Southface Institute: Blog

In October 2017, Odetta MacLeish-White was appointed the first managing director of The TransFormation Alliance (TFA), a collaboration of metro Atlanta organizations that promotes the development of thriving, mixed-income communities anchored by …

Continue reading "Transforming Transit: Catching Up With TransFormation Alliance’s Odetta MacLeish-White"

The TransFormation Alliance (TFA), a collaboration of metro Atlanta organizations that promotes the development of thriving, mixed-income communities anchored by transit, has named Odetta MacLeish-White as its first managing director.

Atlanta has long struggled to provide sustainable infrastructure and transit options to all residents, businesses and commuters, particularly its most vulnerable communities on the west and south sides of the …

Continue reading "Step Up For Atlanta: The Living Transit Fund And A Path To A New Atlanta Way"

Don’t simply get lost in the presidential election—we have a once-in-a-generation chance to impact our city’s infrastructure and communities, particularly the most vulnerable. This November, start from the bottom (of the ballot).

Policymakers, community advocates and private enterprise are poised to act at a critical juncture in Atlanta’s history. We face a choice to deepen divides between neighborhoods and people with further disinvestment in some communities or find a way to connect economic development strategies with all our community assets to enable Atlanta to become a truly world class region and city.

On May 10th, the Atlanta Press Club featured a distinguished panel of regional transit experts that addressed a range of topics related to regional transit projects and programs.

Panelists agreed that the region has improved its infrastructure and the public perception of transit, but that the area has a lot of room to grow with regards to connectivity and serving the majority of residents. In the coming weeks, Southface will focus coverage on animportant upcoming vote that could address infrastructure expansion and operational funding for transit projects throughout the city.

The Atlanta BeltLine is well underway, and in some neighborhoods, particularly those along the Eastside Trail, it has transformed local perspectives on alternative transportation.

Southface and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) facilitated a four-day Transit Oriented Development (TOD) charrette in October of 2013, focused on the redevelopment of the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station parking lots.

Shan Arora is a project manager with Southface’s Sustainable Communities Team. An environmental advocate since an early age, he transitioned into sustainable community development after working in the international trade and tax fields for a decade.