My Athens

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.

Walkability Isn't Just About Sidewalks

Richard Layman, who writes the Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space blog, puts forward a useful reminder that sidewalks alone don't create walkable neighborhoods and streets:

"But it's not just a matter of putting sidewalks everywhere. Frankly, I wish it were that simple...

People's willingness to walk is a function of population and building density, (which in turn influences) the availability of 'amenities' within walking distance (for example, Walkscore lists these types of businesses and civic assets as key destinations: Transit; Grocery Stores; Restaurants; Cafes & Bars; Movie Theaters; Schools; Recreation Centers; Libraries; Bookstores; Fitness Services; Pharmacies; Hardware Stores; and Clothing Stores)."

Read the full post.

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.

***

Update: SeeClickFix for Athens

Locations of SeeClickFix reports for Athens, Ga.

In Tuesday's post I suggested that Athens-Clarke Co. government create a SeeClickFix- or FixMyStreet-style Web site 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.

I still think it's a good idea to have the county government promote and staff such a site because I think such government-side involvement and commitment is crucial to the effectiveness and sustainability of this kind of project.

But as Ben Berkowitz from SeeClickFix has pointed out to me (see comments to Tuesday's post) it's ridiculously easy for anyone to set-up a SeeClickFix site. In fact, Ben's gone ahead and created a page for Athens using two examples from Monday's post about sidewalk infelicities.

The reports on the page are automatically forwarded to Mayor Heidi Davison's official county email account. I'm not sure her account is the best destination for the reports, but that's the way the page is set up right now.

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.