The State of the City.. Walkability Has a Bright Future

If you can take one thing away from the State of the City address that was delivered by Mayor Jere Wood earlier this month, it is that walkablity has a bright future in Roswell.  It's refreshing to know that we have city leadership that for the most part understands that a focus on creating a more pedestrian friendly environment is critical to building a sustainable city.

The mayor hits on Old Town Roswell's status as one of the 27 existing Walkable Urban Places (WalkUPs) in the metro Atlanta and discusses building on our existing good bones in what he is referring to as Old Town Roswell which many may know as Historic Roswell.  Here are some of my favorite quotes...

For the past 60 years, we knew how development occurred...  There are no farms left, there is very little vacant land.  So we're looking for a new pattern. That growth is going to occur primarily in the hwy 9 corridor from HBR s to the river which includes Canton St.

For the purposes of this talk, I'm going to call that area Old Town Roswell.  Because it really is pretty much the boundaries of the city in 1854.  That's where you are going to see the growh in the future occur.  It's going to occur by converting old strip centers and old apartments into a walkable village.  A walkable village is someplace that you can easily walk to every where you go every day without getting in a car.

To be walkable, a community must be compact.  The residential and commercial uses must be next to each other not spread out and segregated as we have seen in the past. So this isn't your typical subdivision.  This is what you think of when you think of a village.

To be walkable, a community must be connected.  That connection is through a grid of streets, alleys and sidewalks.  Fortunately, that is what we have in Old Town Roswell.  We're gonna add to that grid.  It's totally different than what you have seen in the past which is a subdivision with cul-de-sacs and shopping centers that are not connected to their neighbors.  We're seeing a new development pattern.  Again, this is in Old Town Roswell and I don't see it going beyond that at this point in time.

We're going to grow by compact development within Old Town Roswell.  

There are a number of other great points in the video which every Roswell resident should watch.

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Flyovers: Fantasy vs Reality

I took a look at the newest Avalon CGI flyover video that was released last week and couldn't help but think of the Charlie Brown flyover video that I ran across a few months ago.  The first represents reality of what can be done when well managed capital comes along and properly (in most cases) engages the community and works with them to provide a product that will work within the context of the city.  The second represents a dreamer's vision of a mega project that wasn't well received by the neighboring subdivisions due mostly to the scale of the project. 

Take a look and add your thoughts on which one you like best.  (remember that CGI imagery has improved a lot in the last 7 years)

Avalon

Roswell East (aka Charlie Brown)

Stop the Madness: This Sums Up My Feelings...

This video pretty much sums up my feelings on road signs...

TIA2012 and the Beltline

The Beltline is perhaps the most transformational project our region has ever seen. Granted, the direct beneficiaries will be in the city of Atlanta. However, our region as a whole will benefit greatly from this development. Check out this video on TIA2012's impact on the Beltline.

Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd on the Transit Vote

Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd makes an interesting point in the video below when he says;

The key to it is to let people understand what's at stake here. I heard someone say this last week: Who do you think is gonna be cheering when this doesn't pass on Aug. 1? Is it gonna be the tea party people? Is it gonna be those in South DeKalb? Is it gonna be those who think we're paying a penny and we don't want to pay any more? It's gonna be Charlotte, it's gonna be Dallas, it's gonna be Phoenix. It's gonna be everybody we compete with for jobs on a daily basis. They will know we've stepped back from the plate. They will know we are not willing to take the steps here to move this region forward.

Check out the whole clip below:

Does Atlanta Need an American Makeover?

This is a well put together video by AmericanMakeover.tv chronicling Atlanta's unstoppable sprawl. It showcases the New Urbanist community Glenwood Park near downtown as an alternative to the unbridled growth that the city has experienced. The video is short but informative and I suggest you check it out. Also, if you have not had a chance to check out Glenwood Park, do so next time you are down near Grant Park or East Atlanta (it's right between them just south of I20)

Earth Hour 2009 in Atlanta

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund and its mission is to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions. The ongoing campaign is held on the last Saturday of March.

it begain in Sydney in 2007 and it gained global attention last year with 35 flagship cities and 400 participating cities. To participate, you can sign up on the Earth Hour website. By doing so, you are committing to turning off non-essential lights and electric appliances for one hour. This year there are over 750 cities world wide that have signed up.

By the way, 101 buildings have signed up in metro Atlanta. Look for another reminder soon.

Efficency Tips from the Sierra Club

We always love anything that is put together in a professional, fun package that presents energy efficiency in a simple, common sense light.  The Sierra Club has a short video on it's website doing just that.  Mr. Green as he calls himself in the video takes the viewer through each room in a sample house to show seme easy ways to save energy.  The video is about 8 minutes and if you are at all interested in making some efficency upgrades to you home, it is a good way to get an idea or two.

 Check out the video on the Sierra Club website here.  You can also look it up on Google Video here.