On September 6, 2024, the Georgia State University Law Review invited Better Atlanta Transit President Walter Brown and BeltLine Rail Now! Chair Matthew Rao to discuss whether the Atlanta Beltline should implement light rail with Assistant Professor Anthony Michael Kreis. Though the two had previously sparred online, this was their first time meeting in person. The conversation touched on topics including the Beltline’s origins, the financial intricacies of constructing light rail, the historical impact of neighborhood advocacy on the city’s transit decisions, and their respective visions for the city’s long-term transit policies.
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Walter Brown earned a B.S. in Community Development from Georgia State University. Brown has worked as a Program Manager for the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority for ten years. Brown has since worked in a career of green building technologies, such as with Green Street Properties to develop Glenwood Park. He was also senior vice president of Jamestown Properties during the development of Ponce City Market. During his career he has worked on many urban redevelopment projects worth over $3 billion in U.S. cities including Atlanta. Civically, Brown has been actively involved in many groups in Atlanta, such as the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization as a past president, the chair of NPU-N, a board member of the Freedom Park Conservancy, and others.
Professionally, Matthew Rao is the owner and principal RAO Design studio in Midtown Atlanta. Rao earned his degree from the Georgia Tech College of Architecture as an Industrial Designer. Civically, Rao has been a Board Member of the Atlanta Community Food Bank since 2018 and Chairperson of BeltLine Rail Now! since 2019.
Professor Anthony Michael Kreis joined Georgia State University College of Law faculty in 2020 and holds a courtesy appointment with the department of Political Science. At the College of Law, he teaches constitutional law and employment discrimination. Professor Kreis’s academic interests span the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, legislation, the law of democracy, and American political development. Professor Kreis holds a Ph.D. from University of Georgia, a J.D. from Washington and Lee University, and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He regularly contributes legal commentary and analysis to international and national media including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, the BBC (British Broadcast Corporation) and the ABC (Australian Broadcast Corporation).
A.K. Vance - Executive Producer, GSU Law Review Editor in Chief
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And thank you to the Georgia State University School of Music for hosting!
