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Cityscape

But as many rushed to get out during the mid-20th century, others stayed and focused on making Atlanta, the heart of the sprawling region, better. They pushed for transit to create MARTA, supported affordable housing to make sure people of all incomes could live here, and pushed for justice. They invested in their communities and fought off projects that could have destroyed their homes. They knew that Atlanta had value and it could be better. So they worked toward that goal.

Today, the visionaries in our ranks include a City Hall official who is trying to retrofit the mess previous generations made to cater to commuters. There is a neighborhood activist in West End who is reaching out to young people to give guidance and structure. There is a group of historic preservationists who refuse to allow another beautiful building — in this case, a library — to be forgotten. And there is an annual gathering of people who flock to a truly visionary project to look at lanterns and be around other people.

Atlanta has too often focused on short-term fixes to solve problems. It’s been blind to the long-term problems those fixes can create. But pushing back, and sometimes leading us, are people who can see past the next year or election. To the people who are committed to making the city a better place, we say thanks.

— THOMAS WHEATLEY

Best Street Musician BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Guitar Red

Best suburb BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Roswell

Best Talk Radio BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
WABE-FM (90.1)

Best College BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Gwinnett Technical College

Best Columnist/Journalist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Critics Pick
Bill Torpy
We smiled when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tapped longtime reporter BILL TORPY to fill its much-needed metro columnist position a few years ago. And we giggled with delight when, after finding his rhythm, Torpy pointed his prose toward Mayor Kasim Reed. Since picking up the pen, he’s delved intomore...
We smiled when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tapped longtime reporter BILL TORPY to fill its much-needed metro columnist position a few years ago. And we giggled with delight when, after finding his rhythm, Torpy pointed his prose toward Mayor Kasim Reed. Since picking up the pen, he’s delved into the city shortchanging firefighters of deserved pay raises, the dysfunctional Downtown streetcar, the abrupt and quizzical firing of the airport’s general manager, and the potential closing of the city’s largest homeless shelter, among other topics. Nearly each column has been met with a blistering press release from the office of the charismatic yet thin-skinned politician. Torpy, who in his past life was a Chicago boxer, has not backed down, opting to continue the jousting on Twitter. It’s worth noting that Hizzoner, himself a boxing fan, has not yet blocked the columnist on Twitter. Maybe he likes the sparring partner. www.ajc.com/staff/bill-torpy. less...

Best Tourist Trap BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Atlanta Beltline Inc

Best UnderRated Thing About Atlanta BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Atlanta Beltline Inc

Best Urban Evangelist BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Critics Pick
Eric Kronberg
To make Atlanta the walkable transit-connected city everyone says they want, it’s gonna take more than just new buildings here and a bike lane there. True change will require tweaking policies that have helped make Atlanta a disconnected mess. From a gorgeously rehabbed church in Reynoldstown, a bushymore...
To make Atlanta the walkable transit-connected city everyone says they want, it’s gonna take more than just new buildings here and a bike lane there. True change will require tweaking policies that have helped make Atlanta a disconnected mess. From a gorgeously rehabbed church in Reynoldstown, a bushy bearded architect is spreading the gospel. Sought-after architect and urban thinker ERIC KRONBERG takes the warm fuzzy platitudes you hear about urbanism and, using his skills and words, brings them to life — or just eloquently states where Atlanta’s falling behind. High on Kronberg’s list of enemies is Atlanta’s glut of parking, which goes hand in hand with walkability, affordability, and transit ridership. Through public meetings, blog posts, and community sit-downs, Kronberg and his allies show people how parking really works, as well as its negative impacts. He and his firm Kronberg Wall have produced stellar buildings, including rebuilding homes in New Orleans, mixed-use properties, and the design of Inman Park restaurant Folk Art. They brainstorm ways warehouses and old industrial properties along the Atlanta Beltline’s Westside Trail could come to life. To the architect who thinks bigger than the space he is designing, we salute you. www.kronbergwall.com. less...

Best Radio Station BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
OG 97.9 (WWWQ-FM)

Best Volunteer Program BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Hands On Atlanta

Best Walkable Neighborhood BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Readers Pick
Inman Park

Best Warrior in Fight Against HIV/AIDS BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Critics Pick
Dr. David Holland
Fulton County has HIV and AIDS infection rates of epidemic proportions, especially among young black men. The reasons for this crisis are rooted in stigma, lack of access to health care, and poverty, among other factors. In a Downtown clinic, DR. DAVID HOLLAND, one of Fulton’s top public health officers,more...
Fulton County has HIV and AIDS infection rates of epidemic proportions, especially among young black men. The reasons for this crisis are rooted in stigma, lack of access to health care, and poverty, among other factors. In a Downtown clinic, DR. DAVID HOLLAND, one of Fulton’s top public health officers, is taking steps to address the crisis by putting up a defense against the virus’ spread. The clinic across the street from Grady Memorial Hospital, part of Fulton County’s forward-looking HIV/AIDS Task Force, offers pre-exposure prophylaxis, aka PrEP, in the form of Truvada, a pill that can drastically reduce the chance of HIV infection when taken properly. The clinic is aimed at high-risk individuals, particularly young men who have sex with men. The drug is available free — helpful in a place where many lack health insurance. www.fultoncountyga.gov/hivaids. less...

Best Ideas to Right the Wrongs BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Critics Pick
Freedom University
In 2011, the Georgia Board of Regents approved a policy that prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition and from attending the state’s top universities. The move shut out thousands of young Georgians from receiving a higher education, despite President Barack Obama’s executivemore...
In 2011, the Georgia Board of Regents approved a policy that prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition and from attending the state’s top universities. The move shut out thousands of young Georgians from receiving a higher education, despite President Barack Obama’s executive order that protected from deportation people who were brought to the U.S. as children. Enter FREEDOM UNIVERSITY. Founded by four Georgia professors and run entirely on donations, the school aims to provide the same quality education the students would receive at state schools — free. The nonprofit also tries to help the young people apply for college located in states that allow undocumented students and advocates to change policies. In a perfect world, says Executive Director Laura Emiko Soltis, there would be no need to have “underground schools.” Until Georgia gets there, Freedom U continues. www.freedomuniversitygeorgia.com. less...

Best Youth Mentor BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Critics Pick
Shawn Deangelo Walton
Sometimes the best thing someone can do for young people is be present in their lives. In West End, SHAWN DEANGELO WALTON is filling that role. After graduating from Morehouse College with a degree in childhood development, the metro Atlanta native settled in Atlanta’s westside and founded WeCyclemore...
Sometimes the best thing someone can do for young people is be present in their lives. In West End, SHAWN DEANGELO WALTON is filling that role. After graduating from Morehouse College with a degree in childhood development, the metro Atlanta native settled in Atlanta’s westside and founded WeCycle Atlanta, a nonprofit that teaches young children about sustainability through urban agriculture and bicycling. He has taught them how to build small businesses, stay active, and, occasionally, stay straight when he’s found them avoiding school. Much like Bearings Bike Shop in Adair Park, Walton helps kids earn bicycles through doing good deeds. This past summer he started mentoring children, teaching them how to start lawn-mowing services, and sell items such as incense. Walton placed a $1 bounty on real-estate investors’ numerous (and illegal) signs on utility poles aimed at hoodwinking desperate people to sell their houses for less than they’re worth. And when a child expressed interest in learning about the police department, Walton was able to secure a sit-down with a local officer, who also donated tennis racquets for the youth, helping to build ties between community and law enforcement. www.wecycleatlanta.org. less...

Best Neighborhood Bar BOA Award Winner

Year » 2016
Section » Print Features » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2016 » CityScape » Trophy Case
Manuel’s Tavern
The news that MANUEL’S TAVERN would shut its doors to undergo an overhaul didn’t just scare regulars who feared losing that familiar smoky smell. It also meant enduring the 2016 presidential primaries somewhere other than the Poncey-Highland haunt. But when the pub reopened its doors in early August,more...
The news that MANUEL’S TAVERN would shut its doors to undergo an overhaul didn’t just scare regulars who feared losing that familiar smoky smell. It also meant enduring the 2016 presidential primaries somewhere other than the Poncey-Highland haunt. But when the pub reopened its doors in early August, the crowds made clear that old habits die hard. The familiar political operatives, journalists, and politicians can once again be found with beer glasses in hand. The TVs are back up on the walls. Come November, the screens will broadcast election returns to (mostly) Democrats sitting at the same sticky tables surrounded by the same political memorabilia. You can’t renovate the spirit out of the place. less...

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