![Wasted Potential for Walkability at a MARTA Station
I like this recent post by Oppidan Omnibus. It details the unpleasant pedestrian experience walking south out of the King Memorial MARTA station to the Grant Park/Cabbagetown area.
This is a problem that I’ve noticed before in my own walks (and one that Atlanta Magazine writer Rebecca Burns has also explored) — the King Memorial station, specifically on the south end, is oddly inhospitable to pedestrians. Despite being in the middle of a fairly dense urban area, that south side works more like a suburban park & ride lot rather than a walkable connection for people coming to/from adjoining neighborhoods.
What an incredible waste of potential this is, given the good destinations that this station could serve well.
A quote from the Oppidan Omnibus piece (a trip to Octane/Little Tart Bakeshop at The Jane building was the focus):
The parking lot behind The Jane was nearly full of cars, as were the lots and sidestreets near the bars and restaurants on either side of it. The lack of people on the street was no indicator of the number of people to be found at the destination. But both on the way there and on the way back, it felt as if a dead possum in the road and I were just about the only ones who tried [to walk] anywhere that night.
It’s ridiculous that there should be any wasted chances for good, walkable urbanism near MARTA stations (I’ll include the west exit from the Brookhaven station in the mix too). My hope is that we’ll see some infill development and improved pedestrian infrastructure near MARTA stations as the years pass. **
It isn’t enough to have transit stops near urban destinations. You have to connect the two with an environment that favors pedestrians over cars, or you may as well just build strip malls and subdivisions and be done with it.
Read the full OO post here
**and I’ll note here that there actually has been some good infill on the north end on the King Memorial station with the Pencil Factory mixed-use building and more.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly27yajKlC1qc63pwo1_500.jpg)
Wasted Potential for Walkability at a MARTA Station
I like this recent post by Oppidan Omnibus. It details the unpleasant pedestrian experience walking south out of the King Memorial MARTA station to the Grant Park/Cabbagetown area.
This is a problem that I’ve noticed before in my own walks (and one that Atlanta Magazine writer Rebecca Burns has also explored) — the King Memorial station, specifically on the south end, is oddly inhospitable to pedestrians. Despite being in the middle of a fairly dense urban area, that south side works more like a suburban park & ride lot rather than a walkable connection for people coming to/from adjoining neighborhoods.
What an incredible waste of potential this is, given the good destinations that this station could serve well.
A quote from the Oppidan Omnibus piece (a trip to Octane/Little Tart Bakeshop at The Jane building was the focus):
The parking lot behind The Jane was nearly full of cars, as were the lots and sidestreets near the bars and restaurants on either side of it. The lack of people on the street was no indicator of the number of people to be found at the destination. But both on the way there and on the way back, it felt as if a dead possum in the road and I were just about the only ones who tried [to walk] anywhere that night.
It’s ridiculous that there should be any wasted chances for good, walkable urbanism near MARTA stations (I’ll include the west exit from the Brookhaven station in the mix too). My hope is that we’ll see some infill development and improved pedestrian infrastructure near MARTA stations as the years pass. **
It isn’t enough to have transit stops near urban destinations. You have to connect the two with an environment that favors pedestrians over cars, or you may as well just build strip malls and subdivisions and be done with it.
**and I’ll note here that there actually has been some good infill on the north end on the King Memorial station with the Pencil Factory mixed-use building and more.
