Comment Archives: Stories: News & Views: Last 30 Days
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Atlanta will be the Paris of The South
Re: “First Slice 5/21/13: Group plans to supply Georgia parks with atheist books”
I say a science text book about the environment around the cabins would be more helpful than any other text.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Thanks for the link, Through the Looking Glass. Yeah, that CAP boundary is pretty large. I tend to go with the ADNA one. But it's not a big deal, we're all neighbors.
Yes, fair criticism -- though many of us do work hard to make our presence known, Downtowners in general should keep reminding the rest of the city that we're here. Every time I read a local writer refer to Downtown as being "emptied of locals at night" or claim that "Atlantans don't go Downtown" I cringe. Atlantans are here by the thousands every night because we live here.
Filling in some of the huge gaps of blank space (mega-block buildings with no ground-level retail, parking garages, parking lots) with mixed-use and residential infill will improve things. As it is, it's pretty easy to visit Downtown and go several blocks without encountering any residential buildings, and I think that's a bad thing.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Looking Glass, from previous experience on a board trying to get a definition of location "class" for their community, council leaders do not make defining the lines very easy. Well, since we're still waiting for a clear-cut answer two years later I may upgrade that to impossible. The banter on CL doesn't matter, communities are constantly trying to get definition when it is unclear for obvious financial influences like tax regulation and historical marking, it is not from lack of effort on the residents' end. At least on my block.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Darin,
http://www.atlantadowntown.com/living/residential-profile
That's from Central Atlanta Progress and the Downtown Improvement District. They likely include census tracks for the Atlanta University Center schools and Centennial Place in their numbers. But even if you go with a much more restricted definition of downtown that makes the number half of 27,000, it is still many times greater than most of the rest of the city is willing to acknowledge. When I lived downtown the most frequent thing I heard from others not living there was "Downtown? I didn't know anyone lived there." 27,000, 14,000, or 7,000 it's still a very large number for a neighborhood. 7,000 is the population of Kirkwood (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Kirkwood-Atlanta-GA.html) but no one is ever surprised to hear people live there. Same with the 3,000 people who live in Inman Park (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Inman-Park-Atlanta-GA.html), a neighborhood that gets a huge amount of attention. (note: city-data tends to be a bit stingy with neighborhood boundaries so these neighborhoods might actually cover a bit more area than shown on the map and thus have somewhat larger populations)
The residents of downtown are simply bad at making themselves known to the rest of the city. I don't want to sound harsh because I know the people who live there are great people and do try to get involved but whether it's because every member of the city council sees downtown as a playground for their meddling or because the big business interests overshadow them (has ADNA ever come out on top in a disagreement with CAP?), downtown has a population that is mostly ignored and unknown. It certainly doesn't help when the residents of downtown themselves make it sound like almost no one lives there when in reality the number of residents stacks up very well against many other much better known neighborhoods.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
How about we get rid of some of the surface parking lots downtown (especially the ones with loudspeakers dictating instructions on how to pay for parking--super annoying) and replace those with well-designed residential communities? Darin could have some more neighbors and we could further reduce the incentive to drive to the city center thereby increasing demand for transit and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. Make downtown not only walkable, but a pleasant place in which to be a pedestrian, and demand for residential space will follow naturally.
Re: “First Slice 5/21/13: Group plans to supply Georgia parks with atheist books”
Prediction: much like Representative Lynn Westmoreland, Christians will suddenly forget certain parts of the Ten Commandments and steal the books that don't conform to their personal belief system. The state will do absolutely nothing about it.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
"For example, it is very likely that after the bad guy's last henchman is killed, he will take the hero's girlfriend hostage and climb to the top of the ferris wheel, which will begin to spin wildly out of control after a well-placed bullet strikes the control box, sending sparks flying. Don't worry -- the bad guy will fall to his death onto Luckie Street and the hero and the girlfriend will make out in the top car as the camera pans back over the downtown skyline."
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Time to call Spielberg, Mike.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
As a downtown resident I am all for this thing... but the location sucks in my opinion. It would have been better in Centennial Olympic Park.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
I think the "insular orientation" of AmericasMart and Peachtree Center is a big factor contributing to downtown's desolation, as those buildings dominate central and significant blocks, and they're just extraordinarily unpleasant and boring to be around from the street.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
I live two blocks away from the Civic Center on McGill St., yet this is a black-out area in-between Sono/Downtown, O4W and Midtown. No tax bread for a historical community and no downtown rights. Apparently you can live two blocks away from the heart of downtown and it is still constituted as "nowhere", so yes, I'd love to see a breakdown of this 27K stat as well. ATL never has 'drawn within the lines'
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Not to be a stingy asshole, but $13? For a ferris wheel ride?
Re: “Atlanta to install free WiFi in Piedmont and Grant Parks, possibly expand Internet coverage to some neighborhoods”
Infrastructure, Police, Education, these costs are all substantial and perpetual. Setting up free wifi for about a hundred thousand dollars would add enough perceived value to residents and tourists that I'd be appreciative
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Matt is right that the ferris wheel will be a magnet for crime.
For example, it is very likely that after the bad guy's last henchman is killed, he will take the hero's girlfriend hostage and climb to the top of the ferris wheel, which will begin to spin wildly out of control after a well-placed bullet strikes the control box, sending sparks flying. Don't worry -- the bad guy will fall to his death onto Luckie Street and the hero and the girlfriend will make out in the top car as the camera pans back over the downtown skyline.
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
Darin, you are correct that as of 2010 census the official Atlanta neighborhood called Downtown had 13362 residents up from 8311 in the 2000 census. However, as you pointed out, I'm not sure how many people use that definition when they say "Downtown".
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
"A ferris wheel will bring out crime from the bowels of hell..."
matt was once hassled at a county fair, they thought he was one of the 4H entries and tried to put him back in a pen. carnival rides bring back bad memories
Re: “First Slice 5/21/13: Group plans to supply Georgia parks with atheist books”
atheist books? as long as they're not by richard dawkins, the fucker
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
are any renderings available?
Re: “City Council OK's Downtown Ferris wheel construction, allows Atlantans to forge memories that will last a lifetime”
I'd like to see the source for that "27,000" figure for downtown residents. The last population count I saw indicated less that half that number, but of course there are all kinds of different boundaries that be defined when talking about Downtown, so that may be the source of the difference.
Yes, I live here! My family loves living Downtown. And I agree with Through the Looking Glass -- it is like a small town vibe with a close-knit community. Good definition.
But there's more work to be done when it comes to getting a better balance -- the interests of special events spaces, attractions, hotels and offices still outweigh those of residential livability here too often. There's room for equal success on all those fronts.
Attractions like the Ferris wheel are fine and perfectly appropriate for this spot, but we also need a critical mass of residents to keep moving Downtown forward in really sustainable way.
Re: “Falcons land $200 million NFL loan to build new shrine to bone-crushing injuries and fleeting glory”
so how much of the stadium is arthur blank actually paying for out of pocket? ANY?
why didn't the city just BUY the team for the $837 million (28th out of 32 teams) that forbes estimates it is worth instead of GIVING the falcons $600-$800 million in taxpayer funds for an unneeded new stadium?
http://www.forbes.com/teams/atlanta-falcon…