Atlanta Urbanist Book Group
A Better Atlanta, One Book at a Time
Our mission at the Atlanta Urbanist Book Group is to introduce new ideas to Urban Atlanta by reading recent books about cities, identifying the ideas we think would work in Atlanta, and offering civic leaders a guide to these ideas.
We define “urbanism” broadly. We are reading books about transportation, land use, housing, public safety, government reform, neighborhoods, social infrastructure, education, economic development, regionalism, diversity, politics, arts and culture, volunteerism, and more.
Our aim isn’t to review books but to show how their ideas apply to Atlanta today and suggest ways of moving from good ideas to good actions.
Interested? Like to join us for a discussion? Click here to sign up for our email notices about books and meeting dates.
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Next Book: Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time
Jan 7, 2026
We will discuss a book that has a dire warning, American society is unraveling, but offers a way out. We can undo much of the damage, it says, if we create more resilient neighborhoods. And the secret to resilience is connection and cooperation.
Seth D. Kaplan is a consultant who has worked with politically and socially troubled nations, which he calls “fragile states.” This is his first book about fragile places in the U.S.
In our discussion, we will look for lessons in this book for Urban Atlanta.