Comments on: Vending Carts Coming to MARTA Plaza

By: Brennan

Brennan — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:49:22 +0000

I agree that “vending carts” don’t always class up a joint, but at least this gesture shows that the city is thinking of ways to get people out and about around the square. I don’t know if any of you have been on top of the square on a nice afternoon this spring, but unless there is a concert, it’s completely dead. Folks will sit outside the restaurants, but the square itself is almost always empty. And there’s no question why, either – it’s a stretch of empty space only punctuated by a few benches pushed up against the walls. Compare our square to any plaza in any European city and the difference is poignant – the emptiness here is palpable, whereas in a typical European plaza, there is plenty of outdoor restaurant seating, regular market times, folks selling drinks and crepes/waffles/pretzels/beer out of small carts, performance artists gathering crowds, young folks sitting around sharing picnics, and in general a liveliness that we would do well to emulate. Public transit is only so much of the equation – we also have to have inviting, beautiful, exciting, and hospitable (think chairs and umbrellas) public spaces for people to visit when they use transit. Part of me thinks that Decatur is so worried about folks gathering in the square (including the always-feared “undesirables”) that they don’t want to make it comfortable.

By: Rus

Rus — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:00:37 +0000

I hope the vending carts have beer

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:34:24 +0000

Hey, now. Like many things, this is more a management issue than a cart or no cart debate. The state of the carts in Five Points reflects the general anarchy — and lack of enforcement — of downtown ATL.

It’s possible for vending carts to add value to destination environments, but only if they’re managed from a merchandising standpoint (so they don’t work against existing downtown retailers) and held to certain cart standards. Countless cities around the globe have active street retail. Not only do people not malign it, many travel internationally for the experience.

It’s all in the execution. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If it’s just a trial program, what’s the harm?

By: Brad Steal

Brad Steal — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:37:01 +0000

thanks bill. i would like to follow-up a comment to the same “leave the parking lot” constituency with a a”duh”.

By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:30:06 +0000

I love it when people say we need to stop building residential downtown (which would be put in the place of an underused surface parking lot) and then the same people say we need this store or that store, etc. to come to Decatur.

Hey, guys, If we don’t have a high density of residential then you don’t have the population to support such stores. You can’t have it both ways.