New Report Ranks Atlanta 8th in Walkability and 5th in “Future Walkability”
Decatur Metro | June 17, 2014 | 11:32 amWe report on an Atlanta Magazine report on a new report released by Smart Growth America …
It often seems that every week brings a new report underscoring metro Atlanta’s woeful sprawl and its host of associated ills. Well, here’s a bit of better news. A report to be released today ranks the growth of walkable areas in the country’s 30 largest areas, and here’s the stunner: Atlanta comes in eighth place. And that’s not all. Our region is ranked No. 5 for future walkability, indicating a demand for denser development and redevelopment both intown and in the suburbs.
…In Atlanta, for example, 50 percent of the hotel, retail, office, and apartment space developed between 2009 and 2013 was in walkable areas, whether intown redevelopment or infill construction adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine or newer developments such as Atlantic Station. “Despite its sprawling history, the strength of Atlanta’s walkable urban places, relative to its peers, appears to be real,” write the researchers. “This real estate cycle, starting in 2009, represents a major shift for Atlanta.” Mushrooming apartments along the BeltLine and suburban projects like Avalon, the wired and walkable development coming to Alpharetta, contribute to our projected surge in walkability.
Atlanta ranks behind Portland and ahead of Pittsburgh in the current large cities walkability list. What’s really sorta shocking is the future Top 10 list…
Projected Future Rankings for Walkable Urbanism
1. Boston
2. Washington D.C.
3. New York
4. Miami
5. Atlanta
6. Seattle
7. San Francisco
8. Detroit
9. Denver
10. Tampa
Token pic of the Beltline courtesy of FunkBrothers via Flickr