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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 11h

I guess if we absolutely have to keep a statue of a vocal white supremacist (Henry Grady) on Marietta Street in Downtown Atlanta, the fact that it's sandwiched between two ugly data-center towers is at least a kind of just reward. But I'd rather not keep it.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 1d

It never stops amazing me that when I'm standing here, I'm standing above 15 lanes of interstate highway. I can't even hear it. 5th Street Bridge.

A green space with trees and a street in the middle.

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Reposted by Darin Givens

Nathaniel William Horadam @horadam.bsky.social · 2d

Cities with a higher violent crime rate than Chicago:

Houston
Dallas
Lubbock
Amarillo
San Antonio
Corpus Christi

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 5d

Continuing to use this much land for surface parking -- next to MARTA's only significant expansion of high capacity transit (Summerhill BRT) in 25 years -- seems like a ridiculous waste.

We have to get serious about matching transit investments with growth in walkable density in Atlanta.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 6d

Bizarre story! And it highlights the problems with GA's laws about LLCs: we can never really know who owns property in the city because the state offers them so much protection.

Knowing who owns land is important for cities. Meaning: this is another way the state prevents cities from succeeding.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 7d

The image from 2002 highlights the old parking lots at GA Tech. It almost looks like a suburban commuter school.

The second image is the same view of the modern campus, with parking lots turned into green spaces, pedestrian paths & new buildings. What a great transformation!

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 8d

1999 video about light rail in ATL!

I hate to be a naysayer on rail-expansion, but making a huge investment in rail in these low-density areas feels wrong; especially from a modern view, when we have many needs for rail expansion in higher densities.

h/t ATL Joe

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnmt...

Light rail vehicle traveling in a suburban place

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 10d

Bikes and pedestrians don't do this kinda damage. There's a reason cars need to be treated as dangerous devices by our laws and our urban design.

Spotted on North Avenue (and reported to ATL 311).

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 10d

Here's the view facing south on West Peachtree Street (from 13th Street) today, and 15 years ago. It's quite different today.

No skyscrapers. A parking lot and some small buildings.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 13d

European cities don't hold a monopoly on pairing urban density with good options for transit/biking/walking -- we've got examples here in Atlanta! Here's Tech Square in Midtown today. What a beautiful sight. Let's see more of this!

Pedestrians, cyclists, and a Stinger bus with buildings all around.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 13d

The promise of the Beltline as a program for equitable, sustainable growth + rail expansion was intoxicating 20 years ago.

Sadly, too many leaders have allowed it to be exploited primarily as a wealth-building tool for privileged property owners, even at the expense of schools. Let's change that.

Dan Immergluck @danimmergluck.bsky.social · 14d

Apparently Atlanta Beltline Inc. CEO argues extending Beltline TAD/TIF would help city adapt to declining federal $ to city.

That’s almost exactly wrong & more reason NOT to extend TAD. Why give control of $125M+/year in revenue to one largely unaccountable entity spending $ in narrow district? 1/2

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 13d

One of my favorite things about walking on Peachtree Street at night: getting to see the lights on the beautiful facade of the Imperial Hotel building (1911). It currently serves as supportive housing for the formerly homeless and other persons with special needs.

The ornate brick facade of an 8 story building completed in 1911.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 14d

On the bottom:
The transportation mode that established Atlanta as a city.

On the top:
The mode that was prioritized so heavily that it has choked Atlanta's ability to do what cities do best.

It doesn't have to stay this way.

(Viewed from a MARTA train)

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 18d

I get it now. I see why powerful property owners + Beltline CEO Clyde Higgs wouldn't want to follow through with building rail on the Eastside.

What a hideous nightmare this is!

Putting little pod cars on concrete would be sooooo much better.

😭😭😭

www.tumblr.com/communities/...

East Berlin urbanism has its gems.

www.tumblr.com

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 19d

Wow, that's awesome! Well done.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 19d

If you're confused about the location of this Avis car rental in Downtown, it's across the street from the Budget car rental and near the giant 90 Ellis parking deck and the even more giant GA Pacific parking deck.

And two blocks east of the Peachtree Center MARTA Station.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 19d

This morning, GA State Patrol did a PIT maneuver that caused a car to crash into the Avis car rental on Courtland Ave in Downtown Atlanta, nearly hitting two unhoused people on the sidewalk.

This is awful in so many ways.

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www.11alive.com/article/news...

Headline "GSP: Car slams into building in Downtown Atlanta during trooper pursuit"

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 19d

I truly despise the idea that we can't expect improvements to the north end of Downtown until The Stitch is built -- that we have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a freeway cap so investment can trickle down.

The gross car-sewer streets surrounding it should be redesigned now.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 20d

I realize this isn't scientific data, but anecdotally, the fact that I'm able to stand in the middle of Peachtree Street and take a photo at 6:45pm without worrying about cars tells me that four lanes aren't needed for cars. Widen those bike lanes.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 20d

What's more disappointing...

a.) That there's no development at the Civic Center yet, a year and a half after reports that it was coming soon?

b.) That no one seems to care?

c.) Walking past sun-bleached old signs as they taunt me?

I'm going with 'b'. The signs are depressing. But it all stinks.

Sun bleached "the excitement is building" signs

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 20d

The fire station at the bottom of this proposed Midtown tower is cool. The Death Star-sized parking deck is not.

No parking is required by the city on this property due to its proximity to a MARTA rail station. This is too much. Pls fix.

atlanta.urbanize.city/post/midtown...

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 21d

A squishy MARTA "stress ball" bus, for when my real bus is late and not tracking and I'm furious.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 21d

It's a small reminder that we can (and should) redesign the built environment to make transit work better!

The Atlanta Streetcar is closed for about four months due to unrelated infrastructure work & I'm looking forward to its return.

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 21d

Something nice that happened a couple of years ago: problematic street-parking spaces on Auburn Ave were replaced with planters!

Cars used to block the streetcar & cause delays (I took that 'before' photo while waiting at a stop & the streetcar was delayed by a parked car)

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Darin Givens @atlurbanist.bsky.social · 21d

Well said! And I dearly want this market to avoid the same fate as the previous tenant, Walgreens, which closed amid a string of crimes including shootings (when the closure was announced, there were bullet holes in a window). Safety/policing is a complex issue but we need these stores to survive.

cri.es

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