Projected Atlanta Growth

[Pillsbury]

The reason public transportation is not embraced is because it is uncompetitive when compared to private cars. It does not take most people where most people want to go, and it cannot ever do so. Private automobiles are the cause of upward mobility, and have given the greatest number of people the ability to go where they wish and need to go. They have increased job opportunities for the less well off by giving them access to the jobs. Around the world, the percentage of people travelling by public transportation is falling relative to autos because autos serve thier needs and desires. Public transit, no matter how extensive, does nothing to reduce traffic or congestion-it continues to rise in every city no matter how much ridership increases. Atlanta needs to build the roads it needs to handle the rising standard of living and the increased automobiles that come with it instead of trying to kill the capitalist goose that has laid the golden economic eggs with more government funded socialism. Atlanta had the best growth pattern of them all until they fell victim to smart growth. If Atlanta loses it's luster, the entire South could suffer...

Who wants to take people out of their cars? I'm simply suggesting that in one of America's greatest cities, perhaps this backwoods hick state ought to allocate funds to at least help with Atlanta's transit system. Perhaps if the transit system was extended out into the suburbs maybe more people would ride. What's the true social engineering? Do you mean 12 lane freeways cutting through pristine countryside so that people can spend 2 hours out of their day inside their car? Do you mean taxpayer-funded freeways that disconnect people from each other, foster decay within our central cities, pollute the air, and basically just put people in a bad mood while their idling engines burn a non-renewable fossil fuel that profits the very people we hate? How about 12 lane freeways in places like Macon, Georgia, where there is neither the vehicle traffic nor the funds to build such highways? Do you mean that social engineering? No, of course you don't. The enemy is public transportation. How sad.

[Andrea]

I don't agree with Unifour's analysis, but I have to acknowledge that for many people in metro Atlanta public transportation is not a very good alternative. That's not the fault of public transportation, but our city simply hasn't developed with that in mind. Our jobs, homes, schools, recreational and shopping destinations are *way* too spread out for it. With the exception of a handful of areas, our population density is way too low for it. In most areas area, pedestrian access to and from transportation stations (and in the zones around those stations) is extremely challenging.

30 years ago when it was still common for people to commute into downtown offices from nearby surrounding neighborhoods, public transportation was more straightforward. These days you're more likely to be working in Alpharetta, Suwanee, Kennesaw, Dunwoody or Lithia Springs. And to live in Snellville, Canton, Dacula, Dallas or Peachtree City.

[kayman]

I'm kinda having trouble believing that 800,000 figure. I could see 650,000, but not 800,000.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I can't imagine what Atlanta would be like with 800k people. It's already a very lively place, it has the feeling of excitement even when just driving down Peachtree in Buckhead towards Midtown.

Mass transit shouldn't go everywhere, many people don't want to live by it. The reason they live far out, on windy roads, is so they don't have to see certain types of people. That's fine, putting mass transit there wouldn't make sense because of the low densities anyway. Mass transit should, however, connect the big employment, and dense residential centers.

[krazeeboi]

The reason public transportation is not embraced is because it is uncompetitive when compared to private cars. It does not take most people where most people want to go, and it cannot ever do so.

It appears as though you are not well-traveled at all. I think the DC area alone proves you wrong.

Atlanta had the best growth pattern of them all until they fell victim to smart growth. If Atlanta loses it's luster, the entire South could suffer...

"Fastest" and "best" are not the same thing. And understand that we're not living in the 1950's; if Atlanta "loses its luster," there are several Southern cities that are more than able to pick up the slack.

[ryanmckibben]

The reason public transportation is not embraced is because it is uncompetitive when compared to private cars. It does not take most people where most people want to go, and it cannot ever do so. Private automobiles are the cause of upward mobility, and have given the greatest number of people the ability to go where they wish and need to go. They have increased job opportunities for the less well off by giving them access to the jobs. Around the world, the percentage of people travelling by public transportation is falling relative to autos because autos serve thier needs and desires. Public transit, no matter how extensive, does nothing to reduce traffic or congestion-it continues to rise in every city no matter how much ridership increases. Atlanta needs to build the roads it needs to handle the rising standard of living and the increased automobiles that come with it instead of trying to kill the capitalist goose that has laid the golden economic eggs with more government funded socialism. Atlanta had the best growth pattern of them all until they fell victim to smart growth. If Atlanta loses it's luster, the entire South could suffer...

[Pillsbury]

I don't agree with Unifour's analysis, but I have to acknowledge that for many people in metro Atlanta public transportation is not a very good alternative. That's not the fault of public transportation, but our city simply hasn't developed with that in mind. Our jobs, homes, schools, recreational and shopping destinations are *way* too spread out for it. With the exception of a handful of areas, our population density is way too low for it. In most areas area, pedestrian access to and from transportation stations (and in the zones around those stations) is extremely challenging.

30 years ago when it was still common for people to commute into downtown offices from nearby surrounding neighborhoods, public transportation was more straightforward. These days you're more likely to be working in Alpharetta, Suwanee, Kennesaw, Dunwoody or Lithia Springs. And to live in Snellville, Canton, Dacula, Dallas or Peachtree City.

[Andrea]

My only point was that it as a state we spend a lot of money on highway improvements and widenings that in my opinion are wasteful---often, these projects are pointed out as being needed to spur economic development. Which is absolutely fine with me. All I'm saying is that we could use a small portion of those funds to develop mass transit in the same way. It is needed. Just check out this article this morning. You're number one Atlanta!!! : Traffic Commute

[urbanaturalist]

If you BUILD IT.....THEY WILL COME.

In this case if you build new Metro transit stops into outlying counties AND build dense TOD within a half a mile of the stop people will begin to use the services.

I'm not from ATL, but I've been there several times. I can't imagine ending further Metro expansion, even as the population grows. That is like your rapper.......LUDACRIS.....

[Trae]

Atlanta had the best growth pattern of them all until they fell victim to smart growth. If Atlanta loses it's luster, the entire South could suffer...

[Lady Celeste]

I had no idea where to put this and I didn't think starting a new thread would be necessary. It definitely ties in with Atlanta's future growth potential.

Here's an Atlanta statistic that should help get some of these spec towers under construction filled.

Atlanta ranks high on worldwide list of cheapest places to do business.

Atlanta has been named as one of the cheapest places to do business in the world. This has been helped by the weakening dollar. That's the bad side. The good side is that more international business could be looking to expand into the US to do business so definitely being one of the cheapest places to do business is a great thing. Anything that could generate jobs for current and future citizens of the metro.

The two other US cities to make this worldwide list were Dallas-Ft. Worth and Tampa.

The study measured competitiveness using labor costs, taxes, real estate and utilities, as well as non-monetary factors. It included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Britain and all 50 states in the U.S. Those were all compared against a benchmark developed by taking the average cost of doing business in U.S. locations.

[krazeeboi]

No surprise there; neither is DFW. Didn't expect to see Tampa listed, though.

[ironchapman]

That Atlanta would rank so high among US cities, or even world cities, on such a list really doesn't surprise me actually.

However, and I think this has been discussed elsewhere, one big barrier to drawing new businesses is the infamous traffic.