Atlanta Beltline: YES

Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.

David Lloyd George

The Atlanta City Council voted and we will see the cities first step to hacking urbanization this Fall. I could not be more excited about this new adventure for our city! They voted this week on the following (according to the AJC) : 

• Spend $9 million on purchasing new (not refurbished) cars for the downtown streetcar route. The new cars are more handicapped-accessible and will not require long ramps for boarding.
• Approve a construction contract with MARTA
• (the thing I’m most excited about) Approve a route for the streetcar that connects it with the Beltline. This means that, from the Peachtree Center MARTA station, one can easily board a streetcar and take it to Centennial Park, Sweet Auburn Curb Market, the King Memorial Site, the main GSU campus buildings, and the Atlanta Beltline.

Construction is expected to start this fall.

Transit connectivity is good news for the city. As progress is made, project by project, better connectivity via transit will reduce the need for — and use of — personal cars. With fewer cars on the road the city will become more friendly to cycling and pedestrian mobility.

Here’s an example (from Houston’s METRORail streetcar) of the kind of Siemens S70 car we’ll see on the streets of downtown Atlanta in a couple of years...