Fall is nearly upon us (or fully upon us if you follow meteorological seasons)!
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.
August Content
SouthSide Trail Progress
Atlanta Summer Drone Tour
Urban Thoughts: Too small for an article, too big to miss
The BeltLine
The BeltLine released their monthly design and construction updates the other day and there was a lot of disappointing but not surprising news in it:
- As most of us figured by now, the SouthEast segment from Glenwood to Boulevard will probably not be done in October – it’s now looking like it could be next year
- The SouthSide Trail may not be ready in time for the World Cup. This is probably the most crucial segment to date as it’s the lynchpin that will complete the “U”
- In what has become the norm the last few months in these, there was not a word spoken about transit. This is even more flagrant this month as the BeltLine unveiled the full transit plan with station locations and costs. Not even a week later, the CEO basically trashed the plan and said rail on the Eastside somehow doesn’t make “sense”. Yeah, I don’t get it either!
Related to BeltLine Rail, there are a lot of smart people in this City who are against it for one reason or another but I’ve yet to see one idea that gives us the amount of benefit that rail does.
One take surrounds the cost with some people saying that we could spend less than 3.5 billion and give every resident who wants one an E-Bike and build out the cities’ bike infrastructure. While this seems like a good idea on the surface, let’s think about the BeltLine on a cold day, a rainy day, when it get’s dark at 5:30 in the winter, etc. There are so many limitations that would come with that – not even to mention the many people who can’t ride a bike. Coming from someone who bikes everywhere for transportation, it’s not for everyone and just doesn’t have the capabilities that actual mass transit does.
If you missed my six part series on BeltLine rail late last year catch up here:
State of Downtown Raleigh
While the future skyline map that DRA puts out each year seems a lot quieter than the past few years, Raleigh is rising! The focus on Downtown housing and connectivity has the future of the City looking bright!
Marietta’s Mayor Race
Smart suburbs are evolving! If you’re in Marietta please check out Sam Foster’s campaign which is focused on safe infrastructure and housing. A better future is possible.
Photos of the Month
Developments that Excited Me
This might be the thing that really gets Downtown Wendell going! As I’ve said many times, Wendell has the best bones of any of the small town Wake County municipalities.
Hopefully this is just step one of many. Check out my ideas for the underutilized Downtown parcels.
It feels like almost weekly we get great news out of South Downtown these days. Make sure you’re signed up to get Jon’s monthly newsletter full of updates.
I’d argue that this is one of the most impactful sites in Midtown. We must get it right.
Memorial Drive Greenway Back From the Dead?
It’s been years since we’ve heard about this one. Would go an long way in making Downtown have a cohesive connection to the Eastern neighborhoods.
I think parts of this should go here!
Reynoldstown Stunner
Reynoldstown is my favorite neighborhood in the City for a reason. This is just the cherry on top.
Get Involved, Atlanta!
| Date | Event | Notes |
| 9/8 | Zoning Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 9/10 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 9/15 | City Council | 1:00 PM |
| 9/16 | Fatal Crash Review Commission | 10:00 AM |
| 9/24 | Zoning Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 9/26 | Transportation Committee | 10:00 AM |
| 10/6 | 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, NC Housing Table, and The Downtown Raleigh Community.
What I’m working on this month (and probably late
- Updates to earlier drawings of the Reconnecting Communities sketches
- More suburban spotlights
- InPhil Designs ideas
- Urban Thoughts – Cities: Chicago, Providence, Orlando
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 