Atlanta neighborhoods are the focus of Mayor Andre Dickens’ second term. This week, the Mayor issued four Administrative Orders aimed at strengthening accountability across City government and accelerating progress under the Atlanta Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative.
The Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative is the City’s approach to improving quality of life across Atlanta. It is designed as a whole-of-government effort, aligning planning, investment, and day-to-day work across City departments to better meet residents’ needs.
Together, the new orders sharpen how the City follows through—so neighborhood priorities turn into visible, measurable progress.
What Is the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative?
Mayor Dickens introduced the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative last October as a long-term strategy to help every neighborhood become safe, connected, healthy, and whole.
The initiative is built on a simple idea: children and families do better when neighborhoods are healthy places to live. The work focuses on areas that have experienced long periods without investment and brings together efforts related to housing, schools, health, recreation, jobs, and transportation.
Each neighborhood plan reflects resident input, with a focus on steady improvement that supports people who already live there as change happens.
What the Administrative Orders Address
The four Administrative Orders focus on how the City turns plans into action.
- How City teams work
One order directs City leadership to align planning, operations, capital prioritization, and performance tracking with the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. Departments are expected to work toward shared outcomes and report progress regularly. - Vacant and unsafe properties
Another order advances action on abandoned and blighted properties that meet legal standards. The focus is on addressing health and safety hazards, preventing long-term vacancy, and returning properties to productive use. - How public money is invested
A third order directs a review of City pension investments to ensure public funds are not connected to harmful housing practices that affect residents, such as prolonged vacancy or repeated code violations. When documented harm is identified, the City must respond in a way that remains compliant with fiduciary responsibilities. - How the Mayor’s Office supports the work
The fourth order focuses on how the Mayor’s Office operates. It directs changes to staffing, workflows, and resources so the office can better support cross-department coordination and track progress on second-term priorities. A revised structure and accountability plan will be completed within 90 days.
Why This Matters for Residents
These actions shape how City decisions show up in daily life.
They influence how quickly work moves, how responsibilities are defined, and how progress is measured. They affect how blighted properties are addressed, how public dollars are managed, and how City teams stay focused on neighborhood priorities.
As the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative continues, these steps guide how investment reaches residents—and how change takes shape across Atlanta.
Learn more: Residents can review the Administrative Orders here, here, here and here.
