Weekly Links: Led by coastal lawmakers, a bi-partisan group in the Georgia Legislature pushes for a ban on offshore drilling. And, western US cities may soon look a little more like New York. Plus, new poll numbers show a minority of Gwinnett residents oppose MARTA expansion – unfortunately those people are most likely to get their voices heard.
Atlanta’s historic population growth this decade accelerated over the past two years according to the latest estimates from the US Census Bureau. Growth was not shared evenly in the state, though, as 77 of Georgia’s 159 counties lost population.
We’ll likely see an increase in the number of poorer suburban communities. While Cobb and North Fulton will still have enclaves of wealthier residents, they will increasingly become the destination of lower-income individuals when they are priced out of the walkable Atlanta area. While quality-of-life is an issue even for wealthier residents in auto-centric communities, it is much more of a problem for their poorer residents. Try getting to the grocery store or your job when you don’t have a car and your community doesn’t support sidewalks or alternative transportation. While sitting in traffic on the way to work is stressful, having no transportation options to safely get to that place of work is arguably more stressful.
Dictating what people can and can’t do with their property is perhaps one of the most controversial forms of regulation, particularly at the local level. Most generally agree that factories should not be located next to schools, but once we go beyond the more obvious incompatible uses the topic can become quite heated. Throw in the touchy subject of adult entertainment and the debate escalates to new levels.
Overall, 23% of metro Atlanta area residents live in one of the major metro Atlanta cities. Excluding the major cities from all the counties results in Gwinnett County, without Peachtree Corners, having the largest share of the area’s population at 19%. It also makes Atlanta the fourth largest jurisdiction in the area and vaults Cobb to the number two position.
The US Census Bureau’s recently released county population data shows Atlanta agreeing with the national trend toward a more urban lifestyle. The USA Today recently reported that county population data compiled from 2010 […]
Can We Drop the Media Narrative of Cities Being in Decline?
People Should Just Give Up on North America
A Notorious Asylum’s Haunting Encounter With a Strange Trespassing Law
Georgia’s Conservation Measures Prove Pivotal in the Water Wars
It’s Likely Earth’s Six Warmest Years on Record Are the Last Six Years
Remembering the Time Andrew Jackson Decided to Ignore the Supreme Court In the Name of Georgia’s Right to Cherokee Land
You Don’t Own That Parking Spot in Front of Your House
The Fictional Alcohol Law That’s Destroying Lives
The Dawson Forest Site: Atlanta's Intriguing Former Nuclear Aircraft Site Turned Nature Conservancy
When Lighting The Streets Makes Us Lose Our Sight
