As much as I would like it to be as big of a deal as the Olympics, I doubt it. Would love to be wrong, however. I do think the impact will be huge. Much larger than the Superbowl, so I'm thrilled to see what all comes of it both from a cultural, and development/infrastructure preservative. The 2026 deadline has brought a much needed urgency to the latter.
I think it will be a huge event obviously, especially downtown. Lots of groups and people will be spending enormous amounts of money to get ready.
I think it will all be much more temporary than the Olympics though... the city tore down multiple city blocks and created Centennial Olympic Park for the Olympics, which is still there there and a huge part of downtown 30 years later. I doubt anything like that will happen for the World Cup.
The Olympics were a transformative moment in Atlanta history, I don't think any other major event like this will top it.
But I think we're already seeing the impact of the World Cup in that it is pushing forward other developments that either would have happened more slowly or not at all. Stuff like Centennial Yards, Five Points station renovation, etc.
Yeah, the impact of this will be like 10% of the Olympics at most. pushing forward Centennial Yards to have a reasonably complete experience is probably the most concrete thing. Not much else can be proposed and delivered between now and then.
But this will be a pretty good showcase moment for Atlanta. Incomplete as it is, we've already got one of the better urban stadium experiences in North America--and that's before whatever Centennial Yards manages to accomplish (which will at least be better than nothing).
I think FIFA will be best remembered as the impetus for downtown Atlanta's lasting revival - it's a combination of a better push for and understanding of urbanism (compared to the time of the Olympics) + Atlanta's momentum as the growing capital of the south.
City council approved $120 million for downtown infrastructure spurred by the World Cup. That will have a pretty large impact. From Councilmember Farokhi:
On October 21, City Council approved the issuance of a $120 million infrastructure bond to improve Downtown streets and sidewalks. The funds are, in part, necessary in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. However, I was pleased to work with Councilmembers Jason Dozier and Matt Westmoreland, as well as the administration, to ensure that we prioritized projects whose impact would be felt long after the sporting event. All told, the money will go towards 25 miles of street resurfacing, re-striping of 200 intersections, the installation of 150 new street lights, and 14 miles of sidewalk repairs (including overdue Americans with Disabilities Act improvements).
City council approved $120 million for downtown infrastructure spurred by the World Cup. That will have a pretty large impact. From Councilmember Farokhi:
On October 21, City Council approved the issuance of a $120 million infrastructure bond to improve Downtown streets and sidewalks. The funds are, in part, necessary in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. However, I was pleased to work with Councilmembers Jason Dozier and Matt Westmoreland, as well as the administration, to ensure that we prioritized projects whose impact would be felt long after the sporting event. All told, the money will go towards 25 miles of street resurfacing, re-striping of 200 intersections, the installation of 150 new street lights, and 14 miles of sidewalk repairs (including overdue Americans with Disabilities Act improvements).
Any industry or industry adjacent folk in here who can comment on whether they believe its possible to get all of the above done before the 2026 FIFA games?
lol yup the best thing out of this is the sidewalks for downtown.
Don’t think it included money for other modes of transportation, either, just not to impact the delivery of planned projects. Might help accelerate them, though I am unclear if that is required in the legislation.
lol yup the best thing out of this is the sidewalks for downtown.
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