Jump to content

What is the future for Atlanta business districts


Newnan

Recommended Posts

It seems like I've been going thread crazy lately :wacko: , but I thought of another good one. In the future (5,10,15 or more years) what will the Atlanta area districts of Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, and The Perimeter areas be like in terms of population, economic growth, skyline, "specialties" (what they're known for) and etc? Hers's mine

Downtown: downtown will likely become a big tourist destination with more attractions and retail in the area, but I don't think it will grow too much in terms of population and skyline. Most people will choose to move in the quieter neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

Midtown: Midtown will emerge as a funky, urban, and cosmopolitan district with a large population, more posh new condos, and the retail to match.

Buckhead: Buckhead, while improving its walkability and density, will still remain a semi suburban edge city but with a much more impressive skyline and much more renown. It will have more street level retail, but Lenox and Phipps will still be the shopping mecca and the club scene (hopefully improving) will still be anchored there

Perimeter skylines: The Perimeter skylines will likely hit their skyline peaks within the next decade and start focusing more on residential instead of business. In the best case scenario they will have become popular and vibrant live work play centers will more walkability and public transit

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 9
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I think all the established intown residential neighborhoods -- Emory, Druid Hills, Buckhead, Inman Park, VA-Highland, Underwood Hills, Whittier Mill, Decatur, Morningside, Poncey-Highland, Ansley, etc. -- will unquestionably maintain their suburban character. All of them have very strong neighbhorhood associations and people are heavily invested in those communities. That's not entirely a bad thing, in my opinion. They will all probably continue to rely heavily on automobiles, but hopefully commutes will be short and there will be more options for walking, biking, light rail, and so forth.

I'm also very optimistic that many of the single family suburbs that have been neglected on the south side of town -- Pittsburgh, Mechanicsville, Capitol View, West End, Adair Park, Sylvan Hills, East Point, and many others -- will come roaring back and join their rightful place among the northern neighborhoods. That's well underway already. I think they too will almost surely remain suburban and probably car-oriented, but again that is not all bad. They'll also have more options for public transit, walking, biking and local shopping.

I believe the business district will continue to solidify along the Peachtree corridor and that the three major zones will become increasingly knit together.

My personal hope is that we'll see more low and midrise buildings. I think they fill out a city much better and give it a far more human scale.

As to the Perimeter, my guess is that it will be more of the same, but bigger and bigger, and with more people living there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting thread Newnan, but the future of these areas are dependant on so many issues currently facing our region and country.

What will happen to gas prices and energy in general?

Will the feds finally kick their road building habit and start investing more in transit?

Will the state legislators ever realize that as goes Atlanta so goes the state of Georgia or will they continue to pandor to the uneducated instinctual masses that live outside the metro area?

Will the bird flu ever become a pandemic? (That has the potential to substantially alter peoples view of the desirability of dense urban places...the same can be said for another dramatic terrorist attack).

I believe ultimately that Andrea is correct. DT, MT and BH will continue to grow together...especially DT and MT. Perimeter center is a crap shoot, I honestly don't know how high density suburban areas will fare. If all of those surface parking lots are redeveloped into residences, offices and retail they may just hold their own. Then again I could easily see them decline into ghost town if some of the above mentioned issues take a turn for the worse (or better depending on your viewpoint).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I think metro Atlanta will be joining other metro areas with witnessing incresed densities surrounding major edge cities. That is the case with Tysons Corner & is obviously the case for several of LA's commercial centers.

So I fully expect both Perimeter & Cumberland to become more pedestrian oriented & have a semi-urban environment. Increased mixed uses & multi-family unit developments such as condo towers. With Cumberland - that will depend on construction of a BRT line - but there will likely be a greater number of TOD's & key commercial centers becoming dense. Like Claremont & N Druid Hills for example, suburban intersections like this will provide an at least limited urban environment.

Otherwise - traditionally single family areas will remain so - but I am hopeful there will be increased density in high-traffic locations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All districts will be renamed "Midtown". It started off with the border area between Downtown and Midtown. For a very long time North Avenue was the dividing line, but then they started saying that the Civic Center was in Midtown (though, curiously enough, they somehow left the Peachtree-Pine in Downtown). Then Lowes got involved and decided that Edgewood should be rename Midtown. At one point there was also a report on the economic power of Midtown released that included Lenox and the airport in Midtown.

What's next? Well, according to new advertisements that Brand Atlanta is going to run this summer, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located in Midtown. http://www.ajc.com/business/content/busine.../bizbrand1.html

So, the future of Midtown is bright... it will soon consume the entire city and maybe all of north Georgia. As for the other districts, well, they'll just cease to exist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ But most of us know what 'Druid Hills' is - or should. Chalk it up to Atlanta illiteracy, which is the problem with all suburban oriented metros - no one bothers to learn anything about 'the city' or even the region's history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.