Looking back on 10 years of posting about Atlanta
Amid my crushing COVID-19 anxiety, I’d like to distract myself for a few moments with this thought: It has now been 10 years since I first took the handle “ATL Urbanist” and started writing about the urban design of Atlanta with a critical eye. Here’s why I did it.
Not long after our son was born, I was temporarily without a car. During that time I was continually stunned by how awful it was to get to a grocery store while pushing a stroller, even in an ostensibly “walkable” Atlanta neighborhood. The design of streets and shopping centers seemed to welcome dangerous driving while treating everyone outside of a car like a second class citizen.
Obviously, this was a lesson that many others in far worse economic and geographic positions than mine had learned before. But it was new to me. I decided to use my journalism and freelance-writing experience to research urban planning in Atlanta and write about it.
After a couple of years reading up on the subject it became clear that many good practices in urban design, accepted in cities worldwide, were not taking hold in Atlanta. Professional planners intown understood the “right” things to do, of course. But leaders at all levels (government, commercial, neighborhood) would push back — too often with success. There was a stifling opinion among locals of Atlanta being a “place where everyone drives,” where attempts to change car culture were futile.
I started writing about these things online, sharing what I was both learning about and experiencing (such as my MARTA bus trips involving tough terrain, above). The response to my posts was a little overwhelming. My Tumblr had over 23k followers, I was interviewed for radio, newspaper, TV, podcasts…it was gratifying, but I knew that I was an odd representative for urbanism not being a planning professional.
Feeling ill equipped to be a spokesperson, I got together with a group of locals (including actual professionals in urbanism issues) and we formed the ThreadATL initiative to advocate for good urbanism in the city, and to say things out loud that others weren’t saying.
Last year, ThreadATL became a legit 501c3 with a 10-person board, all volunteer. We’re working through a long strategic planning period to decide what we’ll do for the next few years and what resources we’ll need. I’m apparently going to have to learn to ask for money, which is daunting.
More recently, things have taken an odd turn for me. An advocacy story that started off with my struggle to safely push a stroller on Atlanta sidewalks has come full circle. Several months ago, a health emergency damaged nerves in my head. I now walk slowly with a cane, unable to drive. Once again battling with car culture on a personal level.
I first experienced the difficulty of navigating a car-centric city through the eyes of a father caring for a baby. Now I experience it as a mobility-impaired person who often has difficulty crossing a street before the walk signal ends, while drivers edge towards me in the crosswalk. This is something I thought about recently when I had to lean on my son’s shoulder (he’s a tall teenager now) to steady myself. These days, he helps look after me.
The importance of advocating for a city design that prioritizes walking, public transit, cycling, affordability, climate goals, equity — it’s clear to me in different ways now than it was before. I’m grateful to all the experts who’ve given me knowledge along the way, and to my co-volunteers.
I’m also grateful to all the folks who’ve sent kind messages over the years to let me know how my posts have inspired them. And to everyone who sends corrections when I’ve posted something in error (it takes a village!).
I have no illusions about the impact I’ve had. I know that I’m just a writer who’s part of the conversation about the city’s urbanism, while the big impacts come from professionals and political leaders. But I feel privileged to have a role to play, and to be able to contribute as an advocate.
Thank you, Atlanta.
