Metro Atlanta Among Nation’s Most Walkable Cities??? (Decatur, Druid Hills: city hall, crime)

[Derrick_TheRiskTaker]

What are some changes Atlanta needs to make to make the city "more walkable", or the "most walkable"? What neighborhoods in Atlanta do you consider the most walkable and why? What prevents Atlanta NOW from being the most walkable? Let's try not to focus on crime alone as I am sure many will make this the main issue. Are there enough side walks? Pedestrian friendly roads, neighborhoods etc.?

According to a recent survey by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank, metro Atlanta ranks among the top 30 largest “walkable” urban areas.

Metro Atlanta ranked 14th on the list, which named Washington, D.C. as the most walkable large city in America. Other cities listed ahead of Atlanta included Boston, San Francisco, Denver and Portland.

Atlanta was selected based on pedestrian-friendly areas that combined elements of a live-work-play environment. In particular, the Brookings Institution survey isolated and applauded the following four areas: Atlantic Station, Buckhead, Decatur and Midtown.

The City of Atlanta has made affordable living and quality-of-life a priority for residents and visitors. Along with public and private partners, the City is redeveloping the BeltLine, the Peachtree Corridor, Fort McPherson and City Hall East which will all include employment, housing and cultural elements – critical elements to maintaining a thriving urban core.

Source: City Newsbytes: The Official E-Newsletter for the City of Atlanta

[backfist]

Sorry, but I find metro Atlanta one of the least walkable metropolitan areas.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by backfist

Sorry, but I find metro Atlanta one of the least walkable metropolitan areas.

And I second the opinion!

[JPD]

The key word here is not "walkable", it is "largest". I don't think Atlanta is very walkable, but that's a major distinction.

[waitaminute]

Atlanta and all surrounding cities are not walkable at all. The city lacks any infrastructure for pedestrians. When I visit places like Denver, I see extensive walking trails that go far distances where people with strollers, bicycles etc. can walk without interacting with an Automobile or street traffic. Atlanta's answer to this is narrow the driving lanes on the street so if people wanted to walk or bicycle they risk getting struck by a car becasue they are right there on the street with traffic.

How in the world did Atlanta rank so high on the chart? Who did they pay-off to get in the top 30. I'd put Atlanta in the bottom 100.

[DPAT]

Maybe they meant walkable as in the ease with which you can get around to different places on foot. In this case, I can see how Atlanta can rank high. I attented GSU (located downtown) and on foot I was able to go grocery shopping, see a play, catch a Hawks game, visit World of Coke, Aquarium, CNN Center, Underground, and countless resutaurants, lounges, and clubs. Not to mention that most of downtown now has the upgraded crossing signals with that "chirp sound". As far as midtown and Atlantic Station, one could have the same experience. I agree that Atlanta needs a lot of work, but it is technically "walkable"

[KevK]

You can walk in Atlanta itself but not in the suburbs. There are no sidewalks in any of the suburbs here. It is even hard to ride a bike in the suburbs. You might get killed.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by KevK

You can walk in Atlanta itself but not in the suburbs. There are no sidewalks in any of the suburbs here. It is even hard to ride a bike in the suburbs. You might get killed.

If you try to walk in the suburbs of Atlanta on a rainy day you might have a lot of soft muddy red clay stuck to your shoes. Either that or you're dodging cars on the asphalt. Take your pick.

[IntownHomes247]

Although I tend to think of Atlanta as not very walkable because the neighborhood in which I live is not really, there are quite a few neighborhoods I do consider walkable:

Midtown
Downtown
Virginia-Highland
Morningside
Ansley Park
Buckhead Village (just the village)
Downtown Decatur
Candler Park
Druid Hills
East Atlanta Village

All of these neighborhoods have a lot of traffic but they also have "places to go" that you can quite easily walk to. They are also all either within easy walking distance of a MARTA rail station or on one or more bus lines.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by KevK

You can walk in Atlanta itself but not in the suburbs. There are no sidewalks in any of the suburbs here. It is even hard to ride a bike in the suburbs. You might get killed.

I don't know what suburb you live in, but we've got sidewalks on both sides of the street in our subdivision, and there's a sidewalk on one side of the main road as well.