Cityscape

In 1973, voters in Fulton and DeKalb counties and the city of Atlanta took a leap of faith and signed on to build a public transit system that would eventually link to three other counties.

It took more than 40 years for one of those counties, Clayton County, to join. Last year, residents of the county said they wanted another way to get around their car-oriented county and to the airport, as well as to be connected with the rest of MARTA’s rail network.

It took changes in demographics for metro Atlanta to start overcoming the racial and socioeconomic bogeymen that kept other counties from participating in a transit system that developers and business leaders now consider a key amenity — and in some cases, a requirement — when picking where to start moving dirt or relocating employees. It took changes in development patterns and a generational realization that sitting in traffic sucks.

Most of all, it took time. It took years of burning gasoline and reading reports noting the damage we’re doing to our bodies and environment by not being on our feet or on the bus. It took the ends of elected officials’ terms and the exits of policymakers who were too myopic to see an asset in their grasp and the changing desires of a younger generation.

When it comes to Atlanta’s cityscape, time is something we have on our side and are constantly working against. Some developers want to get whatever they can build finished and occupied before the current development boom passes out from exhaustion. Residents sometimes want a few more weeks to pore over or improve those buildings that will affect their daily lives. Politicians want to get out of the way when it comes to building skyscrapers but often take their time on improving the public realm we share.

Atlanta is still a young city compared to its peers, and it’s come a fairly long way despite being burned to the ground during the Civil War. And for all the knocks against it being a place where people come and go, there are those who stick around. They start businesses, blogs, and advocate for historic preservation. They begin gathering food and build a powerhouse nonprofit that helps feed the hungry. They band together to contribute to the parks and festivals we all enjoy. They leave their mark on the city and offer enough opportunity for others to do the same. And when they go, others will follow.

It’s what helps make Atlanta a great place and worth celebrating.

— Thomas Wheatley, News Editor

Best Walkable Neighborhood BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Readers Pick
Inman Park

Best Reason to Live in Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Guest Critic

Best Reason to Live in Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Guest Critic

Best Local Blog/Zine BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
ATL Urbanist

Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Alan Blinder and Richard Fausset

Best Non-Commercial Radio Station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
WABE-FM (90.1)

Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Maria Saporta

Best Local TV News BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Mike Daly

Best Architect BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
BLDGS

Best New Addition to the Cityscape BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Ponce City Market

Best Planning Vision BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Memorial Drive Corridor Study

Best reuse of a tornado-ravaged building BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Atlanta Daily World

Best City View BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
The View at Jackson Street Bridge
For years, people have gathered on the Jackson Street Bridge with camera gear in tow. There, standing over Freedom Parkway’s exit and entrance ramps, they gather with engaged couples, Segway tourists, and dozens of others to point their cameras at the Downtown skyline on display. They all know thatmore...
For years, people have gathered on the Jackson Street Bridge with camera gear in tow. There, standing over Freedom Parkway’s exit and entrance ramps, they gather with engaged couples, Segway tourists, and dozens of others to point their cameras at the Downtown skyline on display. They all know that this Downtown panorama — even its Photoshopped version on the promotional poster for”The Walking Dead” — where you can spot new, retro, and historic buildings framed by Atlanta’s beautiful sunsets, is the best view of Atlanta. less...

Best Contribution to Atlanta’s Urban Design BOA Award Winner

Year » 2015
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2015 » Cityscape » Critics Pick
Fox Theatre
More than 40 years ago we almost lost the Fox Theatre. But the community rallied with the”Save the Fox” campaign. That experience showed that Atlantans have the capacity to support the institutions they’ve grown up with and love. Today the Midtown theater is host to more than 250 shows and a half-millionmore...
More than 40 years ago we almost lost the Fox Theatre. But the community rallied with the”Save the Fox” campaign. That experience showed that Atlantans have the capacity to support the institutions they’ve grown up with and love. Today the Midtown theater is host to more than 250 shows and a half-million visitors a year who enjoy original programming such as the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival. The Fox’s success is unsurprising when you stop to think about the diversity of talent that’s performed under that twinkling ceiling and in front of those 4,000-plus seats. There’s also the Fox Theatre Institute, which has a mission to restore and rebuild historic theaters across the state. From Broadway stars and OutKast to local families and city employees, everyone has a Fox Theatre story. less...

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