Streets are for everyone. They are where city life happens and where people come together. Streets are also a significant source of economic activity. They are often where you shop, work, dine or connect to other daily services. In fact, the best streets in the world are those where commerce and people collide. Yet too often, many Atlanta streets are designed and built almost exclusively for cars – as places unsafe and uncomfortable for people socializing, shopping, walking, biking or taking public transportation.
On May 20th, Atlanta Streets Alive (ASA) will be taking on the question ‘how do you make a street vibrant, safe and inviting for everyone.’ In the case of ASA, it is as simple as closing North Highland to cars and other vehicles, and opening it up to people walking or riding a bike. This temporary gesture will let people experience the street in a different way, invite them to be more active and to socialize with friends, family and neighbors.
But how do you instill lasting change to streets? North Highland can’t, and shouldn’t, always be closed to cars. But it could definitely be more accommodating to all forms of transportation, the businesses along the street and the adjacent neighborhoods.
One new approach to community improvement, called Tactical Urbanism, is giving people the opportunity to tackle this question in an approachable, temporary way. The basic premise of Tactical Urbanism is that short-term, small-scale, and deliberate actions can lead to long-term, positive changes in a community. It is a community invitation to re-imagine places for people by testing ideas to create positive community change and drive economic development through community improvements.
A collective group of local professional organizations, including CNU Atlanta, Georgia Conservancy and Georgia ASLA, wants to challenge Atlanta to re-think how streets in Atlanta are used and designed for everyone. How can streets support all modes of transportation and be sources of economic activity?
The group will be using the section of North Highland, from North Avenue to Ponce de Leon, to temporarily illustrate what changes might look like. In addition to temporarily installing some of the recommendations from the recent bicycle road safety audit, the group will be repurposing on-street parking spaces as temporary parks and working with local businesses to create pop-up cafes or outdoor shopping spaces.
Additionally, the group is hosting a pop-up city hall to collect ideas and have conversations about how to improve the safety, comfort and vibrancy of Atlanta streets. Stop by, share your thoughts and learn about ways to improve the streets that define the city.
Beyond the Tactical Urbanism installations, the collective is also inviting businesses and neighborhoods to get involved during Atlanta Streets Alive with their own Tactical Urbanism inventions. To get everyone started, the group has developed two design templates that can be used as shareware for the event. One of the concepts is a pop-up café and the other is a parklet. Both concepts are being used in other communities to create additional street space for people, support local businesses and create safer conditions for travelers too.
ASA_concept_parklet
ASA_concept_popupcafe
Use these guides to create your owner Tactical Urbanism installation, and the group looks forward to seeing everyone in the street May 20.