How MARTA is transforming Atlanta for 2026 YouTube video by SUPERBLOCK with Nathan Davenport

New video!
Watch @ youtu.be/IHY-EhbqRzI
Read @ superblock.media/video/marta-...

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it

A new chapter for the channel! YouTube video by SUPERBLOCK with Nathan Davenport

Been on hiatus from the videos, but back now with an announcement! I've renamed the channel, here is a quick update video for more: youtu.be/IkUk_JvLNxg

Thank you for all the support the past few years on the videos, excited for the next chapter! New website too at superblock.media 🤞

Elections 2025 Your trusted hub for the PSC and city of Atlanta elections.

The @atlantaciviccircle.org voting guide is extremely helpful for this election, get out there and vote if you haven't yet! atlantaciviccircle.o... #atlpol #gapol #atlanta #georgia

Who the candidates in the runoff election for Public Service Commission are and why it matters | Georgia Public Broadcasting A look at the candidates, the issues and voter turnout in the July 15 Democratic runoff election for a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission.

Don't forget to vote today in the Public Service Commissioner Runoff – if you care about lowering GA power prices! Since 2023, the average Georgia Power customer is paying $43 more each month! www.gpb.org/news/202...

INBOX: I'm looking at campaign finance disclosures for Atlanta municipal elections filed last week.

It appears NIMBYs have coalesced around Courtney Smith as their preferred candidate for the open District 2 race, which covers the neighborhoods where the Streetcar East extension would have served.

In a November 2024 interview, Chairperson Courtney Smith said NPU-E was “supportive of transit on the Beltline” and “[o]pen to exploring what it looks like.”85 While NPU-E neighborhoods like Sherwood Forest and Ansley Park are “all predominantly single-family neighborhoods,” NPU-E overall is made up of roughly “50% single-family focused neighborhoods and 50% multi-family neighborhoods,” Smith explained.86 The impressive development around the NPU’s dense neighborhoods like Midtown are a part of the “Improvement District” whereas the “Garden District” is mostly houses.87 In a recent survey, Rao and others witnessed that the more populous urban NPU-E neighborhoods like Midtown, Georgia Tech, and Atlantic Station all supported Beltline rail.88 Older residential areas like Ansley Park were not ready to commit, however.89 Those residents expressed fears that Beltline rail would erode the buffer between historic single-family and commercial areas, already fraught with tension arising from “incompatible land uses.”90 In that survey, NPU-E ultimately refused to express support for Beltline rail; it gives each neighborhood an equal vote, thus weighing Midtown and its 19,000-plus residents the same as neighborhoods like Sherwood Forrest with fewer than 500 residents.91

CROWDED BELTLINE. Everyone loves a good park — and we do mean everyone. The Atlanta Beltline, the 22-mile trail along a former railroad, has become so popular that it’s getting harder for people to use it. Our AJC colleague Bill Torpy wrote about the “free for all” among walkers, bikers and scooters earlier this year. Now, it’s becoming an issue in Atlanta’s District 2 City Council race. Candidates for the downtown district weighed in during a forum on Tuesday sponsored by the Committee for a Better Atlanta. “The Beltline itself is very crowded,” said candidate Kelsea Bond. “I think this means we need more dedicated bike lanes and a network throughout the city so we’re not crowding everybody on the Beltline.” Jacob Chambers said the city needs to complete “projects Atlantans have voted on and paid for,” including light rail. Voters approved a project way back in 2016 to extend the Atlanta Streetcar by the Eastside Beltline trail — a project that has fallen behind schedule and prompted Mayor Andre Dickens to look elsewhere for the project’s first phase. Transportation was a big topic overall among the candidates, with Ocean Zotique and Alex Jones saying the city needs to make the Beltline more accessible while Courtney Smith said “simply spending more on MARTA” is not a solution.

In November 2024, before Mayor Dickens axed the project, Smith was still on the record that her NPU was “supportive of transit on the Beltline.”

It took less than a week after the Portman donations went through for her to change her stance against MARTA, which operates the Atlanta Streetcar.

Atlanta is sabotaging Beltline Rail... but why? YouTube video by Nathan Davenport

The Eastside Trail rail project is shovel ready. Why did the mayor do a 180 in March and scrap it? Why is ABI pushing for a low capacity autonomous pod pilot? GDOT is about to throw $9.5 billion (with a B) at a project on 285/400, so spare me the argument about the cost of rail. youtu.be/02y4_fd8jvY

Excellent video from Nathan on the importance of building rail along the Atlanta Beltline. ATL Mayor Dickens is flat wrong in his misguided vision... Transit works best where there is density and activity. The Eastside trail is exactly where you should build rail first.

Atlanta's mayor is sabotaging Beltline Rail... but why? YouTube video by Nathan Davenport

Great new video by @nathandaven.com on what’s been going on with Beltline Rail and Mayor Andre Dickens. youtu.be/02y4_fd8jvY

Atlanta's mayor is sabotaging Beltline Rail... but why? YouTube video by Nathan Davenport

this is really insidious stuff out to destroy the possibility of the atl beltline.

great work @nathandaven.com

thank you!!

I was cited multiple times in this video by @nathandaven.com, particularly about how I revealed the astroturfing group Better Atlanta Transit's ties with Portman Holdings and a literal "Cop City"/ Tesla/ Delta/ gas station lobbyist

🙏🙏🙏

Atlanta's mayor is sabotaging Beltline Rail... but why? Thanks so much for watching! Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://patreon.com/nathandaven, or by joining my YouTube Membership at https://www.youtube.com/@nathandaven/join – This is my most requested video by far. With this followup, lets cover the opposition thats sprung up to Atlanta's Ea

New video on #Atlanta Beltline Rail out now! This one went through 27 different revisions 😵‍💫😵‍💫
www.youtube.com/watc...

You can also read it here on my website: www.nathandaven.com/...

Sneak peek for the next vid (very soon!!) #atlanta #beltline #transit

A few weeks ago, #Atlanta Beltline Inc posted a video doubling down on rail transit. Just tried to find it today, and now its deleted: youtube.com/watch?v=...

Interesting... Luckily, I saved the video transcript before it was deleted: pastebin.com/Zg4frzSM

Does national #BikeToWork week include #MARTA?🚊🚲😁

I keep having to rewrite my next video since this anti-rail discourse gets even more and more stupid 😆

Atlanta Beltline seeks funding for driverless vehicle pilot program The Atlanta Beltline plans a $3 million pilot program that will bring autonomous vehicles to the Southwest Trail in advance of next year’s FIFA World Cup games.

Before you have a heart attack due to this headline -- these autonomous shuttles would not operate *on* the Beltline. This is a proposal for shuttles that would operate on streets, connecting the SW Beltline to Atlanta University Center.

www.ajc.com/news/atlanta...

oh my god this sucks so much

Walking from West End MARTA to the @letspropelatl.bsky.social Blinkies Ceremony definitely leaves something to be desired. Great event however and congrats to the award winners!

i thought the same lmfao

!! marta CEO Collie Greenwood has not had a single two-way conversation with any transit agency executive about their respective fiscal crises

could you post this?

marta is proposing these reduction in positions:
-63% in centralized program management,
-20% in capital program delivery,
-14% in planning,
-16% in centralized program management, and
-24% in research & analysis!

Mind you, nine years into more marta, zero voter-approved projects have been opened!

GDOT is launching a study on #passengerrail between #Atlanta and #Savannah. Fill out the survey here and make it known that yes GDOT, we want the damn trains! atlsavpassrail-gdot....

Massive win for Georgia

Yesterday's #JanesWalk around Downtown looking at prominent art installations! Led by @modatl and @AtlantaOCA 👏

❤️ bike rebate programs! (I helped film this! some very cool interviews!)