This is what Atlanta needs to do if it wants to be more urban

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Butchie Boy

I've never been to Atlanta except via tv,photos,news reels,and google maps,and what people tell me who've been and lived there;but that's enough for me to decipher what it's like. What I've gleaned is a rural city with a new and impressive skyline.Streets like Boone-Simpson smacks of smaller southern cities of the fifties and sixties and people often refer to ATL as NYC of the south...to me,that's a streeecth!! From what I see,Atlanta is rife with a lot of woods and open fields in the city core....no wonder some think it's not so urban.But,a lot of people like that! Personally;I can't stand it! Too country for me! When I think of urban,I envision Boston,Philly,B-more,Chicago,Cleveland,NYC,Toronto,Detroit to name a few.These cities are what I call real deal urban...I love their grit,grime,and character.I love their population density and older infrastructure.Atlanta is a growing,prosperous,and modern city;granted....but it's no real deal city!!

Dude,

I know people who have been here several times and have no idea what this city like because they have only seen about 0.3% of it when they are here.

As far as whatever a "real deal city" is or needs to be...

its a city of over $5 million with a yearly economy jsut shy of $300Billion.

Its a functioning real city.

[tikigod311]

I totally get the idea that Atlanta is not like other cities, espically in the Northeast. Those cities have history and in some cases geography that makes them what they are.

But outside of the NE, what other cities are like it? Chicago, yeah. LA, not really. San Fransisco, yeah. Everywhere else has space and is relatively new. So are the only REAL DEAL cities in the Northeast?

[Prytania]

I think Atlanta's only real problem is so much of the great old urban historic architecture that Atlanta had was wiped out in the 1950s-1970s due to urban renewal. Atlanta would have that "grit" otherwise...but you can still find it from time to time too.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by Prytania

I think Atlanta's only real problem is so much of the great old urban historic architecture that Atlanta had was wiped out in the 1950s-1970s due to urban renewal. Atlanta would have that "grit" otherwise...but you can still find it from time to time too.

That's really not true...take a walk around downtown and you'll find gobs of historic architecture. Of course there were some great buildings that were destroyed in the name of progress, but urban renewal didn't hurt Atlanta nearly as bad as it did most other large cities.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by JoeTarheel

That's really not true...take a walk around downtown and you'll find gobs of historic architecture. Of course there were some great buildings that were destroyed in the name of progress, but urban renewal didn't hurt Atlanta nearly as bad as it did most other large cities.

We lost a good bit of what we had.

both of our train stations.
Lots of the outlying spaces away from the Fairlie-Poplar district.
We lost most of the high character mansions that use to line Peachtree st going into Midtown (Midtown use to be like a suburban area w/ retail areas)

I think the problem we have here is businesses always wanted to be on the premium street or intersection, rather than leave the character intact on the most well known street and sacrifice the areas 1-2 blocks away for new development.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by cwkimbro

We lost a good bit of what we had.

both of our train stations.
Lots of the outlying spaces away from the Fairlie-Poplar district.
We lost most of the high character mansions that use to line Peachtree st going into Midtown (Midtown use to be like a suburban area w/ retail areas)

I think the problem we have here is businesses always wanted to be on the premium street or intersection, rather than leave the character intact on the most well known street and sacrifice the areas 1-2 blocks away for new development.

Well I wouldn't expect mansions to remain on Peachtree Street in great numbers...it was once almost 100% single-family residential, but that rapidly began to change as far back as the turn of the century so it wasn't due to urban renewal for the most part. It's sad that so many beautiful mansions were demolished, but we wouldn't really have much of a city if they were still standing.

I agree there have been some terrible losses, but look at all that we DIDN'T lose...in comparing the two, we have saved much more than we have lost. I think there is a common misconception that Atlanta is all new and shiny...there is much more history intact here than many people realize.

What I said was in response to the statement "much of the great old urban historic architecture that Atlanta had was wiped out", and I still say that this statement isn't true. Much of the great old urban historic architecture that Atlanta had is still standing.

[researchnerd]

Originally Posted by Butchie Boy

I've never been to Atlanta except via tv,photos,news reels,and google maps,and what people tell me who've been and lived there;but that's enough for me to decipher what it's like. What I've gleaned is a rural city with a new and impressive skyline.Streets like Boone-Simpson smacks of smaller southern cities of the fifties and sixties and people often refer to ATL as NYC of the south...to me,that's a streeecth!! From what I see,Atlanta is rife with a lot of woods and open fields in the city core....no wonder some think it's not so urban.But,a lot of people like that! Personally;I can't stand it! Too country for me! When I think of urban,I envision Boston,Philly,B-more,Chicago,Cleveland,NYC,Toronto,Detroit to name a few.These cities are what I call real deal urban...I love their grit,grime,and character.I love their population density and older infrastructure.Atlanta is a growing,prosperous,and modern city;granted....but it's no real deal city!!

LOL! Nothing like "knowledge" from people who have never been here. Trust me, we have plenty of grit, grime, and character.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by researchnerd

LOL! Nothing like "knowledge" from people who have never been here. Trust me, we have plenty of grit, grime, and character.

This always amuses me. "I know virtually nothing on this subject, but allow me to pontificate..."