Atlanta

It was a major coup for the Atlanta region when State Farm announced yesterday locate one of its three national hubs there, a move that will bring 3,000 new jobs over the next 10 years. But what really makes this news interesting is that State Farm chose to put its new campus right next to a transit station.

More disturbing reports from Atlanta's epic frozen traffic jam disaster are coming to light today. It's hard to believe how quickly the situation got out of hand when the region's freeways got hit with a few inches of snow.

This week, Jeff and Tanya take on the Atlanta Braves' terrible, no-good, very bad decision to move their stadium to Cobb County, Georgia. We discuss cities that are (and are not) shaped like wedding cakes, and whether that means you need to smoosh your spouse's face in it. Tanya makes a pedestrian-rights argument against high-heeled shoes (and Jeff abstains from taking sides). We parse the differences between "shared streets" -- without marked-out space for cars, bikes, and people on foot -- and vehicular cycling.

When the Atlanta Braves announced their decision to move their stadium from downtown Atlanta to a highway nexus in suburban Cobb County this week, they cited transportation problems as part of the impetus. But it wasn't long before everyone started wondering if the new site, only marginally connected to the region's transit system, could actually handle the additional traffic on game days.

Why raise desperately needed transportation funds for a broke region when you could let people drive for free? In Georgia, the state has made up its mind: The DOT will pay $4.5 million to tear down tolls on GA 400 -- and forfeit the $21 million a year the tolls brought in.

The sprawling-est city in the Southeast -- Atlanta -- is entering a whole new phase, according to a new report from Christopher Leinberger at the George Washington University School of Business.

What would it take to change Atlanta into a place that values and celebrates healthy, active transportation? We just may see, in short order.

Last summer, voters from a 10-county region in and around Atlanta shot down a large package of transportation projects, including some major urban transit projects.