Peach Bites

Phillips Arena Gets Top Billing - Apparently, Phillips Arena is the #1 concert and events facility in the US based on attendance figures.  It's also number seven in the world.  Not bad for the first LEED certified arena in either the NBA or NHL.  AJC

Environmentally Friendly High School Opens This Year - The new LEED certified Arabia Mountain High School will be opening in the coming weeks to approximately 1,100 new students.  The school is Georgia's first LEED certified school and will have an environmentally concious curriculum.  My Fox Atlanta

What Do We Need Now??...  A Faster Way to Macon, Of Course - According to this article, state lawmakers "have been 'flirting' with the idea of high speed rail for years."  Their definition of flirting and my definition of flirting must be drastically different.  This might be a good idea for the region but IMO, it will never happen.  13 WMAZ

Green Communities Awards Given by Atlanta Regional Commission - I have to say that this is a great idea.  Certification of communities as green is a step in the right direction.  However, it has to make sense.  The first recipients are Decatur, Alpharetta and Cobb County.  Living in Alpharetta, I can safely say that it is FAR from anything that should be considered a Green community.  Cobb County is not much better.  I just worry that labeling a community as "Green" for its intentions rather than the existing reality is misleading.  Look for a later post on this topic.  Atlanta Regional Commission

Peach Bites

Atlanta has been busy since our last readings post. Catch up with some of the more notable stories below.


Overbuilt? (AJC) - Metro Atlanta ranks third worst in the nation in empty homes. Wow! Only Las Vegas and Detroit rank higher in the numbers of vacant rental properties and single family homes on the market currently. Notable Quote: "Intown Atlanta had more than 6,000 new unsold condo units at the end of 2008, and only 645 new units sold the entire year, Haddow & Co. says."

Stimulus Package Breakdown (AJC) - Info below taken directly from the AJC:

• Transit - More than $1.01 billion for highways and bridges; $168 million for transit capital grants
• Energy - Will be determined by legislative action and efforts by private companies and homeowners to apply for credits and grants, but $97.8 million is included for weatherization.
• Education - $420 million for Title I schools; $333 million for special education; some of the $1.28 billion the state will receive in fiscal stabilization funds will also go to education, specifically for modernization and renovation.
• Unemployed & Poor - Estimated $220 million in additional unemployment insurance trust fund dollars.

Atlanta Receives Poor Marks for Park Space (AJC) - Atlanta is still one of the worst cities in the nation when it comes to parks. The report indicates that the main cause is lack of spending on parks. While surrounding counties' citizens have taken it upon themselves to pay taxes, $264M in Cherokee, Cobb & Gwinnett, the City of Atlanta has been mired in infrastructure issues for the better part of the decade. The beltline will go a long way to improve the city's standing but we all know the issues there. Notable Quote: "Apparently, it takes green to be green." State of Atlanta's Parks (Park Pride .pdf)

Peach Bites

The American Planning Association’s National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation goes to the Atlanta Regional Commission's Livable Centers Iniative (AJC Planning.org)

Supreme Court Won't Hear Georgia Water Wars Case (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

The McMansion Trend in Housing is Slowing (Christian Science Monitor)

Time To Reboot America - Op Ed by Thomas Friedman (NY Times)

The 22-Mile LifePreserver - Almost a decade after it was first proposed, the BeltLine still offers promise - or potential pitfalls? (Next American City)