An urban Midtown/Downtown - Page 9

cybele · #**161** Posted: **Nov 22, 2009, 8:01 PM**

Well I see from Commissioner Riley's newsletter that plans for a new central library downtown are not on the table at this time.

Quote:

The Atlanta/Fulton County Library Facility Master Plan - Phase I continues to move forward. The plan is divided into two phases: The first phase involves building 8 new libraries and expanding two existing libraries, and the second phase will renovate the 23 existing libraries. At this point, plans to build a new Central Library are not in motion due to the lack of a fund-raising initiative.

ATLaffinity · #**162** Posted: **Nov 23, 2009, 2:55 PM**

^ i like our brutalist library.

reet · #**163** Posted: **Nov 23, 2009, 7:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLaffinity

^ i like our brutalist library.

I like the Breuer building, but I was nonetheless excited when I read about the plan to sell the building for some other use and to redevelop one of the many ghastly surface parking lots near Centennial Park as a space for a new library building. Really, most any plan that involves doing away with surface parking downtown is a good thing.

cybele · #**164** Posted: **Dec 2, 2009, 5:51 PM**

Well I guess it's just a sign of the times. Maybe they will reopen later.

Peachtree Center Athletic Club closing its doors

trainiac · #**165** Posted: **Dec 3, 2009, 2:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybele

Well I guess it's just a sign of the times. Maybe they will reopen later.

Peachtree Center Athletic Club closing its doors

Oh no! That doesn't mean they'll tear down my favorite of the various Honky Tubes (thanks, Terminus!)

cabasse · #**166** Posted: **Dec 3, 2009, 3:02 AM**

that's some world-class concrete

reet · #**167** Posted: **Dec 8, 2009, 4:01 PM**

I really enjoyed reading this article in the AJC on the Decatur Street project:
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/crow...ed-231878.html

I'd read about the beautification aspect of the Decatur St project before, but I didn't realize they were taking away a car lane to improve pedestrian safety. Very cool. It looks like there are similar plans for Courtland and Piedmont and I hope those happen too.

Now if only this kind of project could somehow lead to the reduction of surface parking lots (or, as I call them, 'city killers'), that would be a slam dunk for increasing pedestrian safety and promoting alternative transportation downtown.

smArTaLlone · #**168** Posted: **Dec 8, 2009, 4:16 PM**

Bravo! I have to go down there and see the results.

jurban8 · #**169** Posted: **Dec 8, 2009, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by reet

I really enjoyed reading this article in the AJC on the Decatur Street project:
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/crow...ed-231878.html

I'd read about the beautification aspect of the Decatur St project before, but I didn't realize they were taking away a car lane to improve pedestrian safety. Very cool. It looks like there are similar plans for Courtland and Piedmont and I hope those happen too.

Now if only this kind of project could somehow lead to the reduction of surface parking lots (or, as I call them, 'city killers'), that would be a slam dunk for increasing pedestrian safety and promoting alternative transportation downtown.

I agree, it was a good article. And Decatur St looks so much better, although I wish trees had been planted in the planting squares instead of the little plants that are there now. Piedmont and Courtland will benefit greatly from the same treatment. As for the remaining empty lots, they'll fill up when the economy grows back. I think a bigger concern is the damage that has already been done: there are so many buildings with blank walls and parking decks that have the same problem.

atl2phx · #**170** Posted: **Dec 16, 2009, 8:27 PM**

excellent write up on west midtown....NYTimes, 11.22.09.

by the way, the WESTSIDE ART WALK is this saturday, december 19th 11am to 5pm. westside art walk

"The West Side is giving rise to an ad hoc group of contemporary art galleries that have styled themselves as a more intellectual alternative to the city’s designated downtown art district." (they later corrected the erroneous designation of downtown as atlanta's designated art's district)

atlanta's new gallery district goes west

cybele · #**171** Posted: **Dec 18, 2009, 3:10 AM**

Good article on the value of two-way streets.

The Return of the Two-Way Street

atl2phx · #**172** Posted: **Dec 18, 2009, 3:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybele

Good article on the value of two-way streets.

The Return of the Two-Way Street

good read, thanks for posting. i bet it would generate some good conversation over in the transportation or city discussion forum.

ATLaffinity · #**173** Posted: **Dec 18, 2009, 3:10 PM**

aren't they already planning to make W. Peach and Spring ST 2-way streets?

is that Concept 3?

mayhem · #**174** Posted: **Dec 19, 2009, 4:46 AM**

I'm all for making Atlanta urban but the design of that Decatur St Project is horrible. I travel down Marietta / Decatur St every day and this is an eye sore, will create accidents, and provoke bad driving that will ultimately make it LESS safe for pedestrians.

ATLaffinity · #**175** Posted: **Dec 19, 2009, 3:17 PM**

^ what do you think is wrong with the plan? i know nothing about it.

reet · #**176** Posted: **Dec 19, 2009, 10:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mayhem

I'm all for making Atlanta urban but the design of that Decatur St Project is horrible. I travel down Marietta / Decatur St every day and this is an eye sore, will create accidents, and provoke bad driving that will ultimately make it LESS safe for pedestrians.

Eye sore? How so? I checked it out and it looks good to me -- I love the wider sidewalks and this section of the street really does feel safer and more attractive for pedestrians now.

I can't comment on the situation for driving commuters because I haven't experienced it that way. Time will tell if it does provoke bad driving, but I really doubt this will happen.

STrek777 · #**177** Posted: **Dec 20, 2009, 8:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLaffinity

aren't they already planning to make W. Peach and Spring ST 2-way streets?

is that Concept 3?

Lord I hope they think long and hard about that. Spring St could really only be a 2 way from Peachtree to North and West Peachtree would only work as a 2 way between 17th and North. From North Ave going south West Peachtree and Spring reaaly become tangled in the maze of oneways in Downtown.

Juniper could be made a 2 way the full length of the road but then you would hafe to consider how much additional traffic would be dumped onto and already over loaded 14th St between Peachtree and Piedmont. Also they would need to consider what to do about the Ralph McGill intersection.

Piedmont is possibly the only perfect candidate for conversion into a 2 way street from start to finish. The only problem there is what do you do with all those cars that park on Piedmont in Midtown? Also you would have to take a serious look at redesigning the intersection at Piedmont and Monroe and the one at Piedmont and MLK JR Dr.

Also as with both Piedmont and Juniper you have some parts that are 3 lanes and some that are 4 and 5 lanes. Two way streets have their place but so do one ways. Going from a one way to a two way can often be easier said than done. I personally think that Atlanta has the right balance between the two.

jurban8 · #**178** Posted: **Dec 20, 2009, 8:13 PM**

How does Atlanta have a perfect balance? Only 1 out of 5 of the main N-S routes in Midtown are 2 way streets. Seems a little tilted.

Pessimistic Observer · #**179** Posted: **Dec 20, 2009, 10:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by STrek777

Lord I hope they think long and hard about that. Spring St could really only be a 2 way from Peachtree to North and West Peachtree would only work as a 2 way between 17th and North. From North Ave going south West Peachtree and Spring reaaly become tangled in the maze of oneways in Downtown.

Juniper could be made a 2 way the full length of the road but then you would hafe to consider how much additional traffic would be dumped onto and already over loaded 14th St between Peachtree and Piedmont. Also they would need to consider what to do about the Ralph McGill intersection.

Piedmont is possibly the only perfect candidate for conversion into a 2 way street from start to finish. The only problem there is what do you do with all those cars that park on Piedmont in Midtown? Also you would have to take a serious look at redesigning the intersection at Piedmont and Monroe and the one at Piedmont and MLK JR Dr.

Also as with both Piedmont and Juniper you have some parts that are 3 lanes and some that are 4 and 5 lanes. Two way streets have their place but so do one ways. Going from a one way to a two way can often be easier said than done. I personally think that Atlanta has the right balance between the two.

judging by your comments it seems you hope 1 way to 2 way should only be considered if it improves traffic as a whole which misses the point all together
1 way to 2 way conversion is supposed cause less people to drive through the center of atlanta and more people to drive around the core to get to wherever there going. thus promoting safer walk ways for pedestrians. Therefore the question about where do we put the cars == is answered by saying somewhere else.

smArTaLlone · #**180** Posted: **Dec 21, 2009, 1:50 AM**

For one thing, its not just the N-S roadways that are planned one-way conversions. Baker, Harris, Andrew Young, Ellis among others are all to become two-way in the plan. Here's the map of most of downtown. Downtown.pdf