Community
Healthy Livable Communities
Great places don’t happen by accident. Local governments must plan carefully and work with residents to identify a vision for their community and develop a framework to guide future development.
ARC works with local governments to foster vibrant, pedestrian-friendly communities that work for every age and stage of life, as well as greater access to parks and greenspace, better housing options, and strong economies. The agency has developed a range of programs and initiatives designed to help the Atlanta region maintain a high quality of life. ARC’s programs include Local Leadership Housing Action Committee, Regional Housing Forum, Housing Task Force, and planning activities.
ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is a grant program that incentivizes local jurisdictions to re-envision their communities as vibrant, pedestrian-friendly places that increase mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles, and provide easy access to jobs and services.
ARC’s Community Development Assistance (CDAP) program provides critical planning and technical support to help local communities improve quality of life for residents. Applicants are selected each year in a competitive solicitation process. The program focus on helping communities build resiliency and improve social equity.
ARC’s Comprehensive Planning program offers assistance to cities and counties with their 5-year planning updates which include housing data and goals.
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Improving Housing Options Across Metro Atlanta
What is housing affordability?
It’s a ratio – the portion of a household’s income spent on housing.
Good housing options should be widely available in communities large and small, urban and suburban. We all need places to live that won’t break our budgets while offering access to vital resources like healthy food, proximity to job centers, and quality transportation options.
The trend lines are clear: housing prices are rising much faster than wages. The supply of housing isn’t keeping up with our fast-growing population, further boosting costs. And more than one in three households in our region are “cost burdened” — that is, they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
A strategic, regional approach is needed to increase supply, reduce costs, and preserve affordable units to foster a stronger, healthier housing market that works for everyone. To help guide the way, ARC worked with a diverse group of regional leaders to create the Metro Atlanta Housing Strategy, which provides detailed information and data about the region’s housing market and offers a set of actionable steps that local communities can consider taking to address their housing issues.
Increasing access to quality, affordable housing will help the entire region thrive:
- Stronger Economy: Metro Atlanta will remain a destination for employers looking to relocate or expand, keeping our economy growing.
- Better Quality of Life: Communities and schools will become more stable, as fewer families move in search of cheaper rent. More affordable housing options also means fewer people will have to put off spending on vital services, such as healthcare.
- Greater Opportunities and Reduced Inequality: Increased levels of home ownership will help people build wealth and climb the socioeconomic ladder, and help reduce the “wealth gap” that exists between owners and renters.
- Reduced Traffic Congestion: More people will be able to live closer to where they work. That means fewer vehicles on the road, reduced traffic congestion, and improved air quality.
Housing Supply and Affordability Pose Major Challenges
- The median home sale price in metro Atlanta is $374,000, compared to $139,000 in 2023 - a 169% increase.
- Since 2011, average rent has increased 50% while wages have only risen 10%.
- In 2011, 28% of housing units in metro Atlanta cost less than $800 per month. In 2021, that had dropped to 9%.
Housing Insecurity During the Pandemic
Housing affordability was a concern in metro Atlanta even before the advent of
COVID-19 — and the pandemic only made things worse, as factors like limited
construction, increased demand for single-family housing, and high rates of
investor and corporate home purchases combined to exacerbate inequity and unaffordability.
What does it mean to be cost-burdened?
Cost-burdened households spend at least 30% of their income on housing.
About 1/3 of the region’s households are considered cost burdened.
According to data from National Equity Atlas data from April 27 - May 9 of this year, 91,820 metro Atlanta households were behind on their rent. In the state of Georgia, 71% of those behind on rent were people of color and 80% were low-income. Before the pandemic, 46% of Latino and 40% of Black residents were rent-burdened and economically insecure, versus 26% of white residents.
Improving the Quality of Life for Residents of all Ages and Abilities
In 2019, 566,000 people age 65 or older lived in the 10-county region — that’s 1 in 8 of us. By 2050, more than one out of every five metro Atlanta residents will be 65 or older.
Most of us want to stay in our communities as we age, but we need improved access to transportation, services, and housing that is affordable and accessible for every stage of life.
ARC’s Aging & Independence Services Group works to prepare the 10-county metropolitan area to address the future needs of our changing society while ensuring adequate services and support are available to individuals and their families living in our community today.
We do so by working in the following four areas: planning, providing direct services, partnering, and public policy advocacy.
Key Issues:
Social Isolation & Loneliness
Nearly one in four adults aged 65 and older is considered to be socially isolated. Social isolation and loneliness can lead to serious health problems and increased healthcare costs for both the individual and the community.
Lifelong Communities
As our population ages, it’s critical that we create communities that support persons of all ages and abilities.
Caregiving
A significant portion of care for older people and individuals with disabilities in Georgia is managed by family members and friends who often make tremendous personal and financial sacrifices. There are ways we can better support caregivers.
Transportation
According to an ARC study, more than one out of three adults over age 65 in metro Atlanta frequently lack transportation to get where they need to go.
Housing
There is not enough quality, affordable housing in metro Atlanta to meet the needs of the region’s fast-growing population of older people.
Empowerline
Empowerline is a service that connects metro Atlanta’s older persons and individuals with disabilities to the information and support they need to thrive and maximize their independence.
Empowerline’s phone and online counselors link people with trusted community services — such as meals, transportation, resources to help care for a loved one, housing, assistance at home, and healthcare providers — to help them live their best lives.
Live Beyond Expectations
Across metro Atlanta, zip codes tell a tale of inequity when it comes to life expectancy. Lifespans may vary by as much as two decades based on where you live. A resident who lives in the 30339 ZIP code can expect to live, on average, 25 years longer than someone just 6.7 miles away, in the 30314 ZIP code. Such life expectancy differences can be found within every county in the 1-county region.
Life expectancy is shaped by numerous complex factors beyond an individual’s control, such as access to food, sidewalks, and quality education.
In 2020, ARC’s Aging & Independence Services Group launched an initiative that aims to improve longevity for those living in census tracts with the lowest life expectancy. Live Beyond Expectations Regional Strategic Plan 2020-2025 is a strategic framework designed to identify and address the inequities that create disparities in life expectancy.
In the years to come, ARC will work with community members to make meaningful progress in closing the gap. ARC is engaging with regional, state, and national stakeholders to bolster current partnerships, develop new relationships, and marshal resources so that all people who live in the Atlanta region can lead long and healthy lives, no matter where they live.
Arts & Culture
Metro Atlanta is a regional center for arts and culture whose artistic output has gained national and international attention. From arts nonprofits to the commercial creative industries like film, television, music, and video games, to public art, to festivals, residents of the 11- county region enjoy, expect, and deserve access to cultured opportunities.
Since 2012, ARC has included arts, culture, and creative placemaking in its planning work. This work intersects with the agency’s other areas of focus, and ARC has taken a holistic approach to ensuring its incorporation into all it does.
Recently, ARC has focused on bringing arts and culture workers into community planning processes at the outset, working as active collaborators alongside planners, community leaders, and governmental staffers. The result: planning that better tackles challenges in a way that improves quality of life for all residents.
This approach is based on recommendations from ARC’s 2019 Regional Arts, Culture, & Creative Placemaking Strategic Plan, designed to better integrate arts and culture into the agency’s planning work. The plan, guided by a steering committee of cross-sector leaders from across the region, provides a blueprint for how ARC can better integrate these aspects into its own planning work, while also encouraging more thought and planning around arts and culture in communities as they envision their futures.
ARC recently completed a Cultural Assessment of the Atlanta Region to provide a benchmark for arts and culture planning in the region and identify opportunities where arts and culture could interface with ARC policies and areas of focus.
Competitive Economy
A strong, growing economy is essential to the success of any region. To ensure that metro Atlanta’s economy remains thriving and competitive into the future, the region must take steps to become a globally recognized hub of innovation and prosperity. The region also must also invest in its greatest resource, its people, to develop a highly educated and skilled workforce that is able to meet the needs of 21st century employers.
The Challenge
The state of Georgia is experiencing economic growth, but this growth is not translating into shared prosperity for everyone. Children born into poorer families in metro Atlanta struggle to climb into more affluent classes. Of the nation’s 381 major metro areas, Atlanta was ranked at 360, near the bottom of the list when it comes to upward mobility. Meanwhile, the region added 116,350 jobs between Q4 of 2021 and Q4 of 2022, a 4.5% local job rate gain compared to the national rate of 4.0%.
But to take advantage of these new jobs, metro Atlanta's workforce must have the skills to match the available positions. The top sectors adding jobs are professional and business services, and trade, transportation and utilities. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes critical funding opportunities for expanding workforce training for these fields and beyond.
Workforce Development
Assistance for Job Seekers and Employers: A Regional Approach
Many metro residents cross county lines to get from where they live to where they work—and so it’s important to take a regional approach when it comes to services for employers and job-seekers alike. WorkSource Metro Atlanta provides services in Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Rockdale, and the City of Atlanta.
They also provides a range of services for businesses seeking a skilled workforce, including training and skills development for new and existing employees, assistance with employee recruitment, and data tools that provide insight into labor market trends.
To learn more about our services for job seekers and employers, visit atlworks.org.
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ARC Annual Partners
ARC’s Strategic Partners are committed to fostering collaborative regional approaches that improve quality of life in metro Atlanta. Their support elevates ARC leadership programs, research and events throughout the year.
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Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404.463.3100
Fax: 404.463.3205
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