Atlanta Urbanist Book Group

A Better Atlanta, One Book at a Time

Our mission at the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group is to introduce new ideas to Urban Atlanta by reading recent books about cities, identifying the ideas we think would work in Atlanta, and offering civic leaders a guide to these ideas.

We define “urbanism” broadly. We are reading books about transportation, land use, housing, public safety, government reform, neighborhoods, social infrastructure, education, economic development, regionalism, diversity, politics, arts and culture, volunteerism, and more. 

Our aim isn’t to review books but to show how their ideas apply to Atlanta today and suggest ways of moving from good ideas to good actions. 

Interested? Like to join us for a discussion? Click here to sign up for our email notices about books and meeting dates.

You can also subscribe to our calendar of events on Google. Click this link to have our meetings connected to your phone’s calendar and updated two or three months in advance. You’ll never have to wonder when the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group meets next.

Next Book: The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World

Jan 8, 2025

We will discuss a book about how power and progress have moved in recent decades from federal and state governments to cities. The chief beneficiaries of this “paradigm shift,” the book argues, are mayors who are connected to one another, open to new ideas and skilled at collaboration.

Rahm Emanuel was the two-term mayor of Chicago. Before that, he was a congressman and chief of staff for President Barack Obama. He is now the U.S. ambassador to Japan.

We will look for lessons about power and progress, and the role mayors can play in leading their communities, in Urban Atlanta.