Like Daryl Hall and John Oates, urban planning and public health are better together.

Why live in Decatur?

Let’s see: friendly people, beautiful neighborhoods, beer, parks, smart government, @Carl, good schools, beer, train and bus transit, cerveza, walking access to offices, shops and restaurants, and beer.

And one more thing . . .

A growing body of scientific research suggests dense, walkable cities – like Decatur – are healthier than their sprawling, car-centric cousins.

Wait. I have an idea!

Maybe urban planners and public officials can have some kind of meeting where they can talk making healthier cities?!?!?

Oh, poo. Someone already thought of it.

[In May] the Congress for the New Urbanism [will] hold its national convention in Atlanta; it was organized with help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the theme “New Urbanism: Rx for Healthy Places.”

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Didn’t send in your 2010 Census form?  Census workers are gonna come a knockin’.

From Decatur PD’s Juanchella Francis…

This email is sent to inform you that the U.S. Census Bureau will have census takers working in your jurisdiction as part of our Non-Response Follow Up operation.

For a period of 6 to 8 weeks, beginning on May 1, 2010, census takers will visit households that did not complete and return the census questionnaires that were to their residences. This Non-Response Follow-up operation will ensure that everyone in your jurisdiction is counted in the 2010 Census.

• · Census takers are your neighbors (people from your community), hired by the Census Bureau, to go door-to-door and collect census information from residents who have not returned their 2010 Census forms.
• · Census takers will contact residences up to 6 times, each time leaving a door hanger. The door hanger will have a phone number (404-239-2160) on it so that residents can call to schedule a visit and be counted.
• · Census takers visiting households will have a black census bag as well as a 2 1/8” X 3 3/8” non-photo identification badge. (See attached)

UPDATE: WriterChad reports on Twitter…

gas line break on S. Candler St. in #decaturga wife spoke with authorities, threat contained.

The AJC posted this at 9:40a this morning.  Anyone know if South Candler is still closed?  I’ll check with DPD.

Decatur police are rerouting traffic on several Decatur streets while the workers try to cap a gas leak that started around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Capt. Scott Richards said a stretch of South Candler was closed between Kirk Road and Broward Street. Police also closed Midway Road near its intersection with South Candler.

Richards said construction workers hit a gas line in the right-of-way, causing the leak.

CORRECTION: Garlic Thai is NOT affiliated with Harry & Sons as I had originally stated.  This is Garlic’s first restaurant, though the General Manager has worked at several other restaurants in the Atlanta metro and in other states, according to an email I received this morning.

It may not even have a sign up yet, but AsianCajun Lauren Lee tells DM that Garlic Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar – in the old Little Azio space at 340 West Ponce de Leon Ave – will finally open to the mouths of the public tomorrow.

Decaturites and food junkies near and far have been anticipating this opening since late January, but renovations of the space took a couple months, and the siren call of Thai and sushi sort of diminished.

With its opening tomorrow, we will soon have a better sense of whether Garlic Thai will up the ante of Asian cuisine in the Decatur area.

If anyone is aware of a website, let us know!

Slight aside: At a slightly broader scale, it is impressive that a building almost completely vacant a few months ago is again almost completely chock-full of tenants.

(Post by DM)

DRAMATIZATION

Maybe possibly perhaps coming to Decatur soon: Extreme Makeover: Concrete Municipal Parking Lot Edition!

Lain Shakespeare reports one of the ideas discussed at this morning’s Decatur Strategic Plan Meeting was livening-up downtown by painting the courthouse parking deck, a.k.a. the tiered concrete bunker at Commerce and W. Trinity. He included in his note examples of similar projects elsewhere.

Just one substitute bloggers opinion, but why the heck not? As long as the deck is there, we should try to make the best use of it. At the moment, the deck isn’t just ugly, but also mostly empty at night. Some bright colors, a Banksy-ing, or even a Bob Ross-ing could reduce the ugliness although, honestly, I think the bad lighting and creepy stairwells contribute more to after-dark underuse than the deck’s drab exterior.

(Post by Sherwin Williams Andisheh Nouraee, filling-in for Mr. DM)

There’s a career fair today from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at the Holiday Inn. Dress nice, bring a resume, and a 30 second pitch about why someone should hire you. WABE has more details.

Ex. “Hire me and I’ll blog all snarky-like for you.”

Now that I think of it, that pitch hasn’t been working out so well.

(Post by Andisheh Nouraee, filling-in for Mr. DM)

Linda Harris, Decatur’s assistant director of community and economic development, chimes in with the city’s official response to the Taste of Decatur kerfuffle.

The executive summary: 1. The event didn’t need a special permit because it was to take place on the properties of various local businesses 2. Ms. Harris would like you to e-mail your complaints about the event to her ([email protected] ) so the city can address them.

Her entire letter after the jump.

(Post by Andisheh Nouraee, subbing for Mr. DM)

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