Darin Givens (ATL Urbanist)
Urbanism advocate focusing on transit, safe streets, land use, and the connections between city design and transport outcomes.
Cities Must Reduce Car Dependence Despite Growing Pains
Exactly. Growing cities need to become less reliant on personal cars. There will be growing pains, no doubt.
MARTA’s New Bus Combo Delivers On‑Time Access to Beltline
Our trip on the new MARTA bus system today: a combo of the 7 and 22 buses to get to the Glenwood Park neighborhood and the newly opened section of the Beltline path that's immediately south of it. Both buses...
MARTA Journey: Escalator, Train, and Station Views
Pics from MARTA trip today: the escalator at SEC Station, the view from a train, and the view from inside King Memorial Station.
Atlanta Demands Crosswalk; Mayor's Inaction Endangers Streets
I saw several people cross this deadly 225 block of Peachtree Street today. The Dickens administration has failed to place a crosswalk here despite outcry from advocates & support from Council members. It's hugely disappointing, to say the least. Atlanta...
14th & Howell Mill Needs Pedestrian Scramble to End Delays
The intersection of 14th Street and Howell Mill Road could use an all-way crossing phase for pedestrians (also called a "scramble"). I hope someone at @atldot is working on that. The situation is rough; plus, the light phases last so...
GDOT Builds Bike Lane Ten Times Faster than Atlanta
I can't get over how cool it is that GDOT is building a protected bike lane on 14th Street, and they're doing it about ten times the speed it took the City of Atlanta to build the Juniper Street bike...
New Platform Designs Shine Amid Construction Chaos
Five Points MARTA Station is a mess of construction right now but I'm very impressed with the new designs for the train platforms. This will look great with the cool new train cars.
Atlanta’s Skyline Transformed: Before‑After Views Reveal Massive Change
I wonder if the people who are new to Atlanta (or the ones who will visit for the FIFA games) realize the major changes over the last several years. Here are a few of my favorite before-and-after images.
Grateful for Easy Train Access, Hope for Wider Opportunity
Sometimes when I'm riding a train I have a giddy moment where I think: "Wow, I live in a city with rail transit; that's pretty cool." I'm lucky to afford to live in a place where I can easily get...
Same Street, Two Eras: Atlanta’s Gentrification Unfolds
The same view of Glen Iris Drive in Old Fourth Ward, 12 years apart. On one level, this image typifies the kind of gentrification that's happened in O4W and other neighborhoods over the past 20 years. It could certainly serve...
Freedom Depends on Mobility: Not One‑Size‑Fit
Them: "Cars and sprawl are freedom. Walkable density is oppression, and public transit is government waste." Me: "But I can't drive. For me, transit and walkability are freedom." Them: "No; just sit in freeway traffic in a self-driving car. Then you'll be...
13-Year Streetcar Delay Leaves Empty Lots and Frustration
Several parking lots and at least one empty, boarded-up building line the east end of the streetcar route. Construction for the streetcar began 13 years ago. We've had so much time to make this right. I don't get it.
Discover Hidden Nature Along Confluence Trail’s Creekside
It's a little difficult to find but if you can make it to Confluence Trail in the Linbergh area, there are some pretty nice sights to be seen along South Fork Peachtree Creek, including the undersides of I-85 and the...
Atlanta Hikes Street Parking to $3.50 for Staffing
An hour of metered parking on Atlanta streets will now cost $3.50, up from $2. The price hike will help boost salaries & staffing for parking officers and address widespread complaints about illegal parking. Related news: MARTA exists. Also, bikes. https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/03/atlantas-on-street-parking-costs-to-rise/
Georgia Leaders Ignore Traffic, Should Fund MARTA
Downtown Atlanta's afternoon commute. Many Georgia leaders drive through this, to and from the Capitol. Is their bias against public transit (and cities) so harsh that they never think: "man, this stinks; maybe we should start providing state funds to MARTA"...