Georgia

Aaron M. Renn dissects the rise and fall of Atlanta, concluding that lack of differentiation paired with no job growth will bring mean "game over" for the city.

Passenger rail used to connect Columbus, Georgia with Atlanta, but the tracks have been silent since 1970. Today, local leaders and activists are pushing for a restoration of train service to Atlanta from Macon, Athens and Columbus.

As part of a larger parks plan, one Atlanta suburb wants to use its bonds to build a sports complex where housing already exists. Adding to the controversy, the idea doesn't seem to have gone through a proper public review. Melissa Weinman reports.

"Redfields to Greenfields," a project currently being developed at Georgia Tech in partnership with City Parks Alliance advocacy group, would convert empty commercial sites into parks, writes Nate Berg for The Atlantic Cities.

Branding a city, writes Scott Doyon, isn't as easy as creating a product brand. Cities already have identities, so a new brand can ring false if it isn't in harmony with reality. Case in point: Dunwoody, Georgia.

Which aspects of the regional transportation projects may underwhelm following months of compromise? Ariel Hart examines the plans, which serve both "mobility" and "political ends."

In Atlanta, plans called for a five-building development in the suburb of Dunwoody. With only three buildings completely built, the Providence Group decided to turn the undeveloped land into a park.

Terrain.org's newest "UnSprawl" case study explores the new Serenbe development, a mixed-use community of three hamlets anchored by an organic farm and striving to be an Atlanta-region destination for its restaurants, inn, and more.

Each year, the American Planning Association singles out neighborhoods that "...represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow."

Choosing the Goldilocks price for a congestion-priced toll lane is no easy task - as the Georgia Dept. of Transportation has discovered after the first week of operation of the I-85 Express Lanes through parts of Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.

For decades, water utilities in Georgia have had a certain amount of water go missing - up to 30% of their supply, in some cases. With water becoming more precious, utilities are finally trying to solve the mystery.

Officials and planners from across Georgia came out to answer any questions the public may have about a new regional transportation plan. Evidently the plan has "100 percent support," joked one official, because no one showed up.

Arguing against a regional transportation tax, the Georgia Tea Party says that we shouldn't build any more light rail because terrorists might see it as an attractive target.

Bridgeport, Connecticut was known for post-industrial decay and crime. Today, people are talking about its "tantalizing" downtown that is ripe for redevelopment, writes Carrie Jacobs.

Plagued by foreclosures, DeKalb County Georgia is buying up properties and creating a land bank in hopes of spurring redevelopment.

Voters in the Atlanta region will vote on a 1-cent sales tax for new transit projects. But one major county could stand in the way if its own project is not included.

The Atlanta Beltline Partnership's annual report shows how revitalization programs, workforce housing, parks and trails have been blossoming. Yet transit development has lagged behind, reports Kaid Benfield for The Atlantic.

In rural Georgia, a New Urbanist style development is slowly materializing, andhoping to be a sustainable antidote to urban sprawl.

The National Recreation and Parks Association is on a mission to fix up neglected parks around the country. Atlanta and D.C. are the first to benefit from their new program, "Parks Build Community."

When asked to describe their town at a charrette, the residents of Canon chose words like "rundown", "courageous" and "eccentric". University of Georgia students and professors worked with locals to create a vision for the town.