My Athens

"Push Button Wait for Drive Sign"

Via Kaid Benfield's blog. By Dhiru Thadani.

My "Athens Rising" Archive

For a few months last year, I helped write the Athens Rising column--an opinion  column about local  development, planning and architecture issues--for Flagpole Magazine, the weekly alternative newspaper here in Athens, Ga.

The column's main writer--Kevan Williams--had asked me to write the column every other week while he traveled out West to places like Portland, Ore. And that's what I did--having fun, mostly--from August through December 2010.

Kevan's back in town now, and I'm off traveling abroad and happy--for now at least--to be free of deadlines.

Here are the columns I wrote:

• August, 25, 2010:  Future of Downtown Athens

• September, 8, 2010: A Look at a Complex Zoning Decision

• September 22, 2010: Exploring an Overlooked Neighborhood

• October 6, 2010: Adding Affordable Housing, Avoiding Gentrification

• October 20, 2010: Tapping Students for Downtown Density

• November 3, 2010: Grocery Store Dreams, Part 1

• November 17, 2010: Grocery Store Dreams, Part 2

• December 1, 2010: Dilapidated Buildings, Factories and Cities

 

Sidewalk Felicities, and a Suggestion for the ABH

Not sure that this blog can take credit, but two instances of what I highlighted as "sidewalk infelicities" have been improved.

The Northwest and Southwest corners at Prince Ave. and Barber St.--a location with lots of foot traffic--are now much more pedestrian friendly.  Take a look at these before and after shots:

Exhibit 1: Northwest corner of Prince Ave. and Barber St.

Before:

After:

Exhibit 2: Southwest corner of Prince Ave. and Barber St.

Before:

After:

Nice work. But, as I said, I'm not sure that any spotlighting by this blog did anything to spur the work. Athens-Clarke Co. does have a Sidewalk Improvement Program in place, and these corners may have been slated for work under that program or another one long before I took note of them here.

For citizens like me the before-and-after shots have proven to be a very satisfying way to report a problem and then to see that something actually got done. (In this case, I can at least pretend that I had an impact--even though it might have been a coincidence.) I  imagine that public servants might feel a similar satisfaction in being able to be so visibly responsive and effective.

In an earlier post, I suggested that Athens-Clarke Co. government set up its own version of SeeClickFix to allow citizens to publicly report city infrastructure problems like crumbling sidewalks or uncollected trash and to have the county's response to those reports publicly tracked.

Suggestion for the Athens Banner-Herald

Now, I think it might be a good idea if the Athens Banner-Herald hosted and bird-dogged such a site as part of its on-line package.  According to this New York Times article, there's a local daily in Connecticut that's using SeeClickFix to boost its internet traffic and interactivity with readers. (The article includes a link to the newspaper's online site and the SeeClickFix page it maintains there. And, FYI, there's already a nascent SeeClickFix page for Athens--it  just needs some high-profile care and attention.)

It seems like a similar effort here in Athens could produce lots of benefits: citizens might feel a little more empowered; public servants might feel a little more useful and loved; the Athens Banner-Herald might get a positive jolt from the new social media, and the city's infrastructure might improve.

Think Locally, Act State-ly, and Other Good Ideas

Think locally, act state-ly. It's all fine and dandy to get hot and bothered by who's going to be mayor and who's going to be on the commission, says Johnathan McGinty, but unless more progressives are sent to the State House which exercises lots of control over local governments, lots of important local changes simply won't happen. Want to provide property tax relief to low-income homeowners? Want the state DOT to start practicing a "complete streets" policy? Want the blue laws changed so we can get a full-service grocery store downtown? Help progressives get elected to the State House not just from Athens, but from districts throughout the state. It's a good suggestion. I'll be keeping it in mind as I decide where to make my political contributions next campaign season. (Don't blame Johnathan for the "act state-ly" abomination--he refrained.)

* * *

"Worse than I remembered." That's how Pete McCommons summed up his recent trip down memory lane to the tense times preceding the admission of African-American students Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes to the University of Georgia. His memory was refreshed after reading We Shall Not Be Moved: The Desegregation of the University of Georgia by Robert Pratt.  It's a book McCommons recommends, and one I'll be reading soon.

* * *

How about something even better? In his most recent Athens Rising column in Flagpole, Kevan Williams highlights positive developments in Athens, but he pushes a little--asking for more. About the new river overlook, he asks: why not a full pedestrian bridge? About a new effort to convert blighted apartment complexes into affordable housing, he asks if the new low-income residents will have to drive or take long bus rides to get to grocery stores. These are good questions--questions that seek to enhance the connectivity and day-to-day practicality of the city we live in. Does it connect? Does it help with daily life?  We should always ask these questions, even if we can't always realize them as fully as we'd like to.

A Defense of Jaywalking

When pedestrians get killed by cars don't be so quick to point to jaywalking as the cause, says Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do:

"...[A] closer look at national data shows that 59 percent of pedestrian deaths for which location information was recorded happened in places where pedestrians had no convenient access to a crosswalk. While jaywalking is often cited as a cause of pedestrian accidents, less than 20 percent of fatalities occurred where a pedestrian was crossing outside an easily available crosswalk."

Read the full article, which, by the way, briefly mentions Georgia traffic laws and the controversy over Savannah's recent crackdown on jaywalking as covered by Sustainable Savannah.

Sidewalk Infelicities, Exhibits 8-12

This is my second collection of "sidewalk infelicities."

What is a sidewalk infelicity? Well, since sidewalks should be continuous, well defined, unobstructed, safe and efficient in giving pedestrians access to places, anything that violates these criteria is what I'm calling an infelicity.

Check out the first collection--exhibits 1--here.

Have you spotted a sidewalk infelicity in Athens? Tell me where it is, and send a photo if possible.

Exhibit 8: Near 1638 Prince Ave.

The sidewalk on the north side of Prince Ave. extending from Boulevard Heights ends here. Matt Elliot explains why this is a problem: it makes "foot travel hazardous for folks living on Sylvia Circle, Winfield Chase Apts., and points westward."

***

Exhibit 9:  Near Intersection of Prince Ave. and Pounds St.

No sidewalk to be found here even though there's a bus stop, and a well-worn foot path to it.

***

Exhibit 10: 1650 Prince Ave.

The rendering (in photo at right) of the new local Social Security Administration building being constructed here shows a sidewalk in front of the completed project. That would be an improvement.

***

Exhibit 11: Near 1684 Prince Ave.

This short strips of sidewalk near the intersection with Sylvia Circle ends just past Edward Jones Investment on the north side of Prince Ave.

***

Exhibit 12: 1686 Prince Ave.

A driveway into Jack Waldrip Real Estate on the north side of Prince Ave connects with the street, but assertively blocks the pedestrian path.

***

Sidewalk Infelicities, Exhibits 1-7

Today I’m starting a new project on this blog, and that’s collecting examples of what I’m calling “sidewalk infelicities.”

Crumbling sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks. Unconnected, interrupted or otherwise incomplete sidewalks. Excessively narrow sidewalks. Unsafe sidewalks. Disrespected sidewalks. All of these are examples of what I consider “infelicities.”

The more general way of putting this is: Sidewalks should be continuous, well defined, unobstructed, safe and efficient in giving pedestrians access to places*—and anything that violates these criteria is an infelicity.

This is just the first batch of infelicities. More—many more, unfortunately—could follow, including some right outside my front door. 

If you know of any sidewalk infelicities in Athens, let me know. Send me a photo and a description of the location.


Exhibit 1: Northwest corner of Prince Ave. and Barber St.

Why isn’t this paved up to the crosswalk?

* * *

Exhibit 2: Southwest corner of Prince Ave. and Barber St.

Is the thinking that grass is more pleasant for pedestrians to stand on while they wait to cross the street?

* * *

Exhibit 3: Southwest corner of Prince Ave. and Finley St.

Even though this corner and Finley is actively used by pedestrians and is practically downtown, the West side of this block of Finley—from Prince Ave. to Meigs St.—lacks a sidewalk—and given where the street light pole and utility box are located—no one’s thinking about making room for a sidewalk.

* * *

Exhibit 4: Southwest corner of Meigs St. and Finley St.

Here, where a sidewalk resumes on the West side of Finley for a little while, it starts off already crowded with obstructions.

* * *

Exhibit 5: Northwest corner of Hancock Ave. and Finley St.

Right where you’d want to put a paved corner for pedestrians, two utility poles have staked their claim.

* * *

Exhibit 6: Southwest corner of Meigs St. and Newton Ave.

Why isn’t there a sidewalk here?

* * *

Exhibit 7:  Northeast corner of Meigs St. and Pope St.

A good start, maybe?

___ ___ ___

*Adapted from “Criteria for Good Sidewalks,” in The Poetics of Cities: Designing Neighborhoods that Work by Mike Greenberg. 1995. Ohio State University Press.

Walkability Linked With Higher Property Values

Savannah Morning News reporter Adam Van Brimmer writes about how enhancing walkability will improve property values in Savannah neighborhoods:

"People will pay for livability," [walkable communities expert Dan] Burden  said. "You change a road and calm the traffic, and you increase property values multiple blocks deep. You put in sidewalks and trees, and values go up even more."

Done in tandem, road changes and sidewalk and tree improvement boost values from $5,000 to $35,000 on average, Burden said.

Considering most Savannah neighborhoods are built out - constrained by established roadways or the natural geography - improving walkability could be the key to sustaining and growing property values.

Same goes for Athens.

Read the full article.

Thanks to Sustainable Savannah.

Image credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News

“Pedestrians Becoming Belligerent” and Other Quotes

Uppity pedestrians

“Recently, I noticed a group of pedestrians becoming belligerent towards vehicles not yielding while they walked in front of traffic.”

— Marie Reyes, on why installing crosswalks on Sunset Dr near Bishop Park where the local farmers market is held Saturday mornings might be a good idea.

* * *

Still a bad idea

“…[B]ut none of it changes the fundamental problem with Oak Grove: its location in Athens’ greenbelt, the relatively undeveloped ring of open space just inside the county line. Nonetheless, the rezone is headed for easy passage at the July 7 Commission meeting, according to all accounts.”

— Ben Emanuel, writing about how despite some positive final tweaks to plans for a big box grocery store and expanded retail area, the whole Oak Grove development on Jefferson Road nevertheless remains a bad idea.

* * *

88 beds for 206 homeless people

“We’re losing shelter bed options When we started counting in 2004, we counted 59 unsheltered persons. That number increased to 206 by 2009. Shelters have closed down, changed focus or are charging rent. The funding just isn’t there anymore.”

— Evan Mills, a community development specialist with Athens-Clarke Co. Human and Economic Development Dept., as quoted in a Flagpole Magazine article.

* * *

Sorry, not all facts are equal

“This discussion isn't about Broun's political views, but rather his capacity to willfully distort the debate through the peddling of false information ... and, apparently, the inability of some folks to call him out on it.”

— Johnathan McGinity, explaining why taking Congressman Paul Broun to task for being intellectually dishonest is not a partisan cheap shot.