Streetcar:New Hope for 5Points and Immediate South?

[oldschoolChevy]

[quote=arjay57;35897067]

Originally Posted by oldschoolChevy

I'm not a fan of interstates but in all fairness a lot more than that was involved. In many areas people took the highways in stride and rebuilt around them. They often emerged much stronger than before (e.g., Midtown, Lenox, Perimeter and so forth).

You can't compare those areas to South Downtown. Lenox and Perimeter were outskirts and Midtown doesn't have the connector and I-20.

Have you ever seen pictures of what South Downtown used to look like back then? I saw some pics of what was there back at the start of the 20th century and my mouth hit the floor. The interstates destroyed it, before white flight and before MARTA.

[oldschoolChevy]

Originally Posted by atlguy19

I dont think there is anything wrong with what the person was saying. I think Peachtree st needs to be cleaned up. Im from New York and we have stores like these but alot of them dont look as bad as these ones. The area smells like pee with all the homeless people running around! Ive never seen that in a major city and again im from NY. All im saying here is if you want the stores to remain because theyre making money can you imagine how much more they would make if the area looked and feel safer?????? Think about it.

Yeah because those stores on Jamaica Ave in Queens or Fordham Rd in the Bronx look so damn clean and free of any dirt and grime or bums walking around.

And the whole entire Five Points areas smells like urine? C'mon......try again.

[arjay57]

[quote=oldschoolChevy;35897494]

Originally Posted by arjay57

You can't compare those areas to South Downtown. Lenox and Perimeter were outskirts and Midtown doesn't have the connector and I-20.

Have you ever seen pictures of what South Downtown used to look like back then? I saw some pics of what was there back at the start of the 20th century and my mouth hit the floor. The interstates destroyed it, before white flight and before MARTA.

My point is that it wasn't just the interstates. There were many factors affecting this area -- urban renewal, decentralization, a stadium, the construction of housing projects, racial issues and white flight, disinvestment and the northward migration of the city's business center, etc.

[jsvh]

Obviously interstates don't exist in a vacuum and many other things direct growth. But downtown would be stronger and many of these other urban centers like Perimeter would never have grown to near its current size nor been able to draw businesses away from downtown like they did if they did not have free interstate access to subsidize their growth at the expense of downtown.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Obviously interstates don't exist in a vacuum and many other things direct growth. But downtown would be stronger and many of these other urban centers like Perimeter would never have grown to near its current size nor been able to draw businesses away from downtown like they did if they did not have free interstate access to subsidize their growth at the expense of downtown.

I agree, jsvh. Oddly enough, at the time the interstates were being built a lot of urban planners, government officials and civic bigshots thought they would be the salvation of traditional downtowns. "We've must have a way for people to easily get to work and shop in the city!" they argued.

In hindsight we can see that the freeways just made it easier for people to move out.

The decentralization of cities is a really complex phenomenon with many factors at work.

[atlguy19]

Does anybody know when construction will start on the walgreens urban market that was proposed??? I drove passed it yesterday and seems the inside is gutted as it always been like that?

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by afonega1

I was driving downtown yesterday to pick up a client at the MARTA Station at 5 Points. Leaving and heading South on Peachtree St into "no mans" land towards the jail.Then it struck me:The streetcar will run right in that area in front of all those ghetto shops.
Do you think the same thing will happened that has happened to Edgewood AVE and Auburn where new restaurants and clubs now line the street?

Could it possibly spark a transformation of the area?Maybe GSU might even buy some of those buildings?Why have they not tried to before?

Not sure what route you are referring too, but the street car does not go down south Peachtree toward the jail. Neither does it go by all those mom and pop ghetto stores on south Peachtree.

[alco89]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

Not sure what route you are referring too, but the street car does not go down south Peachtree toward the jail. Neither does it go by all those mom and pop ghetto stores on south Peachtree.

The plan is for it to eventually head south down Peachtree and splitting East (towards what's left of Turner Field/Grant Park) and West (towards Castleberry Hill) on Trinity Ave. It still won't go as far as the jail though, as you said.

[glovenyc]

Originally Posted by oldschoolChevy

Yeah because those stores on Jamaica Ave in Queens or Fordham Rd in the Bronx look so damn clean and free of any dirt and grime or bums walking around.

And the whole entire Five Points areas smells like urine? C'mon......try again.

Hey watch what you say about Jamaica Ave

[ATLondoner]

Streetcar testing starts properly tonight