#31... Our Brick Sidewalks

Why we love them...

The red bricks that you see in many parts of the historic area enhance the visual appeal of the city, make for an interesting pedestrian experience and help create a a sense of place.  The brick sidewalks are most notable on Canton Street which is one of the truly great streets in Georgia.  Without them, our historic district would definitely lose some of it's charm.

What we would do next...

First, any new sidewalks should be required to be the same brick anywhere in the district regardless of whether they are paid for by a private developer or by the city.  Why did we not put them in on the Midtown Streetscape project???

Second, Mimosa Street should get them ASAP.

Third, a real focus should be put on completing our sidewalk network.  It's very fragmented in areas and creates an environment that isn't conducive to walking everywhere.

Comments

[Mickey O'Brien]

Consistancy and continuity of materials are very important in creating a sense of place as you have noted. With that said, at some point the "Concrete Pavers" need to start being replaced with real "Brick Pavers". Take a look at the concrete pavers in front of Krispy Creme on S. Atlanta Road, because they are an inferior material, the reds have turned into pavers with no color. With "Brick Pavers" you get over a 100 years of true texture and color. Moving forward it would be nice to start using real brick rather then the cheaper modern day concrete pavers.

[Michael D Hadden]

Can't agree with you more on this one Mickey. I try to stay away from the Krispy Kreme though.