urban renewal

I started this on Sunday but didn't get to finish it til now...
--

I've always been fascinated by urban renewal. While in NYC I had the fun of living in neighborhoods just before or during transitional times -- or as more cynical people would call it, "gentrification." From Astoria, a hidden jewel that started getting discovered when rent in Midtown got out of hand, to Harlem, a notoriously violent area that suddenly saw an influx of new business spurred by Bill Clinton moving his offices to 125th Street (after his original choice next to Carnegie Hall came under criticism for being too expensive), to Long Island City -- a largely industrial area full of warehouses storing things that hadn't been touched in thirty years that became a hipster's paradise with trendy bars, museums, huge apartments with cheap rent, and proximity to Silvercup Studios (no matter what you think about her, Sarah Jessica Parker eating lunch at a local diner after filming scenes for Sex and The City has a way of raising a neighborhood's profile).

So it was with great interest I read this article from this morning's AJC. It's all about the challenges that face the Five Points area of Atlanta.

It's a dirty, dingy section of town inhabited mainly by transients and hookers, but even more interesting is the successful refurbishing of areas barely a mile away. The area around the Aquarium, Centennial Park and the new World of Coke is almost pristine in comparison. The article is almost comical in the way everyone passes the blame to everyone else while no one does a thing. Comical, if it weren't so abhorrently pathetic.

I've been in the Five Points section exactly once, while looking for a Kinkos I ultimately never found (stupid inaccurate website!). My first thought was "Jeez, they could do SO much with this!" which was closely followed by "What did I just step in?"

In the aftermath of the Olympics, downtown Atlanta's future seemed sunny. While it's hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong, it's not too late. Model the renaissance of downtown Atlanta after the resurrection of Times Square... shove the bum off the bench and remove it. Keep people moving through the area and offer tax breaks to retailers and companies that set up shop there. Shift the plans for the Peachtree 'Magnificent Mile' down about three miles, and you're well on your way. And, similar to what NYC did with Disney, partner with a company with a specific attraction to sell so it doesn't break the bank. They've got a good start with the revitalization of Centennial Park -- now move it slightly to the east and Atlanta can start being the city it wants to be.