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Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis


AuLukey

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happen any time soon. Unfortunately Georgia towns like Commerce & Toccoa will grow significantly due to their logistical location & the I-85 corridor will develop further as it has in the past 20 years (considering Commerce was absolutely in the middle of nowhere just 15 years ago).
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^

Exactly. I'm definitely not non-growth, and would even endorse fairly rapid growth, if it's done well/smart (which is very, very rarely). I want to see the Atlanta-to-Triangle corridor succeed in new ways - become a multi-centered region of business, education and culture that could wield an influence nationally or internationally - and some areas definitely do or are starting to - I think the economic interconnectedness of the Triangle, Triad, Greater Charlotte, SC Upstate and Atlanta is only going to deepen with the passage of time.

I think some current development patterns could undercut all of this if we don't watch out - trash up the landscape that is part of the attraction to the area, while contributing to the kinds of traffic and pollution headaches that drove people out of other regions and initially into this one.

I think it's close to impossible (not completely) for cities in the region to look across state lines with a more regional mode of thought, but if it could be done...certain kinds of things like transit options, green space preservation, and perhaps some infrastructure issues would be positively affected. It would be nice if the endless project to upgrade I-85 to 6/8 lanes from Durham to Atlanta could actually be coordinated between the three states, as an example. This would actually require the DOTs in 3 adjoining states to actually talk to each other, and a regional focus in general would essentially be the metros demanding that their respective state governments give up some lingering feudalistic tendencies, which would be a tall order, but still - these issues don't stop at city limits, county lines, or state lines.

Not only are the cores of the major cities in the region in need of attention (which they are getting, generally), the midsize link cities - Athens, Anderson, Spartanburg, Gastonia, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Burlington - should as well. I think this would make high-speed, intra-regional passenger rail more workable - instead of endless cul-de-sacs from metro to metro, it would be nice if the smaller cities - which all have human-scale downtowns and an abundant stock of affordable, well-built housing close-in (and were less cut up by urban renewal and freeways) - were brought a bit more into the regional picture, and devoted similar attention to good, non-disposable development.

Enough o my rantin'

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The problem with light rail, at the present time, is that you're kind of stuck once you get off the station at the destination. It would be nice to be able to ride a train from Anderson to Charlotte, but once you get off in Charlotte you either have to walk or take a cab, unless you feel like getting on a city bus.

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