In this blog entry, Darin Givins expresses his thoughts about Atlanta’s built environment. In the opening, Givins examines an interview with Jim Durrett of the Buckhead Community Improvement by the website Curbed Atlanta, who expressed his thoughts on how there needs to be an improvement on transportation. In this entry Givins insists that unless the built environment is accommodated into an alternative that is more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, then people will continue to rely on cars for transportation, creating traffic. He then goes on to make an amusing point about public transportation and the trouble Atlantans often seem to have an understanding of traffic flow and city form. He believes the reason Atlantans view the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) as a transit system that doesn’t go anywhere is because the design of the city is sprawling, encouraging the use of cars more while discouraging walking, bicycling, and public transportation. Lastly, Givins discusses how telecommuting is an answer and how it isn’t a reasonable solution because it doesn’t promote smart growth and alternative transportation. It’s viewed more as an anti-smart and transit system that isn’t showing much progress. I found this blog entry knowledgeable by I never thought about the built environment centered around transportation for metropolitan cities as mentioned in this blog entry.
Givens, Darin. “Atlurbanist.” Web log post. Reducing Car Trips in Atlanta The Quote in This… ATL Urbanist, May 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016