Comments on: Carless in Atlanta — seeing city’s streets and neighborhoods on foot http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/ Maria Saporta is a longtime Atlanta business, civic and urban affairs journalist with a deep knowledge of our city, our region and state. Tue, 22 May 2012 05:42:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rebecca http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3468 Rebecca Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:15:42 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3468 Fred, what a great piece. When I mentioned in passing to someone that my husband (and child) and I are now car-free, she giggled involuntarily - even the sound of it was outrageous to her. It's inspiring to read about people like you who are leading the way by example. Keep up the great work! Fred, what a great piece. When I mentioned in passing to someone that my husband (and child) and I are now car-free, she giggled involuntarily – even the sound of it was outrageous to her. It’s inspiring to read about people like you who are leading the way by example. Keep up the great work!

]]> By: Philip http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3163 Philip Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:44:02 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3163 Please plan to showcase your success at the 2010 International Symposium on Bicycling & Walking - ProWalk/ProBike Conference in Chattanooga, TN, September 13-16, 2010. Call for papers available soon - visit www.bikewalk.org. Please plan to showcase your success at the 2010 International Symposium on Bicycling & Walking – ProWalk/ProBike Conference in Chattanooga, TN, September 13-16, 2010.

Call for papers available soon – visit http://www.bikewalk.org.

]]> By: BPJ http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3151 BPJ Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:51:43 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3151 My wife and I walk around Midtown & Downtown often, and we find the experience of walking around these areas of Atlanta to be steadily IMPROVING over the past decades. Three apparent reasons: (1) more people living intown means more pedestrians; (2) there have been a number of sidewalk improvements, not just new sidewalks where there were none before (e.g., alongside Piedmont Park in several places) but also the kind of "street furniture" which other cities take for granted: trees for shade, lighting for the sidewalks (sidewalk lights and street lights are not the same thing), and benches, trash cans, signage; (3) many of the new buildings are mixed-use, with street-level retail. One of the pleasures of walking around in a city environment is passing by cafes, shop windows, music clubs(something not typically encountered in a country walk) and the associated people-watching that goes along with all that. When this recession ends (and it will), and when some of the gaps (e.g., parking lots) are replaced by the right kind of mixed-use development, the experience of walking along the sidewalk in Midtown and Downtown will be greatly improved. My wife and I walk around Midtown & Downtown often, and we find the experience of walking around these areas of Atlanta to be steadily IMPROVING over the past decades. Three apparent reasons:

(1) more people living intown means more pedestrians;

(2) there have been a number of sidewalk improvements, not just new sidewalks where there were none before (e.g., alongside Piedmont Park in several places) but also the kind of “street furniture” which other cities take for granted: trees for shade, lighting for the sidewalks (sidewalk lights and street lights are not the same thing), and benches, trash cans, signage;

(3) many of the new buildings are mixed-use, with street-level retail. One of the pleasures of walking around in a city environment is passing by cafes, shop windows, music clubs(something not typically encountered in a country walk) and the associated people-watching that goes along with all that.

When this recession ends (and it will), and when some of the gaps (e.g., parking lots) are replaced by the right kind of mixed-use development, the experience of walking along the sidewalk in Midtown and Downtown will be greatly improved.

]]> By: Burke http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3137 Burke Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:07:50 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3137 So appreciate your ode to walking, Fred. I, too, live [and walk and bike] in O4W. I'm very excited about the BeltLine beginnings in our neighborhood: http://tinyurl.com/yajpon4 So appreciate your ode to walking, Fred. I, too, live [and walk and bike] in O4W. I’m very excited about the BeltLine beginnings in our neighborhood: http://tinyurl.com/yajpon4

]]> By: Dwayne Bass http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3132 Dwayne Bass Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:53:37 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3132 SO excited that the corridor will be opening soon. I got the chance to walk it the other day and you are right, there are some great new views that I had never seen before!! Thanks for all you do Fred!! SO excited that the corridor will be opening soon. I got the chance to walk it the other day and you are right, there are some great new views that I had never seen before!! Thanks for all you do Fred!!

]]> By: Lee Beasley http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3127 Lee Beasley Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:43:38 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3127 Thanks for the meditation on walking, Fred. I love to be afoot in the city as well as exploring the city on my bike, which I have used as my primary means of getting to work for the past six or seven years, with MARTA in the middle of commute and serving as my fallback in inclement weather. It would be great to see more people out and about on foot vs. entombed in their cars. The Beltline will open up more parts of the city to pedestrians, who may find they don't have to jump in the car every time they go somewhere. That's gotta be a good thing. Thanks for the meditation on walking, Fred. I love to be afoot in the city as well as exploring the city on my bike, which I have used as my primary means of getting to work for the past six or seven years, with MARTA in the middle of commute and serving as my fallback in inclement weather. It would be great to see more people out and about on foot vs. entombed in their cars. The Beltline will open up more parts of the city to pedestrians, who may find they don’t have to jump in the car every time they go somewhere. That’s gotta be a good thing.

]]> By: Mandy Mahoney http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3126 Mandy Mahoney Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:45:16 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3126 This is great inspiration for the new year. It makes me so happy to read this piece. Thank you Fred! This is great inspiration for the new year. It makes me so happy to read this piece. Thank you Fred!

]]> By: “Carless in Atlanta” from SaportaReport | Atlanta Unsheltered http://saportareport.com/blog/2009/12/carless-in-atlanta-%e2%80%94-seeing-the-streets-and-neighborhoods-on-foot/comment-page-1/#comment-3089 “Carless in Atlanta” from SaportaReport | Atlanta Unsheltered Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:20:51 +0000 http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=2782#comment-3089 [...] missed it, Fred Yalouris of the Beltline has penned an interesting ode to walking that you can read here at [...] [...] missed it, Fred Yalouris of the Beltline has penned an interesting ode to walking that you can read here at [...]

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