Atlanta mayor, staff take victory lap after World Cup leaves town
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and several members of his administration took a victory lap of sorts as they celebrated the completion of the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking to more than 100 employees in the City Hall atrium, the mayor said years of preparations led to “extraordinary success” in Atlanta, which was hailed as a top host city by some foreign fans.
Atlanta’s eight matches marked the first time in three decades the city was put on such a global pedestal, and Dickens said it helps make the case for why Atlanta should be awarded future events.
“Over the last several weeks, Atlanta welcomed the world,” Dickens said Wednesday, promising to “build on this momentum” and leverage opportunities for the city.
“When we unite around a common purpose, there is nothing that this city cannot accomplish,” he said.
Despite a flurry of last-minute paving and beautification projects that led some to question if Atlanta was prepared, the six-week tournament went off largely without a hitch.
Dickens thanked employees from nearly a dozen city departments “who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our city was ready.”
Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers worked 12-hour shifts to make sure matches, watch parties and the mass gatherings ran smoothly.
There were 33 state and federal law enforcement agencies who assisted Atlanta police during the six-week tournament, Schierbaum said, which allowed APD officers to respond to calls across the city.
Crime in Atlanta dropped 18% compared to the same six-week period last year, the chief said, despite the summer months typically being the most violent time of year.
“You definitely can’t discount the fact that we had officers everywhere,” Dickens said.
But the mayor joked that even those who occasionally commit crimes may have gotten caught up in the festive atmosphere.
“People felt good,” he said. “I think people wanted to see the city shine.”
Atlanta’s 911 dispatchers fielded more than 122,000 emergency calls during that six-week window, with an average pickup time of 5.7 seconds.
Meanwhile, there were more than 4 million MARTA trips and about 800,000 scooter and E-bike rides as visitors from around the globe descended on Atlanta, said Solomon Caviness, the city’s Department of Transportation commissioner.
Digital signage sprouted up across the city, and employees resurfaced about 25 miles of downtown streets, repaired 11 miles of sidewalks and installed 80 curb ramps for people with disabilities, he said.
“This approach will benefit our city for decades to come,” Caviness said.
Launch of grants for prospective homebuyers
City employees, public educators and first responders who find themselves struggling to buy a home could benefit from a new program announced Wednesday.
Atlanta Beltline Inc. and Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, partnered to launch a down payment assistance program aimed at helping prospective homeowners purchase in Beltline neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the city.
Leaders made the announcement at a colorful townhome community in Atlanta’s Oakland City neighborhood. The community, which was built by Atlanta Land Trust and In-Town Builders, is “permanently affordable” thanks to a $1.5 million grant, officials said. The two- and three-bedroom development sits near the Beltline and a MARTA station.
The new Beltline Mortgage Assistance Program offers up to $30,000 for qualified public sector employees and long-term residents looking to stay in their communities. Other eligible buyers can get up to $20,000.
Buyers can use the funds for down payments, closing costs, interest rate buydowns, principal reduction or a combination of those expenses, said Eloisa Klementich, the president and CEO of Invest Atlanta.
Homeownership, Klementich said, is among the best ways to build generational wealth.
“We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that individuals who want to live in the city can live in the city,” she said.
Beltline officials said the organization would invest an initial $1.5 million in 2026, with another $1.5 million planned in the 2027 budget.
Nicole Baugh, who teaches fourth graders with disabilities at Atlanta’s Jackson Elementary, purchased her first home in April 2025.
She said she likes the character of her neighborhood and its proximity to the Beltline, but said she wouldn’t have been able to purchase the two-bedroom end unit on a teacher’s salary without going through Atlanta Land Trust.
“I would not have been able to afford in this neighborhood,” said Baugh, who was out walking her 4-month-old puppy, Pedro.
Monroe Drive safety improvements start
Officials on Wednesday formally broke ground on a long-awaited road improvement project along the bustling Monroe Drive corridor.
The $18.5 million project, which is more than 10 years in the making, is aimed at improving the heavily congested area to be safer for bicyclists, walkers and drivers after several pedestrian deaths.
Changes between Piedmont Circle and 10th Street include new crosswalks, fewer lanes and sidewalk improvements, city officials said. There’s also a roundabout planned at Park Drive.
Council member Alex Wan said the project has been a priority of his for more than a decade, calling it “a long time coming.”
Alexia Hyneman, a freshman at what was then Grady High School, was struck by a car and killed in February 2016 as the 14-year-old rode her bicycle home from school.
Her father, Thomas Hyneman, co-founded Atlanta Families for Safe Streets and began advocating for pedestrian improvements after the teen’s death.
“We either say we’re putting safety first, or we’re accepting that there’s some number of how many people it’s OK to die,” he said. “With the restriping, the way her crash took place would not have happened.”
The project is expected to take about two years to complete.