Summertime has arrived!
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, BlueSky Social, and Instagram.
May Content
1072 West Peachtree Progress | Drone tour of construction progress on Atlanta’s tallest building in decades.
Southeast BeltLine Progress | Drone tour of the long anticipated Southeast Beltline trail.
Centennial Yards Progress | Drone tour of Downtown’s mega development.
Urban Thoughts: Too small for an article, too big to miss
Downtown Ghost Town: A recent walk from Downtown to Midtown to the Eastside Beltline really highlighted the stark difference in foot traffic and activity during a non-event evening. I still believe that when Centennial Yards, Downtown South, and the Stitch (if the feds still award the grant) get going momentum will massively shift! We need people to want to visit and linger outside of events and even call Downtown home. Another good sign is the sheer number of cranes right now in Downtown. They outnumber the amount of cranes in Midtown for the first time I can remember. I wrote about my belief in Downtown a few years ago and despite some changes since then, most of it still rings true.
Urban “Environmentalists”: A big pet peeve of mine is the self proclaimed group of people who consider themselves urban environmentalists. It’s usually not even about trees for these people. It’s about stopping any and all development. If they really cared about trees or the environment, they’d allow more intense development in existing neighborhoods. This would slow down destructive sprawl and increased traffic, which are the real issues contributing to climate change and affordability problems. 1000 trees per acre being clear cut for .25 acre lots and forced car dependency is seen as no issue. Meanwhile, a few trees on an infill lot to build a duplex or small apartment building where people can easily walk and bike is met with swift resistance in the name of environmentalism. It’s purely performative. It’s mainly just another hurdle and tax on the primary people trying to develop sustainable, attainable housing products in urban areas.
Developments that Excited Me
South Downtown and Centennial Yards Progress | Between tenant announcements and substantial construction progress, things are getting real!
More housing coming to my favorite Atlanta neighborhood | Reynoldstown continues to impress – and there’s still tons of opportunity to grow.
Forge | I’ll believe it when I see it (I give it not much more than a 0% chance), but it’s still exciting.
Photos of the Month
Get Involved, Atlanta!
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 6/2 | City Council | 1:00 Pm |
| 6/9 | Zoning Committee | 11:00 AM |
| 6/11 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 6/16 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| 6/19 | Juneteenth | Celebrations all weekend |
| 6/22 | Atlanta Street’s Alive – West End to Grant Park | 2:00 PM-6:00 PM |
| 6/23 | Zoning Committee | 11:00 AM |
| 6/25 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 7/7 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
Raleigh folks, I miss y’all! Make sure you’re keeping up to date with the great people at Raleigh Forward, WakeUP, Oaks and Spokes and The Downtown Raleigh Community.
What I’m working on this month (and probably later)
- South side BeltLine infill concepts
- Updates to earlier drawings of the Reconnecting Communities sketches
- More suburban spotlights
- InPhil Designs ideas
- UrbanConnector First Thoughts: Chicago, Providence
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, BlueSky Social, and Twitter accounts.
Opinions and insights are my own and are not representative of my employer or any organization.
Phil Veasley 