No offense, Laz, but as a Southerner I would say the problem with Atlanta is that it is populated by too many Yankess who'd rather not be there in the first place. I think the fact that so few people on this lengthy thread have said anything one way or the other about Atlanta solidifies its place on this list. The Yankees who live their don't much like it because as a major city they know it fails, the Southerners who live their don't much like it because as a Southern city they know it fails. It's apathy city, baby.
They don't care about their sports teams, even the Braves. I'll never forget the empty seats during the mid-90's NL championship games, and when the Cubs come to town, they've got more fans than the Braves.
I'm workin' on it; I'm workin' on it. :o)
But seriously -- Atlanta has a planning problem. If anything, Atlanta has convinced me that raw market forces make for a mess when it comes to city planning.
I'm a big market-forces guy. But Atlanta shows me that market forces don't make for a well-planned city. Chicago works well. Nice design. CRAPPY state though. Wouldn't live there for love nor money ever again -- especially the former.
New York City f**kin' rocks. Best designed city on the planet, I'd get close to saying. LOVED living there for a couple months. Again, Crappy state.
That's all the cities I know well.