Background & Context: How did Atlanta become infamous for transportation?
Background
Metro Atlanta’s disorganized urban infrastructure dates back to its initial development. In 1821, the land was distributed among European settlers in a land lottery, leading to a haphazard urban design without the grid system that makes most cities easy to navigate. Atlanta then hit its most dramatic rate of growth as it was becoming a railroad transportation hub in 1836. Subsequently, the city and its roads grew around a train-based infrastructure (Shamma 2017). By the 1990s, the Atlanta area’s population had exploded, growing by 38.4 percent due to sunbelt migrants — baby boomers seeking warmer climates — and the 1996 Olympic Games (Frey 2012). This led to tremendous urban sprawl and a larger burden on road and rail transit infrastructure.
Context
The Atlanta Metropolitan Area has an estimated population of 5.7 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015. The area is governed by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), a 39 member board. The city is doing well according to standard economic measures (BLS). Compared to other large metropolitan areas, Atlanta was ranked second in job growth (BLS 2017). There are many large corporations headquartered in Atlanta including Mercendes-Benz USA, Suntrust, and Coca-Cola . The city houses the number 1 most traveled airport in the world. It has been the number 1 state to do business for five consecutive years.
Political Context
The GA have recently formed a bipartisan Commission on Transit Governance & Funding, tasked with studying the state’s existing transit infrastructure, its future needs, and exploring ways to pay for transit expansion. The commission, at the time of writing, has only held four meetings and is in a stage of gathering information from various transit agencies and consultants (GA).
