Photo by Steve Eberhardt

Imagine a street full of people of all ages and backgrounds, walking, biking, creating and laughing, together. A street temporarily closed to cars, but open to people. Imagine residents safely enjoying their city, socializing with neighbors, and engaging in healthy activities.

Imagine if all of this were free, with absolutely no barriers to participation. By the people, for the people. Back in May 2010, we turned this vision into a reality by organizing the first-ever Atlanta Streets Alive. 

Atlanta Streets Alive takes a valuable public space – our city’s streets – and opens them up for people to play, walk, bike, breathe, and make their own.

Modeled on tremendously successful events from around the world, including Bogotá, Colombia’s Ciclovia; Paris, France’s Paris Plage; and San Francisco’s Sunday’s Streets, ASA is part bike tour, part block party, and a great time for getting active, supporting local businesses along the route, people-watching, and enjoying our amazing city. 

In 2020, we celebrated 10 years of open streets through Atlanta Streets Alive.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic put in-person activations on pause, we decided to focus on creating a permit that would allow for more frequent car-free streets. The more often we open streets to people, the more likely people are to choose sustainable transportation.