The city's comparatively affordable rents and low unemployment rate have attracted new residents during a year when many big cities saw their population growth slow.

Unlike the big cities that saw an exodus of residents seeking lower housing costs during the pandemic, the city of Atlanta experienced a major spike in in-movers, according to a mobility report by StorageCafé. Writing in Urbanize Atlanta, Josh Green reports that 2020 sales "smashed records for Georgia MLS, with more recent trends showing the metro Atlanta market still on fire."
The most common out-of-state renters moved from New York City, Chicago, and Charlotte. "Now a study suggests that renting activity in the City of Atlanta spiked over 2019 levels once the lockdown months subsided—and that the majority of new renters in the city [64 percent] actually came from the suburbs." Atlanta proves an attractive market for millennials, who made up 57 percent of new renters.
A recent Today show report named Atlanta one of its "top 10 cities to live in after the pandemic." Stefani Berkin, president of R New York and author of the report, "hails the Peach State capital as a prime launchpad for startups, a haven for corporate headquarters," and praises the city's Beltline as "a national beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life."
FULL STORY: 2020 Atlanta renter data show influx of people from suburbs, NYC, Chicago

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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