Atlanta Jumps Into Smart Growth Movement
When Terri Montague moved from Baltimore to Atlanta to lead the largest redevelopment project in the country, she saw decades of neglect firsthand. Transportation routes separated neighborhoods. Annual walkable cities lists put Atlanta near the bottom for its dependence on cars and lack of sidewalks. Most civil servants drive out from the city center where they work until they can afford to buy a home, which can be miles away. Commutes that used to be half an hour turned into two-hour ordeals. Unchecked urban sprawl disproportionately affected African American communities here, leading to soaring asthma rates and epidemic juvenile diabetes.
