Hey Mary, is that a compliment?
Scott Henry makes some good points on the “Black Mayor First” controversy in this story posted on Fresh Loaf, and he quotes from a followup memo in which Aaron Turpeau wrote:
“There is a chance for the first time in 25 years that African-Americans could lose the Mayoral seat in Atlanta, Georgia, especially if there is a run-off.”
Lots of ways to look at this, but hey Mary Norwood, do you feel flattered?
I mean, seriously, it’s a major compliment, when you think about it.
Turpeau is saying no other white candidate has had a shot at the mayor’s office in 25 years.
Obviously, she’s made enough inroads that Turpeau fears she could win this thing, and hence he was motivated to send out a memo in an attempt to unify support behind black mayoral candidate Lisa Borders.
I must say, I don’t really know what to say, because it’s a complex issue — I mean it’s on fire! — and I still don’t know who I’m going to vote for.
So let’s just leave it like this: if I were Norwood, I would have a glass of red wine tonight and quietly toast myself.
Would-be mayors to attract young folks by….
As I mentioned Wednesday, I attended the mayoral forum held earlier this week at Park Tavern.
An audience member asked how the candidates proposed to attract and keep young professionals here.
That’s a topic that interests me because I think smart growth is inextricably woven into the desires of today’s young professionals.
Most of the candidates glossed over smart growth, but to be fair, they said the city will attract and retain young professionals only when it functions properly, and when it’s safe.
I know the city needs to function properly and I know it needs to be safe.
But I don’t think people from around the world move to New York each year because it’s safe or because city government there functions properly.
They move there because the city is exciting, and because it overflows with things to see and do, and with places to congregate and share ideas. People move there because the pace of life is fast — as fast as a speeding subway car that can take you to every corner of the city.
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll know that I like to quote statistics from RCLCO, a real estate firm that has conducted lots of research into what baby boomers and members of Generation Y (people born between 1979 and 1996) want out of their communities.
So please indulge me while I repeat: 77% of Generation Y plan to live in an urban core, according to a report released in March by RCLCO (which has offices in Atlanta).
Why does this matter? Because there are 80 million people in Generation Y.
How big is that? BIGGER THAN THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION
As I said yesterday, the one candidate who consistently mentioned streetcars and bike lanes at the forum was Glenn Thomas, who may just be the least likeliest to win the election. (Interestingly, most of the candidates mentioned the Beltline, but did no more than mention it.)
I’m not saying safety and competence are unimportant. Of course they are important!
But we have a chance to attract young professionals here and most of them don’t plan to be stuck on I-85 every morning.
Dobbins to discuss “Urban Design and People”
Georgia Tech Professor Michael Dobbins will discuss his book “Urban Design and People” tomorrow at the Barnes and Noble bookstore on 5th Street.
The details:
When: Friday, Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Barnes & Noble @ Georgia Tech, Fifth and Spring Streets, downtown Atlanta.
About the book: The book offers an introduction to the field of urban design, and provides an overview of how to implement urban design work.
Dobbins has been widely quoted in Atlanta publications in the past few years as the city has been attempting to re-make itself into the urban environment it should be.
I’d love to go to the event and find everyone in city government and every bigwig in the development community there!
Just a suggestion: go listen to his talk and then eat at Social on West Peachtree Place! In other words, discuss urban design and then live it (Social is like a little piece of France in downtown Atlanta).
E Pluribus Unum
A month or so ago, I posted my vision of development in Atlanta via a video clip of an old Robin Williams comedy routine.
I fantasize that it would be great if we could push all of Atlanta’s city neighborhoods together and make one good city.
In the 1980s, Williams joked about how men, during intercourse, were always pushing women’s breasts together “to make one good one.” (See the jump for the video clip).
I was reminded of this metaphor last night at a mayoral forum that was held at the Park Tavern.
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I got your toxic waste right here
A reader wrote in the other day to express thanks that the lights were fixed in the tunnel under the King MARTA station, and then wondered when MARTA would get around to cleaning up the “toxic waste” that accumulates in said tunnel.
Eric, do you mean like the toxic waste in the photo above?
The comment actually made my day, because how often do I have an exact photo of what a reader is describing?!
Yes, it would be great if they could clean up the “toxic waste” seen above from the tunnel.
I see the garbage problem we have in this city and in this country as a real environmental issue. Garbage is a bother on so many levels and I wish there were as much interest in picking up litter as there is in other more status-conscious environmental activities.
Now, just for fun, tell me where I took the photo below.
We all love parking (yes, even Decaturites!)
Ever been to the place in the photo?
Probably not. I mean, well, you’ve been there but you’ve probably never parked in the underground parking area.
It’s the Edgewood Shopping District on Moreland just south of Little Five Points. The place that, at least to hear tell, people only go begrudgingly.
There’s ample free covered parking but why would you use it when there’s all the surface parking?
And unfortunately, the surface parking just makes the place so unattractive for me, and I suspect others. I would love to hang out in front of Barnes and Noble with my purchases but why would I want to look at a parking lot of cars?
Why not convert some of the surface parking to gardens since there’s a ton of covered parking? (And I mean a ton; see photo above!)
I interviewed Ed McMahon at the Urban Land Institute earlier this year to ask how cities can make neighborhoods more attractive.
He talked about a “place-making dividend.” Communities reap a place-making dividend at certain types of developments where people stay longer and spend more money.
People return to such places because they develop an “affection” for them.
What’s the key to such a place?
McMahon, a native of Birmingham, Ala. and a frequent visitor to Atlanta, says people like to watch other people so streets or developments that create place-making dividends are “always oriented toward pedestrians, not cars.”
That brings me back to the Edgewood Shopping District, which, while well-meaning, is a sea of cars.
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Sierra Club/CPT to host discussion on transit
The Sierra Club and Citizens for Progressive Transit will host a discussion on transit in Atlanta on Sept. 10 at Parish. Sounds like a great event!
Here are all the details (and I mean all, since I cut and paste the info):
From its humble origins as the sleepy railroad town of Terminus, to the rise and fall of the turn-of-the-century “Trolley Titans,” to the construction of MARTA in the late 20th century, Atlanta’s history and development as a city has been inextricably linked with its transportation system.
Today, with city and statewide elections fast approaching, transit concerns remain at the forefront of the public agenda. What is the future of MARTA and other transit services in light of unprecedented financial challenges? When will we see transit on the BeltLine, or streetcars on Peachtree Street, or passenger trains to Athens, Savannah, and beyond? And with transportation funding proposals having failed in the last two legislative sessions, what can we expect in 2010?
Please join the Sierra Club and Citizens for Progressive Transit on Thursday, Sept. 10 for a discussion of “Transit in Atlanta: Past, Present & Future” — the next program in our new networking/education series, “Hot Planet, Cold Drinks.” We’ll begin with socializing at 7pm, followed by a presentation by David Emory, principal planner for transit policy at the Atlanta Regional Commission. Jim Dexter, chair of Sierra Club’s RAIL (Regional Action to Improve Livability) Committee, will emcee and provide an update on local transit advocacy efforts.
The event will be held at PARISH, an eco-friendly restaurant and market in Inman Park (http://www.parishatl.com). Meet us in the market, accessed through the lower level patio at the back of the building. PARISH is served by MARTA’s 113 bus (select trips only), and is a ~15 minute walk from the Inman Park station. Onstreet, valet, and bicycle parking is also available. Plan your transit/bicycle trip at http://atltransit.com
Questions? Email sierra_club_socials@yahoo.com.
DETAILS
When: Thu., Sept. 10
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Parish, 240 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta, GA
MARTA fixed lights at King station underpass
I would just like to give a shout-out to MARTA for fixing the lights in the underpass that runs beneath the train tracks at the King Memorial MARTA station.
I had written about the lack of lighting at the station back in May, suggesting the transit system use some of its capital budget to properly light the tunnel so commuters can safely walk to their cars or homes after exiting the station.
Thanks! I walked through the tunnel last night after getting off the train and I couldn’t believe how well-lit it was!
Now, any chance you guys could put up signs at bus stops so folks know which buses stop there?
“MARTA doesn’t go anywhere”
When I returned from vacation on Monday, one of the first things I read was a Creative Loafing story that said this was the week MARTA would enact the service cuts it had approved.
Thinking about the routes that would be cut, and the routes that would not be added, I was reminded of something you hear all the time: MARTA doesn’t go anywhere.
Someone said it a month ago when I posted coverage of the agency’s public meetings, which were held to discuss the service cuts.
Whenever I hear that remark, I always think of the small city in eastern Pennsylvania that I left last year to move back to Atlanta: Allentown, Pa. You probably know it from the Billy Joel song.
It’s a city whose heyday is behind it. Many people have fled the city for the prosperous suburbs, and the city’s stately rowhomes, which would sell for $500,000 or more if you moved them to Brooklyn, are largely the province of lower-income families.
And you know what some people say? Some people say Allentown sucks.
As if Allentown were a person who just decided one day that he didn’t give a crap anymore.
As if Allentown were some mean, old guy who did whatever he could to thwart prosperity, activity, flourishing businesses and hip watering holes — in short, an enemy to urban happiness.
I always thought it was gutless that people said Allentown sucked because really, the truth is, we the city’s residents sucked.
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AJC abandoning Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is moving nearer to its corporate headquarters near Perimeter Mall, Cox Enterprises just announced.
The decision is a huge blow both to intown advocates and — I’d argue — to those who believe in the need for a tough public watchdog on Atlanta and state government. According to the statement:
Through its various print and digital platforms, the AJC serves all of metro Atlanta, which will continue regardless of its headquarters location. An intown bureau will house breaking news reporters and those covering government, institutions and businesses in the midtown and downtown areas.
“While this move represents a physical change, what does not change is the AJC’s focus or commitment to news coverage,” said Doug Franklin, executive vice president of Cox Newspapers. “In fact, our real estate savings will only help the AJC continue to be the leading source of news, information and advertising for metro Atlanta.”
A bureau, however, seems unlikely to focus the kind of attention to city and state agencies, and to development issues in the inner city, that having the main newsroom downtown does.
At least there’s this: The AJC’s abandonment of the city that nurtured it creates an opportunity for other media to fill the gulf.
h/t to Tony Wilbert
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