Decatur is one of 11 finalists for this year’s Atlanta Magazine “Groundbreaker of the Year” Award.  According to the mag’s website, the program was launched in 2012 ” with the goal of honoring people and projects that make Atlanta a better place to live, emphasizing innovation and new ideas.”

The magazine’s theme for this year is “Building (and Rebuilding) a Better Place to Live.” “They explain, “We sought out smart work not only in development, but in preservation, parks, public art, and environmental stewardship. The 11 members of the 2015 class range from an urbanist project in the suburbs to a passionate advocate of public arts to a transformative reimagining of highway right-of-way.”

In its blurb, Decatur is recognized for its ongoing “environmental work” and it’s ARC Green Communities “platinum” status. The city’s current work with its “Better Together” diversity initiative, zoning changes to allow smaller housing options, the Lifelong Community Advisory Board and the MLK Service Program also all received a mention.

Decatur is up against a field of 10 worthy challengers, including a mixed use project in Alpharetta, Clark Howard’s involvement in Habitat for Humanity, MARTA CEO Keith Parker, Arts non-profit WonderRoot, PATH400 and others.

Take a look at all the candidates, and if you think Decatur is deserving of the award, you can vote for it HERE!

Photo courtesy of McVeigh Mangum

Michael also points to this release by the Atlanta Regional Commission…

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the Livable Communities Coalition (LCC) recognized five of the region’s most innovative developments and one “Great Place,” with the 2012 Developments of Excellence Awards. The winners, announced at ARC’s annual State of the Region breakfast on Friday, October 12, were:

• Historic Fourth Ward Park, Development of Excellence
• Downtown Decatur, Great Place
• Downtown Norcross, Livable Centers Initiative Achievement Award
• College Park Gateway Center, Exceptional Merit for Public-Private Partnership
• Ivy Hall, Exceptional Merit for Historic Preservation
• Emory Point, Exceptional Merit for Infill Development

After the jump you can read the specific write ups for Decatur and Emory Point.  At the end of the other link above you can read ALL the individual write ups!

Read the rest of this entry »

OK, enough with the grandstanding, I’ve got filtering to do!  Here are all the Decatur winners.  Looks like the city of Decatur beat out the Brick Store for the most overall awards with 4 (vs. 3).

Cityscape

Critics Picks

Best Neighborhood – Decatur  (Choice quote: “Decatur, you marvelous son of a bitch, you win again.”)

Best Local Blog – Decatur Metro

Readers Picks

Best down-to-earth-place in Atlanta – Decatur

Best neighborhood to live in – Decatur

Best suburb – Decatur

Poets, Artists & Madmen

Critics Picks

Best Book Event – Decatur Book Festival

Best Literary Love for Atlanta – Outcasts United

Reader’s Picks

Best Emerging Visual Artist – John D. Weiss

Best Local Poet (tie) – Kodac Harrison

Best Place to Hear the Spoken Word – Java Monkey

Best Book Event – Decatur Book Festival

Best Acoustic Music Club – Eddie’s Attic

Best Pool Hall – Twain’s

Best Neighborhood Bar – Brick Store Pub

Oral Pleasures

Reader’s Picks

Best Patio Dining – Wahoo! Grill

Best Tacos – Taqueria de Sol

Best Fried Chicken – Watershed

Best Veggie Meal at a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant – Watershed

Best Brew Pub – Brick Store Pub

Best Beer Selection – Brick Store Pub

Consumer Culture

Reader’s Choice

Best Jewelry – Worthmore Jewelry

Best Nail Salon – Jazmin Spa

Best Kids Clothing – Wiggle

Congrats to all the winners!  I hope I got ’em all.  Let me know what I may have missed!