Roads Can't Keep Up With Atlanta's Revitalization

As suburbanites who moved to the City of Atlanta to avoid crushing traffic congestion are ironically realizing, over-stressed in-town roads are buckling under the pressure of exponentially increasing usage. But help may not be on the way.

1 minute read

April 25, 2007, 6:00 AM PDT

By Alex Pearlstein


"Atlanta's road capacity isn't keeping up with the influx of people and the cars they love. After Atlanta emptied many of its residents into the suburbs in the 1970s and 1980s, an urban renaissance - or a horror of long commutes - is bringing them back."

"No one pretends the mid-20th-century roads can handle the demands of the 21st century. 'There is not enough money,' said City Council member Clair Muller."

The state agency charged with tying road improvements to large-scale development projects - the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority - can dictate that transportation infrastructure be built, but has little ability to effectively follow up that the work has actually been done.

"City officials say they're as financially strapped as the state, but they're starting to plan better." For the first time ever, the city of Atlanta will develop a comprehensive transportation plan.

Sadly, enhancement of transit capacity is rarely mentioned in any viable debate on how to improve mobility in the city of Atlanta. Most local leaders acknowledge that building new transit is nearly impossible given the recalcitrance of state officials to fund local transit, and the inability of regional counties to band together and self-tax for new rail or rapid bus lines. A bill to allow such regional alliances was quickly killed in Georgia's recently completed legislative session.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

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.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

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.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

5 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

7 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine