Before Atlanta was crisscrossed with interstates and highways, there was a bold plan—born from the Great Depression, inspired by Germany’s Autobahn, and fueled by fears of another economic collapse.

In this episode, we rewind to the 1930s to unpack how the U.S. highway system began, why Atlanta jumped in headfirst, and how a single report—the Lochner Report—shaped decades of urban design, displacement, and, yes... gridlock.

From ambitious plans, to having to teach Atlantans how to drive on the interstate, and even a traffic-stopping turkey, this is the origin story of the Atlanta Expressway and the infamous Downtown Connector.

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This week, we’re talking about Atlanta’s most famous food franchises. Atlanta has been the birthplace of almost a dozen food franchises, including Chick-fil-A, Huddle House, Mellow Mushroom, Great American Cookies, Applebee's, Flying Biscuit and Moe's Southwest Grill.

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Even though this is a bye week for me, I wanted to share a bonus episode related to a special project that I got to do recently.

I worked with Canopy fellow Damius Smith on his piece "Built for Legacy". Collier Heights was designed by and for Black people, with the architectural design of every house telling a story. From American Small Houses, to ranch-style, to mid-century, each home focuses on the symbolic power of the neighborhood.

https://canopyatlanta.org/2025/06/27/legacy-collier-heights-architecture/

Canopy Atlanta is a community journalism nonprofit founded in 2020. They collaborate with residents to tell stories about their communities, redefining who journalism is by and for. Even better, they pay and train residents to report alongside experienced journalists. And they’ve trained over 200 Atlantans so far.