Are areas in Atlanta "Filling in" and becoming more dense? (Marietta: real estate, 2013)

[Mike_IN_AUG]

Everyone knows of the sprawl that is Atlanta and the city's reputation of being a traffic nightmare, what do you think of the area in the city, and otp, that have became more dense and have done well to fill in the "sprawl" that is so deadly to service for city services.

Thanks, I think this issues is one of the most important Atlanta will deal with for future growth.

[magnetar]

If you're interested in this you should read Chris Leinberger's research on Walkable Urban Places.

Metro Atlanta’s walkable urban places are attracting an increasing share of new development and have seen a rise in rent premiums over drivable suburban areas.

Leinberger’s report puts the Atlanta region’s WalkUPs into three categories, Current, Emerging and Potential.

The report notes that from 1992-2000, roughly 13 percent of real estate investment in the region went into Current and Emerging WalkUPs. From 2001-2008, that number doubled to 26 percent. Since 2009, it more than doubled again, reaching 60 percent.

Current and Emerging WalkUPs account for 1/200 (.55 percent) of the region’s land area and 1/5 (20 percent) of the region’s office, retail and other commercial real estate.

Current and Emerging WalkUPs contain 22 percent of the region’s jobs.

Average rent for all development types in Current WalkUPs is 112 percent higher than in drivable suburban areas.

Only 19 percent of office space delivered in the 1990s was built in then-Established WalkUPs. This increased to 31 percent in the 2000s and to 50 percent in 2009-2013.

WalkUPs | Land Use | Atlanta Regional Commission

It's not just an ITP/OTP phenomenon either; the study shows denser, urban areas in areas like Marietta benefitting from the same market effects.

[ATLTJL]

This is a no-brainer.

Anybody who has lived in Atlanta since the 90s or before has seen the city become more dense.

As for how much that density alleviates traffic, well, I think that's up for debate! It seems to continue getting worse, even as sprawl slows and urban density increases.

[cqholt]

BeltLine corridor, Perimeter center, west Midtown, and Brookhaven.

[erick295]

Density makes traffic worse, not better. However, it also gives people options on how to get around.

[ATLTJL]

Density makes traffic worse, not better. However, it also gives people options on how to get around.

The first part of what you said is definitely true and something nobody ever wants to address.

Why can't we increase density *AND* improve and expand roads?

[erick295]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Why can't we increase density *AND* improve and expand roads?

Who said we can't

[HayateWind]

Originally Posted by erick295

Density makes traffic worse, not better. However, it also gives people options on how to get around.

There was actually an article (I think in the Washington Post) about how Rosslyn actually saw a net decrease in traffic as it got denser. This of course, also came with the construction of two Washington Metro lines through it's core as well. But the point is greater density doesn't always lead to greater traffic, especially if new development leads to better ways of managing traffic in the area.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by HayateWind

There was actually an article (I think in the Washington Post) about how Rosslyn actually saw a net decrease in traffic as it got denser. This of course, also came with the construction of two Washington Metro lines through it's core as well. But the point is greater density doesn't always lead to greater traffic, especially if new development leads to better ways of managing traffic in the area.

I'll look through it if you find it.

Truth is a majority of the time it will lead to more traffic and this has been found time and time again of people studying the issue on a macro level.

Now depending on existing development/commuter patterns and the changes made... if the stars align just right it can happen, but we pretty have to plan on added traffic.

As more people live in an area more people will hit the streets and more goods and local delivery trucks will need access to the same area to keep businesses flowing.

One thing I can tell you about fixing traffic in the city... comparing it to our suburbs... there is a great deal to be said for making most of the city's arterial streets ITS/Fiber controlled corridors with smart traffic lights.

You can see a noticeable difference. I drove down Boulevard the other day a lengthy bit... Little traffic, but the flow was interrupted too much. The capacity hindrance was how poorly the lights were changing to traffic conditions from streets in all directions. We also need to claim a little bit of land for better left turn lanes and create better access management practices (ie. where and how many curb cuts are, if left turns are allowed, strategic position of turn lanes and medians, etc...) This is a huge issue on Ponce De Leon for example.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by erick295

Density makes traffic worse, not better.

I have a question: If this were true, then how come the rush hour traffic on West Peachtree Street, in the heart of Midtown, is rarely much worse than that of Pleasant Hill Road near Gwinnett Mall, if at all?