Why does Atlanta get a bum rap on "sprawl?" (Rome: neighborhood, living in)

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Druid Hills, Morningside, Ansley Park and Brookwood Hills in favor of a more 'urban' landscape? Not on your life.

What..no Atlantic Stations for the entire metro? Guess it was just me

On the real, those hoods are what I reminesce when I'm out of town. Driving down Ponce through Decatur and Poncey Highland is one of the best pleasures of the city.

[J2rescue]

Originally Posted by reet4587

Yeah, I'm definitely one of those people who thinks that the medium-to-high-density areas intown are too spread out. Glenwood Park, for instance, is a great example of well-built density in itself, but it's not in walkable distance to anything useful like a grocery store or a MARTA station. There are little oasis of density like this all over intown that are too disconnected. I wanna just smoosh 'em all together and create one vibrant, walkable, urban core.

Originally Posted by lrfox

The "dense" cities have their dense central business districts (as does Atlanta) and then lots of high density residential and mixed-use neighborhoods spiraling outward from that district as the city's density slowly decreases until you transition into suburbs that form a ways outside the core of the city. I won't say Atlanta has NONE of that gradual transition, but it happens much more quickly (i.e. 3 blocks off of Peachtree in Midtown) in Atlanta and stays a consistent low density for a long ways outside the city.

IMO the two above posts accurately sum up why Atlanta has this reputation.

a)the density within the city core that does exist is disjointed and interrupted by highways, decay or just bad development and

b)from this disjointed core, development leapfrogs to the subdivision/ strip mall sprawl that Atlanta is known for

Its not that other cities don't have sprawl but that it DOMINATES the landscape in Atlanta like no place else in the world.

Unlike ANY other city its size, Atlanta has a relatively small core surrounded by nearly 100% sprawl. Even the big Texas cities which are the most like Atlanta, have a much more substantial urban core surrounding the central business district.

[bizchick86]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

IMO the two above posts accurately sum up why Atlanta has this reputation.

a)the density within the city core that does exist is disjointed and interrupted by highways, decay or just bad development and

That is pretty whack how the 75/85 just tears right through the city. In my research, I read that's what helped facilitate the downturn of Auburn Ave/ Edgewood.

Who thought that would be a good idea?

[noah]

Some examples of cities with freeways going through them:

7 Urban Freeways To Tear Down Today–And What Tomorrow Might Look Like If We Do » INFRASTRUCTURIST

Originally Posted by bizchick86

That is pretty whack how the 75/85 just tears right through the city. In my research, I read that's what helped facilitate the downturn of Auburn Ave/ Edgewood.

Who thought that would be a good idea?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by bizchick86

That is pretty whack how the 75/85 just tears right through the city. In my research, I read that's what helped facilitate the downturn of Auburn Ave/ Edgewood.

Who thought that would be a good idea?

And then there's this. Sigh.

Oxendine Says Parallel Connector Needed | FOX 5 Atlanta | myfoxatlanta.com (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Oxendine_Says_Parallel_Connector_Needed_090409 - broken link)

[Mishap]

They just need to keep expanding bridges over the connector until it becomes a tunnel. Taking from the 5th St GT example if you build the bridge 4X as wide as it needs to be (to handle 2 lanes of traffic) and fill it w/ trees, people tend not to notice the 14 lanes of traffic below. They could also do something similar to that office building in Buckhead over GA400 that also integrates the Marta station.

As much as the connector is despised I don't know if you could ever realistically move it elsewhere and still keep Atlanta thriving. Oxendine's plan is idiotic and a mere pipe dream for someone drunk on insurance company money looking to pander.

[reet4587]

Originally Posted by Mishap

They just need to keep expanding bridges over the connector until it becomes a tunnel. Taking from the 5th St GT example if you build the bridge 4X as wide as it needs to be (to handle 2 lanes of traffic) and fill it w/ trees, people tend not to notice the 14 lanes of traffic below. They could also do something similar to that office building in Buckhead over GA400 that also integrates the Marta station.

This sounds good to me. I love that 5th street bridge. The idea of creating more public spaces like that over the connector sounds like a good way to deal with the way it divides the city.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by bgNCATL

Can someone explain to me how someone from Houston or Dallas can sit back and say Atlanta is "sprawl city America"? These two cities are just as bad as Atlanta if not worst; But Atlanta always get the label. Most people did a good job of explaining how and why Atlanta sprawls, but no one is talking about why we always get pointed out for it. There are so many other cities that have the exact same problem.

When have Houston and Dallas not been called out for their sprawl?? However, the difference is Atlanta's sprawl is less dense.

[YBF]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

I wonder if there has ever been a Roman, whom upon hearing that New York City was the "New Rome", went to the Bronx and proclaimed "Yankee Stadium is NOTHING like the Colosseum! Who is dumb enough to think New York City is ANYTHING like Rome."

Atlanta's "New York of the South" moniker has nothing to do with the way Atlanta looks. It's based on Atlanta's influence on this region and it's economic power. This is just like how New York is called "the New Rome" because of it's position of power and influence on the world stage. If you came expecting to see a mini version of New York, well, that's something you shouldn't tell a lot of people.



This is the sort of thing the OP is talking about. First off, with the exception of uninformed people, no one tries to compare Atlanta and New York in terms of living patters and development. Everyone should know that Atlanta and New York are two TOTALLY different cities in that regard.

Secondly, no, Long Island is not more urban than Atlanta. While the LIRR is great, it's not a subway. It's commuter rail and distance based. It's only useful for people who are going one way (into the City) and back home at night. And where does this more sidewalks comment come from? I have never lived or seen anywhere in the City of Atlanta that didn't have sidewalks.

If you are talking about the burbs then that's the problem. This is a discussion about Atlanta the city, not ATLANTA the metropolitan area.

Actually its about the sprawl so get it right!!!!!!!!!!!! And the sprawl is the suburbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive never heard NY called the new Rome. OR even be compared for that matter. EVER!!!! The LIRR goes everywhere its pretty much in every town on LI and although its NOT a subway its better than ANYTHING Atlanta has to offer.

[YBF]

Originally Posted by J2rescue

IMO the two above posts accurately sum up why Atlanta has this reputation.

a)the density within the city core that does exist is disjointed and interrupted by highways, decay or just bad development and

b)from this disjointed core, development leapfrogs to the subdivision/ strip mall sprawl that Atlanta is known for

Its not that other cities don't have sprawl but that it DOMINATES the landscape in Atlanta like no place else in the world.

Unlike ANY other city its size, Atlanta has a relatively small core surrounded by nearly 100% sprawl. Even the big Texas cities which are the most like Atlanta, have a much more substantial urban core surrounding the central business district.

My point exactly!!!!!!!!!!!