Commercial Patterns in Livable Places – A Letter from KB President Geoff Koski

In his recent Pondering Place post, KB Senior Consultant Trevor Butler writes about the patterns behind great places in the Atlanta area. These are the places that work like ecosystems. Housing, retail, civic space, and transportation all depend on each other.

Where people linger, meet friends for coffee, attend events, and run into neighbors while walking the dog. These are places where civic life happens naturally.

This kind of place has a rhythm, long-term resilience, and a sense of belonging.

This is the kind of place the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program has helped make possible again and again.

Since its launch in 1999, ARC’s LCI communities have quietly reoriented the region’s development pattern toward livability, connectivity, and long-term value.

Trevor’s post shows how growth has shifted away from the edges of the region and toward reinvestment in existing communities, including historic downtowns, transit corridors, and aging commercial areas that are now being reimagined as centers of daily life.

LCI grants to communities in the Atlanta region help align transportation, land use, and economic development around shared goals by encouraging walkable design, a mix of housing options, and the kind of investment that supports local businesses and long-term opportunities.

Trevor’s recent analysis provides evidence that the ARC’s efforts have produced measurable results and his maps bring the story to life. They show how commercial land clusters in LCI areas, how those clusters support walkability, and how integrated land use patterns help these communities perform better. The visuals make a compelling case that good planning, backed by strong data, leads to better places.

The maps also reveal a deeper pattern. In LCI areas, commercial space is more likely to be part of a mixed-use environment rather than isolated in a single-use commercial pod. That distinction matters. When homes, shops, civic spaces, and transportation work together in one place, the result is not just vibrancy; it is economic strength. And it is a better everyday experience for residents.

At KB Advisory Group, we’ve been proud to support this work from the beginning. Our firm has led the market and economic components of more than 50 LCI studies. We’ve helped cities across the region understand what the market will support and how to turn community vision into a viable, lasting plan.

We’ve seen the results firsthand. Sugar Hill is one of my personal favorites, and also Trevor’s hometown. My work there started 20 years ago with an LCI study, and today the city’s walkable core is home to restaurants, housing, green space, and a vibrant cultural scene. Families stroll through town. Residents walk to dinner. Events fill the plaza. It feels like a place with momentum, because it is.

We’ve seen similar outcomes in places like Duluth, Alpharetta, and Suwanee. Each community used the LCI process to guide key decisions and make long-term investments. They stayed true to their vision, and now they are seeing the benefits in the form of stronger local economies, increased housing choice, and more vibrant public life.

These are the kinds of places we want to see more of across the region. Places that reflect the best of what planning, market insight, and community leadership can do together.

Trevor’s post is a good reminder that livability is not just a design principle or an aesthetic goal. It is a pattern that can be planned, measured, and refined. LCI has helped create that pattern in dozens of communities, and it continues to shape how the Atlanta region grows.

That is the kind of work we believe in.

Geoff Koski

President & Owner

KB Advisory Group