Atlanta will never be Berlin nor Paris. I think it is a mistake to compare these “Old World” cities with our own in terms of transportation. How about Atlanta versus SF, Chicago or New York? These relatively old U.S. cities have enormous public transportation offerings and many “in-town” folks live without a car or one that sits parked for much of the day. At the same time, both cities are home to some of the largest numbers of daily automobile commuters in the States.

I think the debate should be how to maintain the mix of public and private transportation options that are sustainable and that provide the best quality of life possible. Some public, certainly. But also more efficient and lower impact private transportation …

Before I get labelled as a terrorist-supporting, Detroit-defending reactionary, let me share with you that I lived in Paris for 8 months without a vehicle and loved it!

But this experience was in the old arrondissements, not the larger Paris banlieu. Sure, there’s a nice network of suburban trains but the fact is that Paris and all other large Euro-capitals are surrounded by a great deal of sprawl and auto congestion themselves. When we are tourists in these lands, we don’t take a bus tour of the industrial or suburban districts, so we don’t see them as they wiz by from the TGV window. But they are there …

A visitor to Atlanta could have a similar experience if they took MARTA from the airport to Peachtree Center and used the public transportation network to navigate downtown and mid-town, even Decatur. We have a transportation problem but it is not because we have SUVs …

The answer to our problems has to include a more sophisticated management of workforce, telecommuting, virtual offices, etc. in addition to smart cars, “green development,” and public transportation. Petitioning to get folks to buy a condo in a mid-rise in mid-town, getting rid of their built-in backyard barbecue, and throwing away the keys to their car isn’t going to work.

I think we can provide for urban and suburban transportation needs while becoming more energy efficient. But try as we might, we’ll never be as “cool” as Europeans nor will Atlanta ever have Les Invalides, Le Tour Eiffel, Les Champs Elysees, etc … we’ll have to wow the world with Peachtree Street and Atlantic Station :).

P.S. Sorry for the long post … another side effect of living in Europe … long winded!

i say: jack it up!

Because that’s more of a Clairemont Heights issue, than a Ponce de Leon Heights one. And from what I can tell, feelings in that neighborhood are pretty mixed about the development.