It seems just yesterday we pushed the “publish” button to launch the first batch of stories for this Atlanta news source, and the response from metro Atlantans has been humbling ever since.

Now, after one month, it’s time for a quick review—and a few pertinent updates.

For anyone just joining the party, Urbanize Atlanta launched in late January, helmed by the former Curbed Atlanta editor like other new city sites in Austin and Detroit, and we’re all following the template put together by the team at Urbanize Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Urbanize New York is also doing its thing, with other city sites in the works.

The focus is the physical evolution of Atlanta. So far, that’s meant thought-provoking architecture around MARTA stations; dreams of new MARTA rail lines; Adair Park’s first “art-force housing”; lofty affordable housing plans at a downtown church; a noted architect’s house near Midtown that could face the wrecking ball; a deeper dive into a potentially game-changing project for the eastern fringes of Old Fourth Ward; and a dazzling new greenspace that’s gearing up to open in Vine City.

MARTA's transit-oriented development in Edgewood. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

On a smaller scale, we’ve seen a funky 1940s building where Midtown meets downtown angling to be something—anything—else, for a price. And a gorgeous Druid Hills mansion that’s taken the unusual renovation route of being divided into two million-dollar townhomes.

The foyer of a 1926 Druid Hills manse reborn as $1.89-million townhouses. Courtesy of Compass.

Many have asked for a newsletter service to keep updated, and visitors to Urbanize Atlanta should now see that prompt. Good news is that newsletters are scheduled to begin circulating locally early next week. Hooray! 

And if you haven’t noticed (shame!), the site’s young Twitter account is gaining traction, and Facebook conversations have been lively, informative, and sometimes hilarious. Please do help us spread the word; that’s the quickest way to grow this operation and improve coverage.

More features are coming soon, and a quick glimpse at LA’s site should give an idea what a more fully built-out website will look like in Atlanta. Keep the suggestions and tips coming (looking at you, M.AV on the Westside), but please do be patient, as there’s a lot to cover around here.

Speaking of coverage, this week we began a forthcoming series of stories driven by drone photos at The Battery Atlanta, to provide visual journeys from perspectives readers will hopefully enjoy. Itching to spotlight the $50-million redevelopment of Old Fourth Ward’s David T. Howard Middle School, we also compiled a before/after contrast of the place where a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once attended classes—a nod to redevelopment done well and Black History Month.  

Screen-capture of school's state before versus now. Google Maps/Urbanize Atlanta

But the most popular stories to date have been quite the grab-bag, though most involve truly big ideas.

They include a city planner’s Letter to the Editor making the case for razing CNN Center downtown to improve the experience for visitors and locals alike. The reveal of a grandly ambitious and expensive 10-block park that would cap a portion of the Connector. A tour of Google’s future home high above Midtown. And a Q&A with Duda Paine architect Jeff Paine, who makes the case for building Atlanta’s first true skyscraper in years with pandemic-era safety protocol.

Like so many of you, we’re fascinated by where this city’s going, and we’re here to explore, document, and explain it.

Sincere thanks for your interest and support thus far. 

• South Atlanta building, versatile but 'a tad disfigured,' discounted by $20K (Urbanize)