Assignment A:Photo #1 is of an office building and parking lot in downtown Decatur. This building, a product of the 1960s, has a typical layout as its footprint is much smaller than the surrounding parking lot. Workers in this building come from all over the metro area and even as far as Winder, Peachtree City, and beyond. In the past few years, the city of Decatur has tried to encourage the owners of the building to add structures to the parking lot (suggestions included retail, a hotel, and mixed income housing) in order to add density. Local citizens of the area have resisted, as the city would like to greatly reduce the number of parking spaces while increasing the total number of users. The citizen's argument stems from the fact that while Decatur would like to add density and reduce the number of cars, local users and citizens are not quite ready to give up their dependence on their vehicles. Although much of Decatur is walkable, many of the users of the downtown restaurants and boutiques drive in from other locations. I think this photo illustrates the constant push and pull in society today as to how to reduce the "ugly and ordinary" strip/auto-based development while still making businesses and homes accessible to both local citizens and the broader community--both of whom are dependent on the car.
Photo #2 shows the streetscape along Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta. When I think of desolate and ugly environments in Atlanta, this location is at the top of the list. The streetscape has the typical fast food restaurants, gas stations, and convenience stores (and their parking lots) of a strip interspersed with older and mostly run down churches, a masonic temple, and houses. There does seem to be the same "organized chaos" found in the Las Vegas strip where the street has an order and the development alongside has its own different order. This auto-based development occurred because of the wide swath cut by the addition of interstate 20--Moreland Avenue became a large access point for the interstate. On the right side of the photo, the "Welcome to East Atlanta Village" sign is barely visible--a reminder that East Atlanta has a lengthy history as a separate community long before it was absorbed into Atlanta (and even longer before autos became the dominant transportation--a rail line and a trolley line ran from downtown Atlanta to East Atlanta in the early 20th century. The village itself is still very walkable.)
Photo #3 depicts a newer development along Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Atlanta. I think the structure, a faux/modern/suburban take on the brownstone row house, nicely illustrates the spatial necessities of the automobile. Each unit has its own garage as well as a parking space in front of the garage. While a bus stop is located directly outside of the building (just outside this frame), the builders were smart enough to realize that while Atlantans may seek more "urban" and "sophisticated" living options, these options must always include space for the car. The less than favorable walking conditions along Ponce de Leon Avenue, as well as limited access to MARTA trains, further supports auto dependence for these residents.
Photo #2 shows the streetscape along Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta. When I think of desolate and ugly environments in Atlanta, this location is at the top of the list. The streetscape has the typical fast food restaurants, gas stations, and convenience stores (and their parking lots) of a strip interspersed with older and mostly run down churches, a masonic temple, and houses. There does seem to be the same "organized chaos" found in the Las Vegas strip where the street has an order and the development alongside has its own different order. This auto-based development occurred because of the wide swath cut by the addition of interstate 20--Moreland Avenue became a large access point for the interstate. On the right side of the photo, the "Welcome to East Atlanta Village" sign is barely visible--a reminder that East Atlanta has a lengthy history as a separate community long before it was absorbed into Atlanta (and even longer before autos became the dominant transportation--a rail line and a trolley line ran from downtown Atlanta to East Atlanta in the early 20th century. The village itself is still very walkable.)
Photo #3 depicts a newer development along Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Atlanta. I think the structure, a faux/modern/suburban take on the brownstone row house, nicely illustrates the spatial necessities of the automobile. Each unit has its own garage as well as a parking space in front of the garage. While a bus stop is located directly outside of the building (just outside this frame), the builders were smart enough to realize that while Atlantans may seek more "urban" and "sophisticated" living options, these options must always include space for the car. The less than favorable walking conditions along Ponce de Leon Avenue, as well as limited access to MARTA trains, further supports auto dependence for these residents.
Good, Rosemary.
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