Assignment 2: Audra

I was out of town this week, so instead of Atlanta, feast your eyes on the spatial logic of the car in Macon, GA! This first photo shows the remnants of an old commercial highway strip on Highway 80, a few miles east outside of the Macon city limits. It is setback from the road, providing ample parking and features wide driveways. I assume this was built around the time East Macon began to expand out into rural Bibb County. It provides services and entertainment to people who live in neighborhoods near the highway, mostly an older population. The main draw used to be Bacon’s hardware store, but it’s been closed for about six years. The only things open now are a pool hall and a hair salon/barbershop. I do not see any redevelopment of this commercial strip in the foreseeable future, although new stores have popped up further down the highway closer to the city limits.

The second photo is of Cherry Street, downtown Macon. Cars along this street are parked at an angle on either side of the road. Parking meters are not in use; instead parking is regulated by meter maids who mark your car tire with chalk. Most of downtown Macon is 2 hour parking. Car turnover is not really a problem because people don’t really come downtown for longer than it takes to eat lunch or long periods of time unless there is some kind of festival going on. Most of the cars belong to employees of the stores, banks and hospital there. There have been recent talks to bring parking meters downtown to increase revenue and but most shop owners think it will discourage people from going downtown because they already don’t come there now. Parking decks are also an option, as evidence by the sign pointing to a parking deck.
The third photo is of a newly renovated part of downtown, Cherry Plaza, at the terminus of Cherry Street in front of the train station. Parking is delegated to the center of the plaza perhaps to encourage walking to the sports and music hall of fame, seen partially at the left, the children’s museum, seen to the right, and the newly renovated terminal station in the background. During events, the plaza is closed to cars and instead is filled with street performers, food trucks, and other entertainment. Cherry Plaza could be an example of a lite version of a “festival markets” or commercial packaging of a rehabilitated historic building. So far, NewTown Macon, a non-profit organization responsible for revitalizing downtown, has done a pretty good job of avoiding the negatives of a redeveloped downtown The second photo is of a newly renovated part of downtown, Cherry Plaza, at the terminus of Cherry Street in front of the train station. Parking is delegated to the center of the plaza perhaps to encourage walking to the sports and music hall of fame, seen partially at the left, the children’s museum, seen to the right, and the newly renovated terminal station in the background. During events, the plaza is filled with street performers, food trucks, and other entertainment. Cherry Plaza could be an example of a lite version of a “festival markets” or commercial packaging of a rehabilitated historic building. So far, NewTown Macon, a non-profit organization responsible for revitalizing downtown, has done a pretty good job of avoiding the negatives of a redeveloped downtown. There aren't any closed streets which could deter active street life, resulting in a dull & quiet environment.