The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the past 12 months and look ahead to what is before us in 2025 and beyond. For this writer, that is the state of downtown and, to some extent, Atlanta as a whole.
For more than 80 years, Central Atlanta Progress has concerned itself with the health and welfare of this community. Before the Olympics, we incubated the creation of the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District in 1995 to assist in these endeavors. As a collective of organizations that represent business and community interests, we work every day on the “product” of Atlanta and lean in on the collaborative efforts of others to make our city better. Sometimes we are very visible with our work, but we often prefer to operate behind the scenes as we approach some of Atlanta’s biggest and most vexing issues.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The five years since the coronavirus came into our lives have been extremely challenging for the urban cores of most cities. Atlanta is no exception. The well-documented work-from-home trend has not been kind to central city areas that have older office building stocks, the least appreciated in a shrinking market. Nor has it been kind to the nation’s homeless population, especially now that COVID-era federal assistance programs are no longer available. Despite what one might encounter on our streets, Atlanta has performed much better than other peer cities in caring for our homeless population. Meanwhile, and with a particular eye toward the 2026 World Cup games, we have so much to be thankful for, including other big events coming to metro Atlanta in football, basketball and soccer, to name just a few. Also, almost all convention and tourist business has returned to pre-COVID levels. Hats off to all those involved in these efforts as they are — and will — continue to pay big dividends to Georgia and Atlanta.
At the same time, and despite a rather difficult real estate financing environment, we have some game-changing private and public projects underway that will help reshape the look, feel and economic prowess of Atlanta. These include the ambitious and futuristic Centennial Yards South Downtown developments; the conversion of 2 Peachtree to affordable housing; a more than $100 million makeover of Georgia State’s campus; and development of the Stitch, a transformational “cap” covering a section of the Connector creating an urban green space with interconnected parks and plazas in the heart of downtown. When Atlanta is represented in the media, it is the downtown skyline that is the most visible part of our city and our state. We at CAP celebrate this, knowing our skyline is where first and lasting impressions are made. With that type of exposure, we must all recognize its branding importance to our collective economic prosperity.
Mayor Andre Dickens’ administration has recently jumped in with a historic $120 million downtown infrastructure bond and another $60 million homeless opportunity bond.
All of these public and private investments are once-in-a-generation endeavors that will no doubt contribute to Atlanta’s growth on the same scale as development around Centennial Park, Atlantic Station and even the Beltline.
I am often asked how is downtown really doing, usually in a tone that suggests sympathy for a losing cause. (As Mark Twain once said, “the news of my death has been greatly exaggerated.”) We are doing just fine, thank you very much, but we can always use a helping hand and more understanding of the great potential and opportunity that lies ahead.
As 2025 nears, we welcome your support and appreciation for all the things that need our attention. Many use adjectives such as revitalization, renewal and reimagination when describing a theme for our downtown’s future. For those of us who are here on a daily mission, we suggest “rediscovering” downtown as the most meaningful way you can assist us in our work. Through rediscovery, you will perhaps become more aware of the importance and role of downtown in our past and present environments, and you will, no doubt, care just a bit more about its future. With a newfound understanding of downtown’s critical part of Atlanta’s complex identity, we can build a better future together.
A.J. Robinson is president of Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, two nonprofits working to build a 21st-century downtown Atlanta as the heart of the region.
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