Atlanta — Apr 02, 2026
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is renewing its Community Engagement Fellowship for 2026 following a successful inaugural year that brought together artists, planners, and residents to explore innovative approaches to affordable housing through community land trusts.
As part of ARC’s Community Engagement and Culture work, the fellowship integrates arts and culture into regional planning to strengthen public engagement. ARC selects an artist, through a competitive process, who collaborates with planning staff on public-facing projects, emphasizing collaboration, creative engagement, and replicable strategies for community outreach.
In 2025, the program paired Atlanta-based comedian and civic engagement artist Mark Kendall with housing planner Kristin Allin to examine how community land trusts can preserve long-term affordability. Using the Decatur Land Trust as a case study, the team developed creative tools to help residents understand how land trusts work and support stable housing for generations.
“The fellowship elevates the work our partners are doing to address the region’s most pressing challenges while creating space to hear directly from community members,” said Kristin Allin, senior planner. “Fellows play a vital role in building relationships, amplifying voices, and ensuring that lived experiences help guide our efforts.”
About the 2025 and Returning 2026 Fellow
Mark Kendall, ARC’s fellow, brought a distinctive blend of humor, storytelling, and civic insight to the role. He is co-founder of CoolCoolCool Productions with Bill Worley, a media company focused on civic participation, and co-host of WABE’s “What’s Good, Atlanta?” podcast. His nationally touring one-person show explores race, identity, and culture through humor.
“I believe in comedy and storytelling as vital tools for providing information that empowers communities.” said Kendall. “Workshops, conversations, and artist conducted creative research exploring the lived experience of others helped us share the story of what a community land trust looks like at the ground level.”
Kendall also used multimedia storytelling, including a documentary video about the Decatur Land Trust, to help residents engage with housing policy in accessible, human-centered ways grounded in lived experience.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Building on the first year, the fellowship will expand efforts to deepen community understanding of housing tools, support ongoing dialogue between residents and planners, and share lessons with local governments and practitioners. Kendall will focus on a larger regional lens of community land trusts as well as expand the scope to all of DeKalb County.
To view the 2025 Community Engagement Fellowship video and learn more about the program, visit ARC’s Community Engagement Fellowship page.
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The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the official planning agency for the 11-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 74 other cities. The ARC’s mission is to foster thriving communities for all within the Atlanta region through collaborative, data-informed planning and investments.
Contact Name: Sheryl Merritt
Contact Phone: 470-757-3799
Contact Email: [email protected]
