The City of Atlanta Department of City Planning is launching the Peachtree Shared Space Study to reimagine Downtown Atlanta’s signature street as an exceptional, welcoming public space for all people. The goal is to turn Peachtree Street into what’s known as a “shared space,” which encourages walking, biking, and transit as the primary modes of transportation, while allowing cars to drive through at slow speeds. By more seamlessly designing streets for all users, shared spaces can set the stage for more vibrant, active public life in cities, according to a press release.
While designs for shared spaces vary, they are typically curbless and include features like special pavement, minimized road markings and signage, pedestrian-only comfort zones near buildings, mixed zones for all modes in the center, and integrated gathering spaces. Many other global cities have implemented shared space designs for their signature streets, including Exhibition Road in London and Bell Street in Seattle. More information about shared spaces is available on the project website.
The effort to reimagine Peachtree Street stems from the Atlanta City Design, which outlines a vision for how Atlanta will sustainably and equitably accommodate future growth.
“Central to that is the success of Downtown Atlanta and the enormous population that it could accommodate with its density and access,” said Tim Keane, the City of Atlanta’s Commissioner of City Planning. “Having exceptionally designed public spaces for people throughout Downtown, including Peachtree Street, will be critical to that success.”
The study will include Peachtree Street from North Avenue to Marietta Street, with the city selecting a portion as the preferred location for a shared space. The study will determine the feasibility of this vision and include the development of two alternative conceptual designs for the selected part of Peachtree Street. The project kicked off internally in August 2020 and the final report is expected to be complete by March 2021.
The first public engagement activity to accommodate public input on developing concepts for Peachtree Street is the Community Input Map. Community members are invited to share their insights and ideas through an interactive online map, which allows participants to submit location-specific feedback about the corridor. The map will be open from through Nov. 20.
This project is being led by the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning in partnership with the City’s Department of Transportation. Staff is supported by consultants from Toole Design Group, Stantec, Modern Mobility Partners, James Lima Planning and Development, Street Plans, and Edwards-Pitman. This project is funded with support from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Information: sharepeachtree.com
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