Monday
May 5th!!!
Crowne Plaza Hotel
6345 Powers Ferry Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30339
5:30 Technical Session
6:30 Social Gathering
7:00 Dinner and Monthly Program
RSVP
HERE TODAY
A Vision for a World-Class
Boulevard
The vision is this: Transform 16.5 miles of Peachtree, from
Club Drive in the north down to Lee Street in the south,
into a world-class boulevard. This boulevard would move
people better, make businesses stronger, draw more residents – and
give Atlantans a far more enjoyable experience in their
city.
Think of the transformation of Peachtree as
part streetscape, part streetcar: The streetscape aspect
involves making Atlanta
a far more walkable city along Peachtree, with wider sidewalks,
new
parks, and more inviting public places where people can
interact. The streetcar component calls for bringing to Peachtree
the proven success of modern-day streetcars in other major
cities, all to help residents and visitors take short trips
without the use of cars.
The people of Atlanta would benefit from the proposed Peachtree
Corridor in many ways. These benefits can be grouped in three
categories:
Greater mobility. The next 20 years will bring a far busier
Peachtree. That’s because Peachtree is drawing more
residents from the suburbs; more visitors to new attractions;
and more employees for newly opened office space. As a
result, the city must act today to accommodate more people
tomorrow. Because no single solution can improve traffic
flow by itself, Atlanta must employ a number of approaches.
The Peachtree Corridor project does just that by adding
bike lanes to segments … improving pedestrian traffic … and
providing a streetcar so Atlantans can make short trips
without a car – and move more quickly from public
transit to the workplace or other destinations.
Economic growth. While no formal study has attached a dollar
value to the Corridor’s economic impact, there is no
denying that the proposed Peachtree Corridor will be a powerful
driver of economic growth. For one, it will give Atlanta
a “destination street” on par with Chicago’s
Michigan Avenue, Manhattan’s Broadway or Paris’ Champs
Elysees. Moreover, the Corridor will enhance access to offices,
restaurants and retail businesses – first by offering
speed and convenience through mobility improvements and also
by making the errand experience more enjoyable. Peachtree’s
visitors and residents will have less of a need or a desire
to go elsewhere.
Quality of life. The Peachtree Corridor is much more than
a large-scale public works project. It’s a way of connecting
Atlantans to their city – and to each other – through
a higher quality of life. It represents a way for us to become
the city we wish to become – a city where people enjoy
more greenspace, take more walks or bicycle rides, and appreciate
more public art. The Peachtree Corridor will help define
Atlanta as a better place to be.
Transforming the Peachtree Corridor is fundamental to Atlanta’s
future. By the year 2020, just 13 years from now…
Commercial office and retail space is expected to increase
from 59 million to 75 million square feet.
Housing units are projected to more than double,
from 22,300 to 49,000, with more than 80 percent expected
to be owner-occupied.
The number of people living along the Corridor is expected
to double, from 37,000 to more than 75,000 – and this
projection may be significantly underestimated. A public
opinion survey by Ayres McHenry, Inc. revealed that one out
of five metro Atlanta adults living outside Atlanta are either “very
likely” or “somewhat likely” to move inside
the city limits in the next few years.
The number of people working along the Corridor is projected
to leap from 156,000 to more than 202,000
The market value of the Corridor will reach an astonishing
$33 billion.
These statistics support what is obvious to any local observer:
Growth throughout the Corridor is dramatic and is not slowing
down.
So the challenge today is to make sure this
growth is managed well. As more people move to Atlanta, congestion
and density
will increase. The Peachtree Corridor project can ensure
that more people can enjoy an environment that’s well-planned,
mobile, aesthetic, comfortable … and memorable.
Our speaker, Ray Christman, is Chairman of the Peachtree
Corridor Task Force, and comes to the job with experience
useful for a project of this size. He has served as chairman
of the Federal Home Loan Bank in Pittsburgh and Atlanta,
Secretary of Commerce for the State of Pennsylvania, and
Executive Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of
Pittsburgh.
Topic: Design Solutions
for Today’s Building Industry
Description: A discussion
comparing paper-faced to glass mat gypsum wallboard technology
and how these two different technologies address moisture
management issues.
Presented by: Mr. John
Knox Hurst and Mr. Rick Bowers of Georgia Pacific
Credits: AIA registered
program - 1 HSW LU
