For the past month, soccer fans from around the world have flocked to Atlanta and filled our city with excitement, energy, and hope. We have welcomed people with open arms, and together we showed them what our city is capable of.
Since Atlanta was announced as a host city, our city’s officials have been rushing to add new train cars, repave roads and generally make it easier — and safer — to get around.
But now, as international fans and cameras head home, residents are left wondering if these investments will continue after the last game. Georgians deserve the same urgency and investment that our city showed the world. That means we must continue investing in public improvements and infrastructure. It also means we need to invest in the people whose work made hosting this tournament possible in the first place.
The World Cup in Atlanta happened because hospitality workers welcomed visitors with warmth. Stadium workers kept fans safe. Transit operators got people where they needed to go. Food service workers, janitors, security guards, construction crews, childcare providers, and countless others showed up every day to make Atlanta shine.
The workers who made this happen deserve infrastructure that will last. They also deserve affordable housing, paid family and medical leave, and a livable wage. Without such changes, they won’t be able to care for themselves, let alone the city that needs them. These are the very people we rely on the most but celebrate the least— and we can’t leave them behind when the last whistle blows.
Is a global tournament required for residents to get new streetlights and be able to see after dark? Why must support for Atlanta’s workers be out of reach while they keep our city operating? Why did Georgians with disabilities have to wait for the World Cup to see improved accessibility and ADA ramps? Did we not use sidewalks and roads every day before Lionel Messi dropped by?
To be sure, I’m glad to see these developments at all. Any investment to improve life for Georgians is a wonderful thing. But residents have long deserved these changes and leaders didn’t listen; I worry that they will be forgotten again now that the global attention has faded. Investment in infrastructure that isn’t sustained isn’t real investment.
In the wake of the World Cup, we now must keep pressure on our leaders to ensure that investments continue where they are needed: with communities and with workers.
We can make the most of this moment by carrying it with us in the future. When the roads and sidewalks start to get bumpy again, we can remind our elected officials of the impact they had by repaving and patching our most important routes.
We have seen the access to opportunity that good public transportation provides; without maintained support, it will become a barrier to economic mobility. We must speak in defense of the vital jobs and accessibility that public transit provides, particularly as autonomous rideshares gain traction.
When our workers are not being treated fairly and our lower-income neighborhoods are being left behind, we will demand the actions and lift the priorities that people crave and that we know are possible. We can advance policies supporting paid family and medical leave, affordable childcare, and fair housing.
For the people who call Atlanta home, maintaining and building on these changes could make a world of difference.
Although hosting the World Cup has not been seamless, it has given us something to aspire to. The sport has brought communities together to learn and connect. Outside perspectives have pushed us to think about how Atlanta operates, and what we need in order for it to truly serve our workers and communities. It has put a spotlight on the working families who need support through policy and action from our leaders.
By highlighting for the world that Atlanta is capable of investment when FIFA comes knocking, policymakers have shown us that it is possible for us, too. Although their actions may have been aimed toward the camera, there is no denying that they can continue the progress — but this time, for the sake of neighbors and communities, as they are meant to do.
