The weather has been perfect! I hope you all have been able to brave the pollen and enjoy the outdoors. The Urban Connector monthly newsletter looks back on the best of the previous month as well as ways to get involved in the coming month.
Please make sure you sign up below to have these delivered straight to your inbox and follow on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
March Content
March 22nd – Quotes featured in AJC Article. I-20 Created a divide that we’re still trying to navigate.
The Stitch is happening! But it’s not the only highway deserving of Reconnecting Communities grants.
“I-20 east and west of downtown are ripe for mitigation efforts” he wrote. “Selective closings of ramps, more pedestrian crossings and active bridges should be considered. It would be costly, but it would go a long way in making the city whole again and restoring equity in forgotten neighborhoods, he concluded.”
Articles featured where I’ve explored some highway mitigation or removal concepts. I hope to revisit these with a little more detail soon.
Southern Urbanism: 5 Southern Freeways Ready to be Removed
March 23rd – San Francisco Photo Tour
Photo tour from a visit to one of the most beautiful cities in America.
March 31st – InPhil Designs – 10 is better than One
A conceptual design to transform a single family lot in Raleigh to ten townhomes on just under 1/2 acre.
Developments that excited me
Atlanta’s Civil Rights Museum is expanding!
The Stitch won 157 Million Dollars in Federal Funding. It is anticipated that construction could begin by 2026. In addition to bridging the gap between Midtown and Downtown, there’s the potential to infusion a much needed amount of affordable and market rate housing into an area desperately needing residents. Even more exciting for me is the multimodal street improvements that will also come to the area. As mentioned above, there’s also a few public open houses coming up.
Bike Lanes are coming to Forsyth Street! In another project that I had the opportunity to actually work on a little bit, Forsyth Street will see the addition of buffered bike lanes soon from Memorial Drive to Marietta Street. These will connect to the recently completed MLK, Memorial Drive, and Mitchell Steet facilities. Little by little, we’re reaching the point of having a really good protected network through South Downtown. Now, we just need the MLK gaps filled between Forsyth and Northside as well as East of Downtown out toward the Cemetery.
The City has released an RFQ for the first phase of the Thomasville Heights redevelopment. This first phase is a seven acre parcel which will feature affordable and market rate for-sale and rental housing.
Urban Oasis Development will team with Culdesac for the key redevelopment of Murphy’s Crossing along the Beltline. The development will bring over 1000 units to the community with around 30% being reserved for residents making 60-80% AMI.
In a truly Atlanta headline, a mixed-use tower will rise near the Beltline and a Strip Club. In all seriousness, it’s great to see this level of density start to pop up in what has been basically industrial wasteland to date.
So Centennial Yards will be more than two buildings before the World Cup! Sort of, the shells and exterior components of the below buildings should be set for the big games. This may actually work out okay since it may offer a wide variety of programming and pop-up opportunities.
More MARTA?! In a shock, Mayor Dickens announced that four new MARTA infill stations would be constructed. There hasn’t been much more detail than that, but MARTA did quell suspicion that this would replace the Beltline rail plan. Time will tell, but infill stations is a great move for the system. Check out my version of a dream MARTA expansion I mocked up a few years back. V2 coming soon!
The Sweet Auburn district will see a few new projects soon. These should infuse some life, residents and activity to the Historic District.
Construction has started on The Spur. This trail will help link the Upper Westside to Downtown.
1600 units could be coming to the Bankhead MARTA Station.
In another project I got the opportunity to play a small role in many years ago, the Jackson St Bridge people centered redo is finally moving forward!
Things to Know – Atlanta
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 4/4 | 404 DAY! | ALL DAY |
| 4/15 | City Council Meeting | 1:00 PM |
| 4/20 | CNU Atlanta – Finley St Cottages Tour REGISTER | 10:00 AM |
| 4/22 | Zoning Committee | 11:00 AM |
| 4/24 | Transportation Committee | 11:00 AM |
| 4/26 | Critical Mass Ride – Woodruff Park | 6:00 PM |
| 4/30-5/1 | The Stich Open Houses REGISTER | Various Times |
| 5/1 | Propel ATL Blinkie Awards REGISTER | 6:00 PM |
Things to Know – Raleigh
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 4/2 | City Council Meeting | 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM |
| 4/9 | Planning Commission | 9:00 AM |
| 4/9 | City Council Meeting | 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM |
| 4/10 | Downtown Raleigh Alliance Dream Big event REGISTER | 4:30 PM |
| 4/15 | BPAC Meeting | 6:00 PM |
| 4/16 | City Council Meeting | 11:00 AM & 1:00 PM |
| 4/23 | Planning Commission | 9:00 AM |
I’m sure this newsletter will evolve as time goes on. Comments or suggestions? Let me know!
Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer working to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US. My goal is to create cites that are safe and effective for all people to move about outside of cars. To achieve that we have to focus on creating equitable, dense, and vibrant cities full of walkable neighborhoods with a various mix of housing choices, schools, restaurants, and services. We cannot have safe multimodal infrastructure without the density to support it and we cannot have equitable density without safe multimodal infrastructure. Outside of designing safe streets, my passions are sketching ideas for infill neighborhoods, floor plans, urban photography, and exploring our cities on foot or bike. Please check out the menus above for all of my ideas and also check out my YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.
Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.
Phil Veasley 