Atlanta Project Thread IV

[RocketSurgeon]

There's already quite a lot of foot traffic in Midtown.

[jayden]

It really is. Especially along 10th even without the college students.

[Libertarian]

But is it sustainable?

[RocketSurgeon]

Not sure what you mean by sustainable, but it's mostly residents, so it will never go back to what it was 10+ years ago unless something cataclysmic happens. Even COVID didn't affect it much, aside from the lockdowns.

[shivtim]

Big news in Midtown as yesterday the sites were fenced off for both Tech Square Phase 3 and 736 Peachtree ("Rambler Atlanta"). let the construction commence!


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[Libertarian]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

Not sure what you mean by sustainable, but it's mostly residents, so it will never go back to what it was 10+ years ago unless something cataclysmic happens. Even COVID didn't affect it much, aside from the lockdowns.

Just so we're on the same page, how sustainable, cataclysmic or revolutionary would it be that these residents, workers, students etc. could co-exist on those streets with the homeless?

[Username123]

Originally Posted by Libertarian

Just so we're on the same page, how sustainable, cataclysmic or revolutionary would it be that these residents, workers, students etc. could co-exist on those streets with the homeless?

That’s what’s happening now. What would be revolutionary is providing housing for the homeless.

[jayden]

Parts of Midtown certainly has a homeless issue. But it's nowhere near as bad as North Avenue south.

[RocketSurgeon]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Big news in Midtown as yesterday the sites were fenced off for both Tech Square Phase 3 and 736 Peachtree ("Rambler Atlanta"). let the construction commence!

Lots of activity at Tech Square today. Looks like that one is officially underway, not just getting a fence.

Originally Posted by Libertarian

Just so we're on the same page, how sustainable, cataclysmic or revolutionary would it be that these residents, workers, students etc. could co-exist on those streets with the homeless?

By "cataclysmic" I meant something like a war or earthquake making the area uninhabitable. What you're describing is what Midtown is like currently. I have no idea what you're asking.

[Libertarian]

Homeless can't exist in remote areas. They will go to dense nodes where services are available - limited as they may be. What if there was a rapid influx in Atlanta midtown? It would cause an effect on the status quo. Due to increasing global economic downturn, unaffordable housing (even government can afford building only a few hundred affordable units in Atlanta), and cumulative effects of the drug crisis, it's very likely within a short time there will be multiple more homeless in areas such as Midtown with access to transportation and services. A number of investors and lenders have placed bets on midtown residential and office.

[edg1]

Originally Posted by RocketSurgeon

There's already quite a lot of foot traffic in Midtown.

In certain pockets yeah its improving but it can be improved some more.

[testarossa50]

Originally Posted by Libertarian

Homeless can't exist in remote areas. They will go to dense nodes where services are available - limited as they may be. What if there was a rapid influx in Atlanta midtown? It would cause an effect on the status quo. Due to increasing global economic downturn, unaffordable housing (even government can afford building only a few hundred affordable units in Atlanta), and cumulative effects of the drug crisis, it's very likely within a short time there will be multiple more homeless in areas such as Midtown with access to transportation and services. A number of investors and lenders have placed bets on midtown residential and office.

I don't this it's very likely (unless by "multiple more homeless" you mean literally multiple additional people ie more than 1). Atlanta's not very conducive to a large unhoused population on the streets of the city center like you see in Denver, SF, LA, Portland, etc for several reasons. We don't have blocks with sidewalk tents like those cities do. Surveys show declines in unhoused population since the mid 2010s in Atlanta despite housing affordability and drug crisis getting worse.

[DZH22]

Originally Posted by ATL Champion

I think there are truly only 3 cites in the US that are truly pedestrian ; NYC, Chicago and San Francisco.
The only cities that I would place in a distant second tier would be Seattle and Philadelphia.
Third tier Boston, Washington DC with Atlanta (barely)
Fourth tier Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston

This is one of the most insane posts I have ever seen. Atlanta and Boston in the same tier from a pedestrian standpoint? Boston is 3rd in the US in walk score, according to the latest version from 2021, with a walk score of 82.8. Atlanta's walk score is 47.7.
https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/

By the way, Chicago 77.2, Seattle 74.4, DC 76.7, Philadelphia 74.8.

Using your system above, Atlanta is more like 7th or 8th tier, while Boston is 1st tier.

[Terminus]

Originally Posted by DZH22

This is one of the most insane posts I have ever seen. Atlanta and Boston in the same tier from a pedestrian standpoint? Boston is 3rd in the US in walk score, according to the latest version from 2021, with a walk score of 82.8. Atlanta's walk score is 47.7.
https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/

By the way, Chicago 77.2, Seattle 74.4, DC 76.7, Philadelphia 74.8.

Using your system above, Atlanta is more like 7th or 8th tier, while Boston is 1st tier.

Central Boston is the only city in the US that even remotely comes close to an average European city in terms of true walkability. It's extremely compact.The narrow streets help a lot too.

[ATL Champion]

Originally Posted by DZH22

This is one of the most insane posts I have ever seen. Atlanta and Boston in the same tier from a pedestrian standpoint? Boston is 3rd in the US in walk score, according to the latest version from 2021, with a walk score of 82.8. Atlanta's walk score is 47.7.
https://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/

By the way, Chicago 77.2, Seattle 74.4, DC 76.7, Philadelphia 74.8.

Using your system above, Atlanta is more like 7th or 8th tier, while Boston is 1st tier.

Please pay attention to nuance before getting on your high horse. The person who posed the question specifically mentioned Midtown, which is certainly quite walkable and is increasingly so. No one argues that ATL as a whole is as walkable as Boston as a whole. If you took a little time to look at the website you so proudly mentioned, it rates neighborhood's also;Peachtree Center (near the Westin) rates a wakability score of 91, Midtown ATL's score is 87. InmanPark scores 87, Ga State University scores 96, Buckhead Village scores 93, even South Downtown ATL rates an 83 (laughable).-->More nuance. In most cities, and most neighborhoods, the further you get away from the core, walkability decreases... Boston is no exception. Quite a few of the central areas in Boston rate 90-100. Kudos to the people that rate cities and neighborhoods. I have been to each of the ones I listed (and quite a few more) at least once in the last year (quite a few cities multiple times ). I typically walk quite a bit while visiting/working, recently logged 45 miles in a week in downtown Chicago. Close to the same in Boston. My experiences in Boston (which was my weekend getaway when I lived in Rhode Island) is really meh. It's about as meh as, lets say, Midtown, which is experiencing a lot of population growth so it will improve. (Boston isnt). Now,.. about that GSU neighborhood score of 96-->Boston League. Hmmm.. Hopefully the nuance is not lost here. Feet on the ground means a lot.

[montydawg]

Originally Posted by ATL Champion

Please pay attention to nuance before getting on your high horse. The person who posed the question specifically mentioned Midtown, which is certainly quite walkable and is increasingly so. No one argues that ATL as a whole is as walkable as Boston as a whole. If you took a little time to look at the website you so proudly mentioned, it rates neighborhood's also;Peachtree Center (near the Westin) rates a

I have lived in ATL, BOS, PHI, CHI, and NYC all for a year or more. All of those cities are very walkable in their core. Boston (as well as Cambridge where I lived) was extremely walkable. Like atlanta, it was disappointing sometimes how far you had to walk for a grocery store in Boston, but as for lively street scenes in back bay, north end, and Harvard square, et Al, boston has atlanta beat on walkability hands down. Atlanta’s miracle is the Beltline, however more density is needed in many areas of the city. I believe it will get there, but atlanta will have issues replicating the historic charm of a city like Boston.

[ATL Champion]

Ive lived in Manhattan (Upper Eastside), Metro Boston, DC, Nashville, Portland, and Atlanta. I've traveled yearly to every large US city over the last 20 years. Nothing in the States compares to NYC, however San Francisco and Chicago has a similar feel. DC and Boston are quite similar in nature , and I personally would give the walkable edge to DC. Boston is nice enough. The Beltline is nice and more density is on the way. Atlanta is creating and defining its own space; it doesn't want to replicate the historic charm of any older American or European city (not that it can anyway).

[ATL Champion]

New Google Earth updates for quite a few cities including ATL... crisp!

[Julien]

Originally Posted by ATL Champion

New Google Earth updates for quite a few cities including ATL... crisp!

We need REAL TIME satellite updates to keep up with the changes.

[testarossa50]

This one completely crept up on me. Next time you're headed northbound on the connector at University, take a look off to the right to see this thing towering in the distance. Quite an impressive edifice for that area. Wouldn't look out of place in West Midtown or O4W.

https://whatnowatlanta.com/east-medinah-...ing-complex-ready-to-begin-construction/