Toward a More Livable City
While Mayor Jackson pursued a more inclusive government, he also sought a more livable city. He supported neighborhood preservation and the role of citizens in determining how the city developed. He capitalized on federal funding to improve public housing and to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) system. He also distinguished himself and Atlanta as a leader in the arts, something he described in a 1975 forum on media and the arts as not only a source of pleasure, enlightenment, and education but also as “a vehicle for bringing us together in our common humanity.”
Above: The new 1973 city charter created Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) to give citizens more voice in the city’s operations and development. Mayor Jackson also used the NPUs to schedule his People’s Day meetings when citizens could discuss any issues with city officials, including the mayor.
MARTA
Mayor Jackson saw mass transit as a way to relieve congestion and enhance urban life. He helped obtain federal funding to improve the metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) bus system and added rail service. Through the 1970s, MARTA received federal grants of more than $800 million for planning, design, land acquisition, and construction.
Above: Mayor Jackson shows off new MARTA rail cars. The first trains began service on June 30, 1979, between the Avondale and Georgia State University stations.
“Those of you who have visited our city know how frustrating the freeways can be during the rush hour. MARTA’s goal and ours is to relieve that frustration.”
– Testimony before the Urban Affairs Subcommittee of the Joint Economic Committee, April 29, 1974
The Neighborhood Arts Project
The Arts
Mayor Jackson established the city’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs in 1974, envisioning that its programs would act as catalysts for artistic development and achievement in art, music, theatre and dance. Michael Lomax, who later opposed Mayor Jackson for the mayor’s office, and Shirley Franklin, who became Atlanta’s first female mayor, both served as directors of the bureau.
Right: Under the Neighborhood Arts Project, the city commissioned nine sculptures and fifteen murals and placed them in Community Development Impact Areas. In 1977 the city council passed an ordinance to allocate one percent of the budget of each renovated and new city building for public art.
Muhammad Ali and Mayor Jackson
Mayor Jackson’s position afforded him some interesting opportunities. Here, he appears in the ring with champion Muhammad Ali. Refereed by Georgia State Senator Julian Bond, the 1975 exhibition bout raised funds for the first “This is Black Atlanta” family day bazaar.
Mayor's Day for the Arts
Advertising for Mayor’s Day for the Arts, which took place on May 19, 1975. The event brought artists and the public together in downtown Atlanta.