georgia municipal association/carl vinson institute of government downtown atlanta study

7/27/2019 Georgia Municipal Association/Carl Vinson Institute of Government Downtown Atlanta study

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Giving A NewLife to DowntownStarts With Design.JUNE 2013 GMA NEIGHBORHOOD SOLUTIONS

Produced for the Georgia Municipal Association by theCarl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia

201 North Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30602

P: 706.542.2736 | F: 706.542.9301


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ABOUT THE GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION

Created in 1933, the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) is the only state organization thatrepresents municipal governments in Georgia. Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-prot

organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benet and technical

consulting services to its members.

GMAs membership currently totals 512 municipal governments, accounting for more than 99%

of the states municipal population. A 63-member Board of Directors, composed of city ofcials,

governs GMA. Program implementation is charged to the Executive Director and staff of over 80

full-time employees.

ABOUT THE CARL VINSON INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT

For more than 85 years, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government has worked with public ofcials

throughout Georgia and around the world to improve governance and peoples lives. From

Georgias early days as a largely agrarian state with a modest population to its modern-day

status as a national and international force in business, industry, and politics with a population of

almost 10 million, the Institute has helped government leaders navigate change and forge strong

directions for a better Georgia.

CONTACTS:

Danny Bivins, Public Service Associate and

Principal Investigator

Carl Vinson Institute of Government(706) 583-0856

dbivinsuga.edu

Al Outland, Director, Strategic Initiatives

Georgia Municipal Association

(678) 686-6251

[email protected]

http://www.gmanet.com

CREDITS:Jeremy Arnett, Landscape Architecture

Graduate Assistant, College of Environment

and Design at the University of Georgia

Kaitlin McShea, Senior Graphic Designer, Carl

Vinson Institute of Government

[email protected]


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Over the years, this vacant building atthe corner o Pryor Street SW and rinityAvenue has become an eyesore or thisarea in downtown Atlanta. Te digitalrendering (le) provides a possiblequick x while the building remains

vacant without detracting rom the visualaesthetics o the surrounding area. Tesolution in the digital rendering (shownle) utilizes large banners to cover the

buildings aade as a way to create a moreappealing xture in the neighborhood.Tis advertisement becomes a methodo generating additional income or theowner or city at the same time.

Simple advertising opportunitiesare available on every corner.

BEFORE: photograph shown above

AFTER: digital rendering shown le


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Over the years, this vacant building atthe corner o Pryor Street SW and rinityAvenue has become an eyesore or thisarea in downtown Atlanta. In the digitalrendering (le), the windows on the upperstories are painted black, while the lowerones are used as a temporary gallery spaceor local artists. Tis technique helps toboth beautiy the street-level views andprovide a place or artists to showcase their

work.

BEFORE: photograph shown right

AFTER: digital rendering shown below

Utilizing vacant storefrontwindows as temporary gallery

space for local artists


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Tis parking lot on Pryor Street currently ofers no break rom the summer heat or much visualexcitement. Te digital rendering below shows an example o what the space could look likewith the addition o a small tree and colorul plantings in the otherwise unused space. Te totalnumber o parking spaces remains the same; only the extra pieces o asphalt were converted toplanting beds to beautiy the site and decrease the amount o impervious surace.

BEFORE: photograph shown

above

AFTER: digital renderingshown right

Pryor Street parking lot,Option 1


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Tis parking lot is located at the corner oMitchell Street and Pryor Street near the Fultoncounty government building. Currently thelot is quite barren ofering no visual interest,especially along the sidewalk. Te proposedsolution extends the current ence at the cornero the lot along the sidewalk in order to providea physical barrier between pedestrians andparked cars. In addition, the digital rendering

shows the space with a new planting bed inthe narrow strip between the sidewalk and theparking bumpers. Te area can be planted withtough, low-maintenance vegetation, such asliriope. Vines, such as the lady banks rose, canbe planted to cover the ence and urther screenthe area.

Pryor Street Parking Lot,Option 2BEFORE: photograph shown le



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Tis vacant storeront is located along

Mitchell Street near its intersectionwith Pryor Street. Currently the aadeis an eyesore to the surrounding areawith boarded-up windows and doors.Option 1 shows what the space couldbecome i the building were to beoperated as a restaurant. Te parkingarea to the side o the building could beconverted into a small outdoor seatingarea, utilizing the established trees

nearby or shade.

Mitchell Street Storefront,Option 1

BEFORE: photograph shown right



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Tis vacant storeront is located

along Mitchell Street near itsintersection with Pryor Street.Currently the aade is an eyesore tothe surrounding area with boarded-up windows and doors. A muchquicker and cost efective solution isprovided in Option 2 (shown le),where a high-quality building wrapis hung in order to cover the exterior.Tis method gives the illusion o a

restaurant or shop so as to not detractrom the surrounding area, and hasthe benet o not requiring any sort oconstruction measures.

Mitchell Street storefront,Option 2BEFORE: photograph shown right



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Tis vacant corner located on Peachtree Street

and Mitchell Street has plenty o potential asshown in the photograph above. Extending theexisting artistic ence to encompass the entireproperty allows or the space to be utilized as anoutdoor seating area. A raised bed is constructedto make use o the current exposed hole in theconcrete as well as ofer additional seating orcustomers. Vegetation creates shade and visualinterest or an otherwise barren corner. Finally,a large mural, company logo, and menu all

embrace the potential ca theme or the vacantbuilding and outdoor area.


AFTER: digital rendering shown right

Creating a new seating areawith artistic fair


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Due to its vacancy, this buildings covered entrance has become a haven or homeless peopleto sleep in during the nighttime hours. One possible solution to this problem is to place asimple gate that would be locked at night keeping visitors out. A possible example o this isshown in Option 1 below. Rather than keeping the homeless out, another possibility is tohide people sleeping in the alcove instead which is displayed in Option 2 below. Tis optionprovides simple bunk beds which can be hidden using a simple curtain or similar type oscreen keeping users out o sight while also giving the homeless some sense o privacy.

Entrances are the faces ofdowntown.

BEFORE: photograph shown le

AFTER, OPTIONS 1 AND 2: digital renderings shown below

OPTION 1 OPTION 2


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Tis alley is located next to a smallaccounting rm at 167 rinityAvenue. Te primary concern isthat one or more persons continue

to urinate on the building during thenighttime hours which has becomea nuisance or clients and employeesin the morning. One solution to theproblem is to install a gate in a similarstyle to that which is currently at theentrance to the building. Tis wouldlimit access to the alley at night aswell as blend in with the surroundingenvironment. Te digital rendering(le) shows what this solution couldlook like. A simpler solution may beto place signage directing pedestriansto a public restroom.

Limiting access to theTrinity Avenue alley space


AFTER: digital rendering shown le


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201 North Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30602P: 706.542.2736 | F: 706.542.9301

W: http://www.cviog.uga.edu/

201 Pryor Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303P: 404.688.0472 | E: [email protected]

W: http://www.gmanet.com/

georgia municipal association/carl vinson institute of government downtown atlanta study

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