November is here. While it may get dark insanely too early, at least the weather is still nice.
Shoutout to everyone who has turned out to vote in record numbers already. If you haven’t, your last chance is on election day this coming Tuesday. Please, make your voice heard and vote. I’m staying away from individual endorsements but take a look at your local elections and consider candidates who will dedicate their campaigns to building housing, dense, sustainable and walkable neighborhoods to enhance affordability, as well as support safe street initiatives. Federally, please think about things beyond yourself – consider your children’s’, immigrant, BIPOC, women’s, LGBTQIA+, teachers, doctors, and everyone’s’ futures.
I’m also happy to announce that I am now CNU Accredited from the Congress for the New Urbanism.
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.
October Content
Sights from a Sunday Stroll
Photo tour and insights from a LONG walk through Atlanta’s urban core.
Savannah Photo and Drone Tour
Photo and Drone tours of beautiful Downtown Savannah. At some point, I’ll have a video / article with my thoughts on the Historic City.
Suburban Spotlight: Wendell
The booming small town with big charm and former home for a few years is showing signs of success just East of Raleigh.
Developments that Excited Me
Glenwood Park infill: This beautiful building is on it’s on it’s way to Glenwood Park and it’ll have no new parking – trust me, there’s more than enough around it though. Also, comparing the size and utility of this building compared to the scale of the drive-thru single use Chick-Fil-A next door is insane.
Beltline gap to be filled: The seemingly random on street detour section of the Westside Trail will be filled in soon.
West End Mall redevelopment progress: This might actually be happening! Name and details have been released. While I do think we could handle a bit more density in this area, it’s better than what’s there now. Even better, are the plans and programs that are planned to be put in place to maintain affordability and help community businesses. Now if we could just get something other than surface lots at the MARTA station next door and make it easier to cross I-20 to and from the AUC. I explored that a bit a few years ago and plan to refine the whole vision soon.
The Stich rolls on: Another one that just might actually happen.
Affordable housing density bonus: There is single solution to our housing crisis but this provides yet another tool in the toolbox.
The Yellow Store rehab: The historic Westside Yellow Store is set to be reborn as a mixed-use corner.
AMC redevelopment: I could go on about Wellstar’s decision to abandon their two in-town facilities while pouring millions into their suburban campuses, but at least they’ve quickly put together a solid vision for the former Atlanta Medical Center.
Get Involved, Atlanta!
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 11/4 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| 11/5 | VOTE | VOTE |
| 11/13 | Zoning Committee | 9:30 AM |
| 11/13 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 11/17 | Streets Alive (RDA ROUTE) | 1-5:00 PM |
| 10/18 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| 11/25 | Zoning Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 11/25 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 12/2 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| Various Dates | Stitch Walking Tours | Various Times |
| Various Dates | South Downtown Tours | Various Times |
Atlanta Calendar of Events
Get Involved, Raleigh
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 11/5 | Election Day | VOTE |
| 11/6 | City Council | 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM |
| 11/12 | Planning Commission | 9:00 AM |
| 11/12 | City Council | 7:00 PM |
| 11/18 | BPAC | 6:00 PM |
| 11/19 | City Council Work Session | 11:30 AM |
| 11/26 | Planning Commission | 9:00 AM |
| 12/3 | City Council | 1:00 PM & 7:00 PM |
Raleigh Calendar of Events
What I’m working on this month (and probably later)
- Updates to earlier drawings to the Reconnecting Communities sketches
- The Enigma of North Hills video
- More suburban spotlights
I’m sure this newsletter will evolve as time goes on. Comments or suggestions? Let me know!
Phil Veasley is a Professional Engineer and CNU-Accredited Professional member working to design safer multimodal infrastructure in cities throughout the US.
My goal is to create cities 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 