Atlanta's official way of making sure City Hall hears from neighborhoods before it acts. Ours is NPU‑I.
When Maynard Jackson became Atlanta's first Black mayor, his administration created the Neighborhood Planning Unit system so that residents who had long been shut out of city decisions would have a formal, recognized voice in how Atlanta grows. The city was divided into 25 units, lettered A through Z (there is no NPU‑U, and yes, we've heard the joke), and every one of them still meets today, more than fifty years on.
An NPU is not a neighborhood association and not a homeowners group. It is an official advisory body recognized by city code. The city is required to bring certain decisions to us before they're made:
Our recommendations don't bind the city, but they are on the record, they carry weight with the zoning boards and City Council, and a united NPU is hard to ignore.
That's the first line of our bylaws, and it's the standard we hold our meetings to. Everyone gets recognized to speak. Comments stay brief and on the issue. And the lens is always the community as a whole.
Officers are elected by the membership each November and serve so neighbors don't have to navigate the city alone.
C. Delores Lee-Furlow
npuichair2024@gmail.com
404‑797‑5203
Stephen Lee
Lorena Wilson
Susan Coleman, Planner
Department of City Planning
sucoleman@atlantaga.gov · 404‑546‑0113
Additional officer seats (second vice chair, secretary, parliamentarian, sergeant-at-arms) are filled by election; see the latest meeting minutes for the current roster. NPU‑I also sends a representative to the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board (APAB), the citywide body of all 25 NPUs.
NPU‑I spans three Atlanta City Council districts. Knowing your district is half the battle when you need something fixed.
Dustin R. Hillis
Andrea L. Boone
District 10 was served for nearly three decades by the late C.T. Martin, "Dean of the Council." The recreation center where NPU‑I meets carries his name.
Wayne Martin
Atlanta City Council has district maps and contact forms for every member.
Council members listed as of the January 2026 inauguration.
