Darin Givens

Darin Givens—cofounder of ThreadATL, a nonprofit advocacy organization that aims to influence city planning and policy—explains why this cross-section of Forsyth and Poplar streets in the Fairlie-Poplar District has it all.

Done right, CIM Group’s redevelopment of the Gulch could stitch together more than 200 acres in downtown, creating a new chunk of the city core. The opportunity to build a new grid, one that’s open to pedestrians and transit users, doesn’t come along often. We can’t design and develop for one tenant or one use. We’ve got one chance to do it right.

When Keith T. Parker became CEO and general manager of MARTA in 2012, he was faced with not only a bigger agency than those he’d previously managed in Charlotte and San Antonio, but one with a $33 million budget deficit and a public relations problem.

Atlanta is riddled with vacant properties, many of them development efforts that stalled during the recession. But other decaying structures have been that way for years—decades even—often in the middle of burgeoning neighborhoods.

Encountering vibrant murals throughout intown neighborhoods has been a happy surprise in recent years. But to really understand the magnitude of the Living Walls project that pairs local and international artists with brick and concrete canvases, set out on a quest to find as many 
as you can.

The ladies-lounge chairs are exact replicas of those in the throne room of King Tut’s tomb. You’ve probably taken such details of the Fox Theatre for granted, but won’t after signing up a guided tour.

In the shadow of beaux arts skyscrapers, Woodruff Park is the city’s historic heart. If you haven’t strolled through it for years, you’ll be surprised by its vitality.