Tree Ordinance: The Department of City Planning failed to pass a progressive reworking of Atlanta's Tree Protection Ordinance, instead opting for an incremental approach. By showing public support for more stringent canopy protections, the community can support Atlanta's city planning department in speeding their progress.

Transit-Oriented Development: Promoting urban development that is compact, mixed-use, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and closely integrated with mass transit by clustering jobs, housing, services, and amenities around public transport stations.

Walkable Catchment: The area within a specified walking distance of a destination and where paths provide a specific level of service and amenity. A five minute walking distance is defined as walkable for most people. More important destinations, such as train stations or major centers, may serve a wider walkable catchment.

Adaptive Reuse: The process of reusing an existing building (or landscape) for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets. Adaptive reuse of buildings can be an attractive alternative to new construction in terms of sustainability and a circular economy. It has prevented thousands of buildings' demolition and has allowed them to become critical components of urban regeneration. The Belt Line, Rail Yards, and Atlantic Station are all examples of this in Atlanta -- though there are pros and cons to all of these projects.

Future Land Use Planning: To reiterate, it is the "process of designating preferred, compatible land uses in each Character Area. It serves as the basis for preparing and adopting Zoning that regulates the physical development and limits the specific uses allowed on properties." GA's version of this, the Georgia Planning Act, was adopted in 1989; updates should be made to this plan to encourage more thoughtful design and prioritize density.

Urban Sprawl in Atlanta