Atlanta: "The City That Keeps Changing America" -CNN

[bossabreezes]

I noted that Atlanta wasn't innovative or creative enough to make it important on a national level. Not that it wasn't important on a national level. There is a distinction. Nobody thinks WOW, Atlanta is an innovative and creative place! Nobody is saying Atlanta isn't a notable place, even if only for it's population. Obviously as a large metro with lots of jobs and people it is important. My comment was that it's not especially important in regards to innovation. Its also not especially important as a place/built form, but here on suburban booster forum obviously we'll have some disagreements on that. I still will argue that Atlanta is not that special though, and you see mini versions of it in Charlotte and other sprawltopias throughout the Southeast.

On national scale of importance, however, its on the very bottom of a top 10 list. Still on the list, but all the way down it. If Atlanta ceased to exist tomorrow, very little would change in the US. Strinkingly little for a city CNN claims to ''always'' ''change America.''

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

I noted that Atlanta wasn't innovative or creative enough to make it important on a national level. Not that it wasn't important on a national level.

in that case, you worded your initial statement pretty inelegantly.

i don't really care about the exact position where you personally would rank atlanta in terms of "national importance", my only real point was that i do consider it a fairly important city at the national level.

it's now big enough to drag its entire ruby red state across the blue line, like a mini-chicago. if that trend holds/grows, it is going to have big-time national political consequences going forward.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by mhays

If someone posted that Seattle is changing the US, it would get crapped on too, particularly if the source was local or related.

This is an urban board, and comments are typically nicer to urban places. That's to be expected if people are honest. Yes the negative stuff is excessive sometimes, but I really think that's rare.

On this topic, Atlanta is doing some good things with infill, and that's fairly typical. But the article is about the city's place in racial history and its food culture, not urbanity. In the first one it really has played a lead role.

30 years ago, someone could have written about Seattle changing the US, at least musically, and it would be taken seriously. Unlike Grunge, racial politics hasn't faded so Atlanta is still very much impactful on this front.

I still have my flannels though.

[bilbao58]

Originally Posted by L.ARCH

It has been the posterchild for what not to do for decades and now finds itself in the midst of a development boom that could transform it into a more dense, walkable, and innovative urban environment. But this transition threatens what was initially so attractive about it - a more affordable place to live and raise a family.

When you put it that way, Atlanta sounds exactly like Houston!

[mhays]

Originally Posted by JManc

30 years ago, someone could have written about Seattle changing the US, at least musically, and it would be taken seriously. Unlike Grunge, racial politics hasn't faded so Atlanta is still very much impactful on this front.

I still have my flannels though.

That would be clothing and/or music companies advertising a clothing style. I don't remember flannel shirts being common here then or really ever.

Maybe they were common in Aberdeen and other towns in logging country where bands like Nirvana came from. But not necessarily Seattle.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

This is a CNN homer fluff piece, nothing more. It's similar to any home town news source saying they're the best at xyz, not very credible. Atlanta is hardly changing anything in America, except destroying once pristine wilderness for tract homes and soulless strip malls.

Atlanta is no different than any other suburban sprawl metro and does not have a good reputation in comparison to the hyped Southern cities like Austin and Nashville. It's not especially interesting at street level and is certainly not creative or innovative enough to make it important on the national level. It's biggest plus is the low cost of living.

Well dayum.

[bobdreamz]

What is this place called "Atlanta"?

Signed,
Florida!

[tdawg]

LOL at the hate always geared toward Atlanta mostly stemming from ignorance about the city and what's happening there.

[dubu]

everyone is different, cnn likes the city and i know people that want to move out of atlanta.

[The North One]

*sigh*

Imagine if Midwest cities had the luxury of these promoted fluff pieces of genuine praise from major media outlets that shape the image of a place.

We get this utter horse shit instead.

https://www.insider.com/things-that-...midwest-2021-6

[cabasse]

i think the atlanta reddit post covering this article sums up my thoughts nicely

https://www.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/com...nging_america/

[KB0679]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

Nothing wrong here, just pointing out that Atlanta is not special or even unique on a national level.

Yes it is. If people are ignorant of or dismiss how special and unique it is because such qualities are rooted in the city's unapologetic full embrace of its Southernness and Blackness, that's on them.

Atlanta successfully built a brand and identity on two things that are supposed to be kryptonite for American cities striving to major national or even international players.

I'll truly never understand people who reduce cities to nothing more than the number of people living in close proximity to each other and how closely buildings come to the sidewalk.

[mhays]

This is an urbanity forurm. People will talk about urbanity.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by mhays

This is an urbanity forurm. People will talk about urbanity.

The article has less to do with urbanity but more about Atlanta on a macro level.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by mhays

This is an urbanity forurm. People will talk about urbanity.

Right.

But the wholesale slagging of the place simply because it doesn't possess a large amout of traditional urbanism is a bit much, IMO.

Yes, we can criticize Atlanta, and most other US cities, for its sprawly, auto-centric ways, but it shouldn't be a crime to point out some of its good qualities as well.

[mhays]

Agreed, but I think most posters have more nuanced posts, and do acknowledge good things along with the bad. What's called "hate" is often just anything short of unreserved admiration.

[Steely Dan]

^ yes, many posters have expressed more nuanced views.

I think the "hate" mainly stemmed from post #2, and its follow-ups.

[KB0679]

Originally Posted by mhays

This is an urbanity forurm. People will talk about urbanity.

The name of the forum is "City Discussions." To think that this is restricted to the built environment to the exclusion of anything else related to cities (demographic, cultural, economic, etc. issues) is asinine.

[mhays]

Of course that would be asinine!

Why are we talking about that? Did someone suggest otherwise?

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by bossabreezes

Nothing wrong here, just pointing out that Atlanta is not special or even unique on a national level.

Have you been to Atlanta? Just curious. Even someone who doesnt like Atlanta could not with a straight face say its not special ir even unique on a National level.

i dont know any city in America that people think of when it comes to black culture more than Atlanta.That makes it unique on a national level and special. Why would so many blacks ve moving there? This is true from even an international level among people of African descent.