{"682259":{"#nid":"682259","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Center for Urban Research Receives Grant to Help Improve Atlanta Neighborhoods","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Southern Company Foundation awarded a $2.5 million grant to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urbanresearch.iac.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Center for Urban Research\u003C\/a\u003E to support Mayor Andre Dickens\u2019 effort to address socioeconomic inequities in Atlanta neighborhoods.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis investment is a major step forward in Mayor Dickens\u2019 effort to improve the quality of lives of all Atlantans,\u201d said David Edwards, the founding executive director of the Center for Urban Research and the policy advisor for neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta Office of the Mayor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy goal is to ensure that the city of Atlanta is the best city in the country to raise a child,\u201d said Mayor Andre Dickens. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to achieve that by ensuring every child in the city lives in a healthy, thriving, and accessible neighborhood. This investment by the Southern Company Foundation will help us ensure that we track and evaluate our progress against that goal. I am very appreciative of their willingness to support this critical work.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe Center for Urban Research, hosted in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EJimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E, is a collaboration between Georgia Tech and the mayor\u2019s office. It brings together university, community, nonprofit, and municipal leaders to develop and evaluate solutions that address inequities in urban centers. Current projects include neighborhood improvement plans and climate-oriented engineering for housing and facilities on public land.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe Center will use the $2.5 million from the Southern Company Foundation to evaluate and inform the mayor\u2019s \u201cAchieving Fairness of Place\u201d initiative, which is investing in seven historically disinvested neighborhoods to improve outcomes in housing, education, health, and economic mobility.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow: \u003C\/strong\u003EThe Center for Urban Research will develop an impact measurement strategy for the project and track the results of the investments. It will also lead the research, informing the work on the ground and conducting and supporting local and national work on issues related to place-based transformation and neighborhood health. The Center is collaborating with more than 40 researchers at colleges and universities across the region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWith this funding, we hope to establish the Center as a leader in research, practice, and partnerships and use Atlanta as a blueprint of what can happen nationwide to address urban inequity,\u201d said Ishita Chordia, the associate director of the Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPolicymakers in Atlanta and beyond desperately need research support,\u201d added Center Co-Director Brian An, an assistant professor at the Carter School.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Southern Company Foundation\u2019s grant will allow the Center to create fellowships and build an interdisciplinary team of master\u2019s and doctoral students from the Carter School, the School of City and Regional Planning, the College of Computing, and others to provide the research analytics that policymakers often don\u2019t have the time or money to procure themselves, An said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are pleased to support the mayor\u2019s Fairness of Place initiative with the Center for Urban Research to conduct research and determine best practices in community transformation,\u201d said Myra Bierria, president of the Southern Company Foundation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis initiative, taking shape in several economically disadvantaged communities to provide residents with access to quality housing, education, workforce development, and public spaces, aligns with our focus on elevating our communities for generations to come. This grant reflects our commitment to these efforts and supporting the Atlanta communities we are privileged to serve.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Southern Company Foundation awarded a $2.5 million grant to the Georgia Tech Center for Urban Research to support Mayor Andre Dickens\u2019 effort to improve Atlanta neighborhoods.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Southern Company Foundation awarded a $2.5 million grant to the Georgia Tech Center for Urban Research to support Mayor Andre Dickens\u2019 effort to improve Atlanta neighborhoods. "}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2025-05-06 16:33:18","changed_gmt":"2025-05-16 13:18:09","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677033":{"id":"677033","type":"image","title":"Untitled-design--60-.jpg","body":null,"created":"1746549204","gmt_created":"2025-05-06 16:33:24","changed":"1746549204","gmt_changed":"2025-05-06 16:33:24","alt":"Stock image of Atlanta city street with buildings and trees","file":{"fid":"260893","name":"Untitled-design--60-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/06\/Untitled-design--60-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/06\/Untitled-design--60-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1569884,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/06\/Untitled-design--60-.jpg?itok=A_MamAT9"}}},"media_ids":["677033"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dminardi3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dminardi3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}