked. From 2015 to 2024, Austin added 120,000 units to its housing stock—an increase of 30%, more than three times the overall rate of growth in the United States (9%). Rents fell. In December 2021, Austin’s median rent was $1,546, near its highest level ever and 15% higher than the U.S. median ($1,346). By January 2026, Austin’s median rent had fallen to $1,296, 4% lower than that of the U.S. overall ($1,353)."

It's wonderful to see policy changes having this good effect on housing.

So... is this proof that abundance is the cure-all for urban housing woes? No, but it does mean that abundance is one important piece of the puzzle.

The Pew study is clear about the limits of the benefits:

"In 2017, the city’s median rent for a one-bedroom unit was affordable to a single-person household earning 95% of the area median income (AMI). Seven years later, that number had declined to 84%."

84% of AMI is still on the high side. For comparison: based on 2022-2023 data, a 1-bedroom apartment at 80% AMI in Atlanta rents for approximately $1,430 to $1,713 per month.

Housing advocates have been clear that the biggest affordability need is for 50% AMI (and less) earners.

Big thanks to Councilmember Jason Dozier for introducing legislation to eliminate parking minimums citywide in Atlanta at this week's City Council meeting!!

This is a great proposal. Several U.S. cities have eliminated parking minimums in the past few years as a means of lower housing costs, improving land use, and lifting up other forms of transportation that are more fitting for walkable neighborhoods.

This doesn't mean "end all parking," it means letting communities and developers jointly decide what works for a property instead of having the City force an often arbitrary minimum number of spaces in.

If approved, the change would be worked into the city's zoning rewrite, dubbed ATL Zoning 2.0. You can see the current state of the rewrite here:

by Darin Givens, Oct 22, 2025

The combo of suburban sprawl and a compromised rail plan has worked to limit the reach of MARTA rail for Atlanta’s regional residents, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a brighter future for the rail that exists.

"The successful 1971 vote allowed MARTA’s board to move forward [in Fulton, DeKalb and the City of Atlanta], but the rejections by Clayton, Cobb and Gwinnett voters forever changed how the system would look. With Clayton out of the picture, the southern line to Forest Park was shortened. Without Cobb, the northwest line to Marietta was cut. Without Gwinnett, the northeast line to Norcross was trimmed."

The above quote comes from a great article by Sara Gregory this week in the AJC titled "MARTA was meant to go more places. Here’s why it doesn’t."

It includes an animated map of the original rail plan, showing how it shrunk over time.

Here's a still that shows the plan as of 1961, with rail extending to Cobb, Gwinnett, and Clayton (the dotted lines are for possible 'future extensions').

And while this article demonstrates the sad loss of MARTA's potential reach, in the end we still have to make the best use of what we have while we hope and plan for new rail in the future.

That means turning an eye inward and finding all the successes we can find with producing walkable density (including affordability components) near our existing rail stations, whether that takes the form of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) on one of MARTA's property or just one nearby. It could also take the form of street redesigns near stations that prioritize the pedestrian experience.

That may feel like small comfort to the many people who are stuck in the metro area's massive amounts of car-dependent sprawl, far away from rail. Atlanta's vast, sprawling suburbs were where the biggest gains in population growth happened for a long time. But things are changing. According to an Atlanta Regional Commission report this summer, Metro Atlanta's average annual population growth rate has slowed to a rate of 1.2% in the last five years, but the City of Atlanta has bucked that trend, growing much faster in recent years than in previous decades, driven in large part by multifamily housing developments.

ThreadATL endorses these candidates in the City Council race for 2025 (these are just the races where there are competitors to choose between):

Council President Rohit Malhotra

Post 1 Juan Mendoza

District 2 Jacob Chambers

District 4 Jason Dozier

District 7 Thomas Worthy

District 9 Dustin Hillis

District 11 Nate Jester

District 12 Antonio Lewis

-------- HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION

Atlanta voters will also see a homestead exemption measure on the ballot, and you can read about it at the Center for Civic Innovation site. https://civicatlanta.org/blog/atlanta-senior-tax-exemption-2025-ballot

It would give an additional exemption from property taxes for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) to homeowners age 65 and older, *regardless of their income*. That last part is important.

The CEO of the Atlanta Beltline, Clyde Higgs, just threw Eastside rail under the bus in an interview at WABE. Searching for real leadership on transit in Atlanta is proving to be very difficult.

Higgs says he doesn't think rail works for the Eastside Beltline though he can imagine "some kind of transit there," and he essentially rejects the vision of the Beltline as a loop of light-rail transit.

This follows the recent plan presented by *his own planning staff* for rail along the entire route. So in essence he's throwing his own staff under the bus as well which is...bizarre.

It's time for leaders who are serious about treating Atlanta like a real city, where massive growth and rail are common sense companions.

Darin Givens | Aug 13, 2025

As if surface-parking spaces weren’t problematic enough for cities, just on the level of the deadness they bring to their surroundings, new research finds that parked cars contribute to urban heat islands — exposing pedestrians to even higher levels of heat stress though the “radiative properties” of the materials cars are made of.

The effect is most intense in areas where there’s a lot of asphalt all around by way of urban density, and where heat is already intense. In other words: the effect is worse in cities, so this is where concerns should be really focused.

The authors make this note about electric vehicles: “It is also important to note that while electric vehicles (EVs), increasingly common in urban fleets, emit less waste heat their physical presence and surface materials remain the same as conventional combustion-engine cars.”

You can read the full report here: The underestimated impact of parked cars in urban warming, City and Environment Interactions | August 2025

And as we know from a previous analysis, the effects of urban heat are not distributed evenly. They tend to be felt more heavily in historically redlined neighborhoods, where owners of homes are statically more likely to be Black.

The above image comes from the CDC; it’s an interactive map of where people are most likely to feel the impacts of heat in Atlanta, based on the Heat Health Index. The south and southwestern sections of the city — where many historically Black neighborhoods are located — are in the “High top percent” designation for heat impacts.

Despite Atlanta’s cooling canopy of trees, the city averages 11 more 90-degree, or hotter, days in the summer, compared to the old 30-year average. This is part of a warming trend in cities across the U.S.

Darin Givens | Aug 12, 2025

Atlanta Beltline gave a presentation this evening that should warm the hearts of rail fans: despite all the political conflicts that have delayed implementation of transit, it turns out planners with the Beltline have kept busy all along doing the work of designing the rail lines and stations.

From the slideshow, the rail plan contains...

3 Routes with bi-directional service

- Beltline loop (blue)

- Northern loop (red)

- Southern loop (yellow)

- 20-minute headways

- Average 10-minute headways at

each station

- 1-Seat ride anywhere in system

- Includes MARTA HRT Infill stations

The projected costs are...

Northwest Quadrant

5.5 Miles

$800M

Southwest Quadrant

3.7 Miles

$375M

Northeast Quadrant

4.7 Miles

$520M

Southeast Quadrant

4.3 Miles

$435M

Crosstown East (extension of Downtown streetcar)

2 Miles

$400M

Crosstown West (extension of Downtown streetcar)

4 Miles

$500M

42 Transit Vehicles

$270M

Support Facilities

$210M

One interesting point made during the presentation, as reported by Alex.Ip on BlueSky, was that the Beltline is studying the feasibility of drilling a tunnel underneath Hulsey Yard (!) to connect the east and south portions of the rail line.

None of this changes the political reality: Mayor Dickens wants to delay the start of rail construction and rebuild the funding plan to suit his own ideas, pushing the implementation of any BL rail into an unclear future. But for now, we've got an enticing vision to look over.

by Darin Givens | Aug 8, 2025

This is a photo of a busted sidewalk on Ralph McGill Boulevard, but it's a common scene in many neighborhoods around Atlanta.

An able-bodied person can quickly step around problematic sidewalks and into the street and then hop back onto the sidewalk later. Those who can't do so are in a bind -- both with their safety and their dignity.

When the city cuts costs by deferring much-needed repairs of sidewalks and ADA ramps, it can mean the difference between: "someone moving freely or being shut out of public life. We call it public infrastructure. But too often, it’s only built for the public we imagine: upright, fast-moving, eyes ahead."

That's according to a new article at Next City (link below) about 'ethical infrastructure' written by author Larry Summers, who adds:

"Designing for dignity means imagining someone you love using the space — and refusing to build a world that would leave them behind."

Devaluing sidewalks as a spending priority also devalues the people who truly need them, especially those with physical impairments.

A lawsuit over sidewalk accessibility a few years ago resulted in a settlement requiring the City of Atlanta to repair sidewalks whenever streets are repaved, but the city appears to be making excuses -- sometimes claiming that the requirement isn't 'triggered' by every repaving, or that there isn't enough money to do it.

Yes, money matters. These repairs can be expensive. But failing to boldly prioritize them also has an expense; it costs people their dignity.

Ethical Infrastructure Matters, Even When City Budgets Are Under Strain:

by Darin Givens | July 8, 2025

The former Peachtree-Pine shelter at 477 Peachtree Street will become housing for Emory Healthcare workers. That's the plan announced in a new press release from Emory Healthcare. They purchased the building, which sits across the street from their hospital, in 2018.

To add new windows on the north side, Emory will demolish the rear half of neighboring 489 Peachtree (the Peasant Building) which they purchased in 2019.

"More than 50 apartment units" will be created by the project. Permits for the interior work have already been applied for.

It'll be interesting how many two- and three-bedroom units Emory includes to accommodate families, or if they'll be built all for single residents. And given the relative lack of amenities on this stretch of Peachtree, will the remainder of the 489 building be outfitted for stores?

It's important that every change made to this overall area -- which is problematic in its urbanism in several ways and lacking in vibrancy -- brings it one step closer to becoming a great urban place. In general, Atlanta needs to get past the microscopic focus on 'developments' and move into a more holistic scope of creating complete neighborhoods, particularly in spots that have struggled with their urbanism.

The 477 Peachtree building dates to 1921 and was originally used as a car dealership. The Atlanta Preservation Center has included it on its Endangered List in the past. It was designed by architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, who also designed the Sweet Auburn Curb Market.

A group called Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless operated a shelter here for several years. It closed its doors in August 2017 and the property was sold to Central Atlanta Progress, following years of legal battles.

Full press release:

Urbanize Atlanta reports that construction on the Jackson Street Bridge redesign is finally getting a groundbreaking on July 8th!

https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/jackson-street-bridge-redo-old-fourth-ward-happening

It was a year ago this month when ThreadATL met with Atlanta DOT staff for an update on the project, which will put a protected bike lane and a parklet here.

At that time, it was already fully-funded through a combo of ATL DOT money and discretionary funding from Councilmembers Liliana Bakhtiari and Amir Farokhi. DOT staff told us that procurement would start soon (and would be managed by Atlanta Downtown Improvement District), with construction starting in early 2025.

We're very happy to see that this is finally breaking ground. But tightening up these timelines for procurement and construction seems to be a big need for the city.

DRIFT THE MAP at South-View Cemetery this Sunday March 16, 1 pm - 4 pm

Join ThreadATL's Drift the Map & Museum of Design Atlanta this Sunday!

Meet inside the entrance gate of South-View Cemetery, 1990 Jonesboro Rd, S.E.

We'll explore Atlanta’s oldest and largest African-American cemetery, the final resting place of Atlanta legends like baseball home run king Hank Aaron and civil rights leaders including Rep. John Lewis, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, and Julian Bond.

For the first time, Drift the Map will feature a ramble down the railroad tracks which are the defining feature of old Atlanta neighborhoods. We will also visit the little-known Atlanta Federal Penitentiary Cemetery, only accessible from the tracks.

After the walk, there will be an opportunity to eat at El Progreso 14, the much-loved taqueria destination in the back of a grocery store known by aficionados as “Prison Tacos” for its proximity to the penitentiary.

March 13, 2025

[Note: corrected with new info 3/15/25]

Mayor Dickens announced to the MARTA board of directors today that he wants rail to be built on the Southside of the Beltline first, and that he wants the Eastside Beltline rail line to be delayed for a second phase at some point in the future.

That's according to an AJC article.

"We are committed to building rail on the Beltline, however, not in the form that has been previously discussed," said Courtney English, the mayor's chief adviser.

You can view the mayor's entire plan in PDF format here: threadatl.org/dickens-streetcar

It shows a Phase 1 that contains only an extension of the current Downtown streetcar to the Beltline (at Lake Avenue), but not actually continuing on the Beltline.

Only in a proposed second phase would transit be added to the Southside of the Beltline path, and to the Eastside path.

One thing that's hopeful about the text of the mayor's plan: it specifically calls for light-rail on the Beltline versus some lesser format of transit.

Big questions about funding and timelines

There is no mention in the mayor's plan of a timeline for this second phase, and no mention of how the work would be funded.

The Atlanta Beltline website says this about the Eastside Streetcar Extension:

"An intergovernmental agreement between MARTA and the City of Atlanta has been executed, with MARTA on point for contracting and funding the consulting work for conceptual transit design work. MARTA is targeting to have operational transit in place by 2028."

Is it possible that the 2028 date now becomes the target for Dickens' idea of only extending the existing streetcar to the Eastside Beltline and not on it? We don't know.

Regarding the implementation of rail on the Southeast Beltline, planners have done some preliminary work on an alignment for transit, but there doesn't appear to be any mention of an exact timeline, which means construction is far expected to be far in the future: https://beltline.org/blog/citywide-conversation:-beltline-transit-study-update/

The question of how rail will be funded on the south portion is a huge one. The Tier 1 funding plan for the More MARTA tax only includes Beltline transit on the Eastside Beltline and nowhere else. Does this mean that Dickens wants the plan for More MARTA funding to be altered? Again, we don't know.

All we can say for sure is that this disruption will extend the timeline for putting rail on any part of the Beltline by many years, and that there's no guarantee of any funding available for the mayor's plan.

Is this new plan an election year tactic?

Given these unknowns, and the inevitable delay it's easy to view this as an election year tactic. With this new plan, Dickens appears to be throwing a bone to the Eastside NIMBYs who oppose Beltline rail, while making Southside residents feel like he cares about them by announcing them as a priority.

Meanwhile, he won't have to worry about implementation of Beltline rail while he's in office, since this change will upend the timeline for Beltline rail by many years, far after he's gone from office.

A lot of naysayers out there will oppose bold changes to Atlanta's street designs by saying "This isn't Europe! Atlanta isn't Amsterdam! Stop expecting us to be what we aren't."

But Amsterdam wasn't always *Amsterdam* -- they had a period when streets were oriented way too heavily toward driving.

Can Atlanta ever make exactly as much progress as they made? Given the enormous scale of sprawl damage to our region, and the extent of our low-density growth, it's sensible to adjust expectations on the timeline of our transformation.

But there's no reason to think we can't eventually experience a similar level of success with breaking away from the dominance of automobiles and becoming a more pedestrian oriented place, and spreading the kind of safe walking/biking infrastructure that's on the Beltline throughout our streets, alongside roadways that are safer for all users.

We need a bold vision for our urbanism, and we need to keep working toward it with the kind of big steps that are appropriate for a major city.

Image source:

by Darin Givens, March 4, 2025

A pedestrian was recently killed on Peachtree Street when he tried to use the faded remains of a crosswalk built for the abandoned Peachtree Shared Street project in Downtown. This image is from prior to the gutting of the program in 2022.

Here's some background on how maddeningly preventable this death was:

Mayor Dickens wrongly pulled the plug on this good Shared Street program three years ago this month after being pressured to do so by a moneyed Downtown property owner, named Richard Bowers, who wanted the lanes of car traffic to remain unchanged.

Pictured here (this is from late 2021) is the first phase of the program, with two vehicular lanes removed and a bold crosswalk in the street. Various traffic calming devices are out of view, and more pedestrian-friendly goodness was on the way in subsequent phases.

But all of it was removed at Dickens' command, though the crosswalk was left to dangerously fade away.

And as if Dickens' office didn't handle this situation badly enough...after the pedestrian death their only action was to finally erase the crosswalk. This was an infuriating response.

That crosswalk at Peachtree Center was born from its common use as a sort of "desire path" with people running across Peachtree at that spot for many years. Getting rid of a desire path instead of embracing it with safe infrastructure isn't going to end the desire itself.

The correct response would have been to establish a safe crossing for pedestrian here.

Thanks to Councilmembers Amir Farokhi, Jason Dozier, and Matt Westmoreland for doing the right thing this week and formally requesting that the mayor install a pedestrian crosswalk at 225 Peachtree St., NE "by no later than May 31, 2025."

by Darin Givens, Feb 18, 2025

The AJC reports that thousands of CDC staff who now telework are being ordered back to the office full-time at the Emory campus. Office space is reportedly scarce. But also, transit to the campus hasn't expanded as hoped:

What the status of MARTA's Clifton Corridor project? Let's review.

Clifton Corridor Transit Timeline

2012: MARTA sets light rail as the preferred alternative for Clifton transit expansion, serving Emory & more.

2016: More MARTA tax passes with Clifton Road rail listed as a potential project

2017 - 2022: MARTA rethinks rail, floating Bus Rapid Transit as a more affordable option.

2023: MARTA sets BRT as the new preferred alternative for Clifton transit.

2025: thousands of CDC staff ordered back to office at Emory; Clifton Corridor website hasn't been updated since 2023. MARTA says the project is in a technical planning phase.

MARTA's bus from Lindbergh to the CDC at Emory (the 6) runs every 20 minutes on weekdays at peak commute times for a 24 minute trip. That's not bad by MARTA bus standards, but it's also not the rapid transit many need.

MARTA maybe at least update that website?

by Darin Givens | Feb 13, 2025

The City of Atlanta has partnered with a consultant to study issues with the city's nightlife and the report is now online.

Unsurprisingly, it's filled with complaints about transportation. One of the biggest issues people raised in the study is the difficulty of getting to and from nightlife businesses.

One smart comment in the report: "Public transportation needs to improve. Parking is going to keep disappearing."

Exactly. While the study's recommendation of discounted parking options for employees of nightlife business is likely doable, it's not realistic to expect that free or cheap parking will significantly expand for customers in the city's hot entertainment districts.

If there's anything we've learned from the great urban planner Donald Shoup who passed away last week, it's that parking has a high cost that can't be ignored -- especially in growing cities.

Over time we need to build the city (and the larger metro area) in a format that better supports options like transit, walking, and biking. Which, at least in part, means employing the dreaded "d" word: density. Because when we build most of our places at a lower-density scale for cars, we get car traffic, along with scarce alternatives.

But while that change happens, we also need to do everything we can to provide better options for getting around without cars late at night. That could include expanding service hours for transit, and turning some car lanes into safe lanes for bikes/e-scooters.

Obviously, these improvements could help many people beyond just nightlife employees and customers.

By Matt Garbett & Darin Givens | Feb 4, 2025

470 cancelled MARTA bus trips in a single day. And the day isn't over yet. This is insane. Also, why isn't this headline news?

How many people were late to work? Late to get home? Late to pick up their kids? Late to a doctor's appointment? Late to a movie?

These aren't abstract numbers. 470 cancelled MARTA bus trips impacted thousands of people's lives. I

Not MARTA board members or executives or Atlanta elected officials who don't rely on MARTA for anything besides an event. Not them.

But thousands of other people's lives were impacted.

If we can't find a way to lower these cancellations, the improvements from the new bus system redesign are going to be severely limited.

But to find that way, the people that actually make the final decisions have to care. See the people waiting at the bus stop as human beings to be seen, not just people to be driven past. If they're even seen at all.