PHOENIX FLIES 2026 | Bridging the Gap

Project Labs creates opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate meaningfully with Atlanta’s neighborhoods.

Universities are often seen as removed from their physical location, with their global missions sometimes overshadowing local connections. When they do engage with local communities, they can be perceived as outsiders collecting data rather than as true partners. At Georgia State University, Project Labs are one approach to bridging this gap by creating opportunities for faculty and students to collaborate meaningfully with Atlanta’s neighborhoods. In the Mapping Atlanta Project Lab, faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students collaborate on mapping projects that blend data visualization with storytelling, focusing on the lived experiences of Atlanta neighborhoods. Students gain hands-on skills in research, GIS mapping, data collection and cleaning, and geospatial thinking. Since Fall 2025, the lab has partnered with the Reynoldstown Rangers, a neighborhood group dedicated to building community resilience. Together, they are supporting the Museum of Reynoldstown—a community-facing space on the Atlanta Beltline featuring rotating exhibits about the neighborhood's past, present, and possible futures. Lab students contribute through archival research and mapping, helping the museum and the community preserve and share their stories.