Georgia Dome’s Faults Lead to Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The Georgia Dome is the largest indoor venue available in the state of Georgia. It is located in the heart of Downtown Atlanta and is a premier key to Downtown Atlanta’s economic and tourism success. Since September 6, 1992 the Georgia Dome has been standing and serving as a host for live music concerts, conventions, sports events, and even Monster Truck rallies. The Dome is broken into multiple levels: the floor, club level, the suites, and the upper level seating. The higher up in the building, the lower the ticket prices (excluding box seating). The layout of the site separates those who pay more to watch an event from those who pay less. For instance, those who purchase tickets to view an event from the upper level cannot access food options on the club (second) level. This is unfair because the food options are the exact same building wide, while also helpful because sometimes celebrities may be seated in the club level and suites and do not want to mingle with such large amounts of people.

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A rendering of the proposed Mercedes-Benz Stadium taken from mercedesbenzstadium.com

The Georgia Dome is open and easy to navigate as long as the tickets you bought were the most expensive. Suite level tickets also come with access to things around the entire venue whereas third level guests cannot access things other than the first floor and their level. The large walkways prevent clusters of people and gathering which creates for easy access and quick and safe evacuation if necessary. To also increase ease of access and safe evacuation the Georgia Dome and it’s workers promote the use of the large ramps instead of the escalators or elevators. The use of these ramps by patrons also greatly reduces the amount of electricity used by the venue. Even though this venue is well fit, it could use minor renovations. To combat the possible reoccurring renovations, it was decided that a new stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, would be built next door, and the Dome will be revamped into a massive parking structure.

Final Revisions (Extra Credit)

As a final revision to many of my posts I decided to remove the title of the assignments out of the title. This transition created a much more intriguing environment on the site and made it more accessible. Including “Built Environment Analysis” or “Annotated Bibliographies” in the title is redundant as the category section for each post is included for this purpose. Adding intriguing titles also creates a more interactive site as outside viewers are more likely to get a glimpse of what the page entails through the title.

I also  decided to tag more of my posts with more tags which will increase the sites visibility on search  engines Having more prominence on search engines will increase site traffic and possibly allow my work to benefit others.

Atlanta’s Claims to Fame Leave MARTA Ashamed

In 2014, The Huffington Post put out an article claiming that Atlanta, Georgia is “The Big American City You’ve Been Missing Out On” as many sources would also praise the city.

Atlanta is known for being a booming city of opportunity is looked upon as an international hub for commerce, business, entrepreneurial ventures and social life. Newlyweds flock to the city for prosperity and success in their marriage and families. The city claims to hold many titles as being an accepting and diverse city yet a major flaw in this statement is found within MARTA, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. The city tends to keep populations held back through the exclusions of certain neighborhoods and regulations on it’s MARTA transportation. To be a truly successful and thriving city, Atlanta must end its exclusion of populations and additions to MARTA which keep people from truly reaching potential. Atlanta is a great up and coming city but public transportation continues to perpetuate what the civil rights movement was designed to end.

In 1965, under the gold dome of the Georgia State Capital, it was decided by the Georgia General Assembly that Atlanta was in need of a mass transit system which could potentially reverse clogged highways and give rise to the city’s efficiency. This decision led to the creation of MARTA, originally intended to service the City of Atlanta and it’s five surrounding counties. Early on, Cobb County voters struck down the transit system while the other four believed it would be beneficial. When the question: “where the required funds would come from?” was presented and the state proposed property taxes, Clayton and Gwinnett followed the likes of Cobb County. This left the City of Atlanta, Dekalb and Fulton as the only counties still willing to fund and allow MARTA in (Monroe, “Where It All Went Wrong”). Although MARTA received great support from the business community, black voters were not satisfied with the proposed routes because of it’s “greater service to white neighborhoods than to black ones, limited African American representation on the MARTA board, and the board’s refusal to honor requests for minority employment guarantees” (Toon, “MARTA”). White voters did not support MARTA because it would be of no use to them as most already owned cars and gas prices were very affordable. Jornalist Doug Monroe revealed in his work ‘Where It All Went Wrong’ that “the once virtually all-white suburbs that voted against MARTA years ago are today quite diverse” and these suburbs’ diversity will dramatically increase during the next decade.

MARTA’s CEO, Keith Parker, took to social media site Twitter.com recently to state that “18% of jobs are accessible by transit for metro Atlanta residents. 33% for those living in the city.” Although this statement may seem positive, a 2011 article titled “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America” states that Atlanta in in the rankings as least reliable and accessible for citizens trying to reach work by use of the transit system. In the top 100 metro cities, at least 30% of jobs are easily accessible by the transit system, proving that Atlanta is falling behind. Reason for Atlanta’s lack of transit is because the city was built in a suburban style because of its development when the car was already invented (Torner et al).

Atlanta is frequently ranked as one of the worst cities in terms of traffic jams and the inaccessibility of MARTA does not help the situation. Georgia has recently been proven to be the most expensive state to own a car (Ellingboe, 1). This mix of high costs of owning a car and inaccessible transit leads

A Map of MARTA’s Current Rail System

to minorities being out of options pertaining traveling about the Metro Atlanta area. Atlanta is often promoted as a bustling city for diversity and entrepreneurial success but the lack of public transportation issues being solved, these acclimations will not be truly just (“The 10 Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs”.

A reading which analyzes the most productive transit systems found that officials should should collect data to ensure that funds and transit lines works to provide the most beneficial transit options for it’s respective labor market (Torner et al). This does not seem to be applicable to Atlanta’s transit system. MARTA is set up to keep minorities away from certain areas and continues to ratify legislation and proposals which could lead to inclusion. Recently, it was decided that the Atlanta Braves would be moved to a new $673 million stadium in Cobb County due to “lack of consistent mass transit options”, but Cobb County has yet to be made available by MARTA and proposals were turned down.

Architect’s Rendition of the Atlanta Brave’s New Stadium “Sunburst Park”

Atlanta Braves’ Vice President of Sales and Marketing stated to ESPN that “the number one reason fans don’t come to games or as many games is due to transportation access issues” (“Suntrust Park: Atlanta Braves- FAQ”). Opposing this statement: MARTA does not run to Cobb County. GOP Chairman of Cobb, Joe Dendey wrote a letter saying that the team’s move from Atlanta to Cobb is supported but the county is actively working to decrease traffic issues associated with the games and not allow a way for MARTA to access the area (Bluestein & Galloway, 6). But what better way to decrease traffic issues than to allow for the city’s premier mass transit system to the venue?

Legislators and voters of Cobb County have long resisted Fulton County’s move towards urban prowess might make other counties more likely to allow for a MARTA expansion into their county. Local residents who beg for MARTA in surrounding counties claim that having to transfer from bus to bus and train to train only makes a commute to work more extensive. Phil Hudson of the Atlanta Business Chronicle finds that out of all of the cities in the United States, Atlantans have the longest commute on average, which is a result of the intense traffic. Citizens of the surrounding counties travel 12.8 miles on average to work daily. To minimize traffic, he suggests the use of major transit systems but people are swayed towards driving as the local neighborhoods only have park and ride systems. These park and ride systems drop commuters to a stop where they have to transfer from their local transit system to MARTA and the complexity of it all is what discourages riders (Hudson, “Atlantans Have the Longest Commute in Entire U.S.”).

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Commuters Lined Up to Board the Cobb County Transit Bus

MARTA has recently decided that the next major project to tackle is park-and-ride stations in suburbs of Atlanta. Because many commuters are discouraged by transferring trains and buses, they lose business. In 2015 MARTA proposed an $8 Billion expansion pushing towards a sales tax increase of one cent to fund rail lines further into the suburbs. Atlanta’s surrounding counties showed mixed support. A resident told WSBTV, “I don’t want to sit on 400 in my car.  I’d rather be reading my newspaper on MARTA” (Geary, 11), while others stated that the local transit systems are sufficient enough. Meanwhile a resident of Cobb County says that for most citizens it’s a 4 to 5 mile walk to the nearest Cobb County Transit station. Most lower income families do not have means to drive the distance to the CCT and therefore resort to work in the area. If MARTA were allowed into Cobb it would allow lower income residents to access higher quality employment opportunities in the city. State Representative Earl Ehrhart in 2007 stated that “The idea that Cobb voters are racist because of their lack of approval for [MARTA] is invalid. It goes north, south and east and west, and it doesn’t go anywhere Cobb citizens live nor does it go anywhere that they commute” (MDJ). The Representative’s statement coincides itself because MARTA doesn’t run anywhere near Cobb citizens’ residences because Cobb voters repeatedly struck down expansion proposals. While Cobb seems to be the only local area not in support of MARTA, citizens of Dunwoody and Sandy Springs have believed that MARTA’s expansion into their territory would lead to fallen property values, increased crime, and collapse in public order (Jaffe, 7). Studies by Duke have found that public transportation “has had no noticeable effect on the total amount or distribution of crime near its route” (Willoughby, “Effect of Public Transportation on Crime”), proving that the social stigma of transit system stations in suburbs bringing crime into the area is invalid.

In any metropolitan area it is dire that the city have a reliable mass transit system to counteract traffic issues and environmental harm. MARTA was put in place to connect the citizens of Atlanta to its many neighborhoods yet it excludes key areas and populations. For MARTA to become a widely-supported transit system, and for Atlanta to become the diverse and prosperous city it advertises itself as, MARTA it is necessary for MARTA to become fully inclusive ith their areas of service.

Works Cited

Bluestein, Greg, and Jim Galloway. “Your Daily Jolt: The Threats on Both Sides of The…” AJC. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/political-insider/2013/nov/12/your-daily-jolt-threats-both-sides-atlanta-braves-/>.

Ellingboe, Kirsten. “Georgia Is the Most Expensive Place to Own a Car.” Atlanta Magazine. Emmis Publishing, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2016. <http://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/study-georgia-is-the-most-expensive-place-to-own-a-car/>.

Geary, Lori. “MARTA Pushing for Largest Expansion in History.” WSBTV. Cox Media Group, 20 July 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/marta-pushing-largest-expansion-history/33423497>.

Hudson, Phil W. “Atlantans Have the Longest Commute in Entire U.S.” Atlanta Business Chronicle. American City Business Journals, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2015/03/25/atlantans-have-the-longest-commute-in-entire-u-s.html>.

Jaffe, Eric. “The Myth That Mass Transit Attracts Crime Is Alive in Atlanta.” CityLab. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 11 Dec. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://www.citylab.com/crime/2014/12/the-myth-that-mass-transit-attracts-crime-persists-in-atlanta/383609/>.

Monroe, Doug. “Where It All Went Wrong.” Atlanta Magazine 52.4 (2012): 86. EBSCO Host. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

“Suntrust Park: Atlanta Braves- FAQ.” Atlanta Braves. MLB Advanced Media, 3 Feb. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/ballpark/suntrust-park/overview/faq/>.http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9959440/atlanta-braves-leaving-turner-field-relocating-cobb-county-2017

“The 10 Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lml45eeklm/no-3-atlanta-georgia/>.

Toon, John D. “Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).” New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 April 2016. <http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/metropolitan-atlanta-rapid-transit-authority-marta>.

Torner, Adie, Elizabeth Kneebone, Robert Puentes, and Alan Barube. “Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metro America.” The Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution, 12 May 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2011/05/12-jobs-and-transit>.

Willoughby, Jack. “The Effect of Public Transportation on Crime.” Urban Economics RSS. Duke University, 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://sites.duke.edu/urbaneconomics/?p=1215>.

 

 

 

 

Digital Spaces As Built Environments

Rothman, Michael. “Iggy Azalea Quits Social Media After Body Bullying, Her Team Takes Over.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/iggy-azalea-quits-social-medial-body-bullying/story?id=29074260>.

Shortly after her rise to fame and to number one Billboard hot 100 singles Iggy Azalea became victim to cyber bullying. Days after returning from her Hawaiian beach vacation with her fiancé she came online to notice that Twitter users across the world where tree tweeting her hateful statements about her body. This was not the first time she had been under scrutiny. she had been “memed” and mocked over many things including her supposed lack of talent, canceled tour, race, and other aspects of her personal life. To protect herself, she took a social media hiatus after tweeting that her management would take over her accounts. She added, “The Internet is the ugliest reflection of man kind there is.” Iggy Azalea leads us to question the purpose of social media and the negative outcomes as a result of being so easily accessible online. Iggy, returning to personally run her social media accounts a few months later, came with very strong messages for people online. She advised her fans to not listen to what others have to say about their personal lives and called for twitter to create more ways to cipher out posts that are negative.

Florida, R. and Jackson, S. (2009). Sonic city: the evolving economic geography of the music industry. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 29(3), 310-321.

Because of the Digital Revolution that began around the 1950s, technology has evolved to the point where music distribution is no longer spread through at a slow pace as it did in previous generations. The internet is a newly emerged form of contagious diffusion, which is defined as widespread diffusion of an idea through a population in a very short amount of time. The process of music being purchased, sold, shared online is called Electronic Music Delivery is what makes this process so effortless (EMD). Diffusion is an idea, characteristic, or objects that spreads to different areas throughout time. A form of diffusion that does pertain to music is stimulus diffusion which is when an underlying principle is innovated into something new and improved which could be applied to remixes or when artists are featured in a song. Easily accessible music, because of Electronic Music Delivery, has caused the music industry to become more condensed and focused on in major urban cities over time. This goes to show that online areas and spaces are have effect on and can change the way we do things in real life.

Cortez, Samantha. “7 Tips On Attracting Visitors To Your Web Site.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 16 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2016. <http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-visitors-to-stay-on-your-site-2012-6>.

In “7 Tips On Attracting Visitors To Your Web Site”, writer Samantha Cortez gives inside tips to readers on consumer appeal on websites. Studies have proven that the average person, when visiting a wept, will stay for less than a minute. An important focus in the business world is figuring out what keeps customers and clients on the website. While studying this, analysts also must focus on what drives users away or could potentially return to the site. She states that no matter what type of business the site is representing there are general practices that can be integrated into the online space that could bring drive users away. The authors of this article present seven tips useful that allowed for the creation of an appealing website. Most of the recommendations somehow resembled the first “Create an Appealing Design” statement the authors made. This article is important to business’ and common people alike as it goes to show that the layout and accessibility of an online space could potentially affect a customer’s likelihood to come back.

Delta Airlines’ Website Just as Enjoyable as Their Flights

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Pictured above is the Delta.com Homepage. The layout is set up to where the main thing they would like visitor’s attention set to, is the booking a trip search engine. The colors also help portray this message because the background image is set with darker tones and the search engine is a cool bright grey. The contrast really helps visitors focus on the “Book A Trip” tab, which is also promoted by it’s placement in the center of the screen.

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The first page visitors see on the website is a woman who seems to be racially ambiguous. Because the image is of just one customer it is important the customer be multiracial in order to show the company caters to more than just one group of people. The customer is also drinking Starbucks coffee, showing that the company works closely with one of the largest brands, which makes the company seem more well known and successful, in turn drawing in more customers.

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This is the “Book A Trip” tab. From first glance it appears to be confusing and very advanced, making it hard to understand for the average user. But in reality it asks you the basics of the trip you are planning and finds the easiest or most relevant options to what customers are looking for.

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From this menu option bar depicts, we can easily see that Delta Airlines is interested in their customers from planning the trip, all the way until they leave the plan on their departing flight. They offer options front and center to access what probably are the most needed features of the site including: managing existing trips, booking a flight or vacation,arrivals and departures of the plane, and check in information.

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At the bottom of the home screen, it is clear that Delta is preoccupied with making sure the flight goes smoothly for everyone. They have links with clear titles to show they offer support and services for the minorities of the traveling world such as Disabled passengers, and passengers in large groups, with pets, children or infants.

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The homepage may seem as if it stops scrolling after the footer bar with the Disability tab, but for curious visitors who want to see more, they can keep scrolling to see fare sales. Delta has depicted 3 of their premier flight options. These flight options include flights to Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. This diverse list of areas persuades visitors that Delta is an inclusive company and services every part of the world.

 

After our studies of the built environment this semester, I have become more aware of how things are meant to subtly shape our views without boing conscious of the transition. Analysis of the Delta Airlines website (delta.com) has led me to believe that they company wants the site visitors to realize they are an all inclusive company be it flight destinations, diversity of the passengers, or special accommodations and they want each flight experience to go as smoothly as possible. Delta Airlines’ homepage is a cool blue color and it is welcoming to the eyes. Front and center is the “Book A Flight” tab, aimed at making your search experience easier. It offers various options and even goes finds car rentals and hotel stays from cross listed companies. The color of the tab is an off-white, which makes one focus all attention to it because the backdrop is a dark color. The background image is of a racially ambiguous woman on board a flight, with a starbucks coffee in her hand. This appears to show off the company as being open to all ethnicities and the Starbucks coffee goes to show that they work closely with some of the most prominent names in other industries which further showcases the prowess and success of Delta Airlines. The flight company also has many features on the site which show that they have everything one could need in terms of traveling. They offer special accomadtions for disabled passengers, families with children or pets, children flying alone and even discounted prices for groups of 10 people or more. Finally, Delta works to show flyers that they are an inclusive company through their photos of racially ambiguous models and fare sales for every inhabited continent. This goes to show their guest that Delta is all one would need when booking a vacation experience from start to finish.

Georgia Dome’s Roof: Tired but True

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The Georgia Dome is covered by fabric sheets connected and supported by aluminum cables. Because the roof is over 20 years old, the costs for maintenance to the roof due to old age and withstanding Georgia’s sometimes turbulent weather, a new stadium will be built. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be covered by a similar roof except it will be retractable as to allow for hosting a wide array of events year-round.

Georgia Dome’s Sound System, A Costworthy Experience

This sound clip showcases the sound system used at the Georgia Dome. The Georgia Dome in 2010 replaced the sound system the building was originally equipped with in 1992. This portion of renovation cost over $3 million to complete. The $3 million covered installation costs, and the costs of the 100+ speakers and amplifiers which were put into place.

Creating Raving Fans: Georgia Dome’s Employees

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At the Georgia Dome the event staff are a hard working team of over 2,000, working to provide a great experience to the patrons. The employees work and take care of things such as crowd management, ticket taking, showing guests to their seats, event security, traffic control, and consulting. Employees are paid $7.50 an hour with no benefits and do not make enough to live off of the infrequent paychecks.

Taylor Swift Brings Down the Dome Without Bulldozers

IMG_1567Taylor Swift, known for her transition from country music’s princess to one of the most powerful females in pop music sold out the Georgia Dome for her Atlanta show during the North American Leg of tour. Over 56,000 tickets were sold to a diverse crowd of different ages and races. To create a floor to seat so many people the Dome covers the field with plastic tarp and then lay down over 6,000 ply wood sheets. The stage and seating are then placed above it.

From a Grassy Field to a Pit of Dirt: Monster Jam 2016 at the GA Dome

This picture was photographed at the Georgia Dome on March 5, 2016. The picture depicts what is known as the “Pit Party” where event goers at Monster Jam can go into the pit and view and interact with the Monster Trucks and drivers before the show. The photo was taken from the club level section of the IMG_1574Georgia Dome. This section is known for the “Club/Mezz Split” which splits patrons with club level tickets from patrons with Mezzanine seating. The Mezzanine patrons pay less than club ticket patrons who have access to eateries that the Mezzanine patrons cannot purchase from due to the fact that they cannot be let into the Verizon Wireless club. From the Verizon Wireless club, the executive suites can be accessed and patrons can also purchase exclusive food and souvenirs.