Tremendous focus is on the World Cup in less than a hundred days. However, like all massive events bestowed on our city: they come, we party and perform, and they leave. In 150 days, the anticipation will be over, victors will have been celebrated, and tourists will be gone. As the World Cup attracts millions of visitors to our downtown, hopefully many of us locals rediscover an area unfamiliar area and add it their regular routine.
As mentioned before, we are planning well beyond the World Cup. Our 50+ historic buildings have been in our downtown well over 100 years and we are investing in them to be in our downtown for them for well over the next 100 years.
In order to do that, we must attract people. We must attract locals.
One of the most opportunistic groups of locals to revitalize our downtown is Georgia State students. GSU has an enrollment of ~53k students with 45k of them being undergraduates. GSU has several campuses but approximately 30k-35k students attend classes downtown – not mention several more thousand more professors and employees. That is significant!
You can feel it when walking around Woodruff Park and on North Broad. Students bring energy and optimism – all essential ingredients for downtown’s revival.
If downtown Atlanta is ever going to realize its potential it must embrace and court Georgia State students.
At this moment, the majority of Georgia State students we talk to do not feel safe traversing the Five Points MARTA station and Broad Street Plaza area. Professors have explicitly told us: “we advise students not to travel South of Marietta Street.”
How does downtown Atlanta embrace Georgia State Students? The blue line is a good start. But they have to feel safe outside of property lines.
Below are some of the most prominent academic and student life buildings on campus with the route to the half acre of green space on South Broad Street currently under construction (it’s the picture with the Caterpillar equipment).
This green space currently has six restaurants all under construction surrounding it with plans to be open before the World Cup including El Tesoro, Broad Street BBQ, Glide, Brewhouse Pub, Mule Train, and Kitchen Counter Diner.
We are making a significant bet that unique, boutique, and local restaurants will attract students across the normally ill-advised areas to traverse into South Downtown.
See the walks below:
Aderhold Learning Center (12 min walk)
Centennial Hall (17 min walk)
The Student Center (16 min walk)
Andrew Young School of Public Policy (12 min walk)
University Commons (15 min walk)
Student Success Center (12 min walk)
As you can see, there is one key thoroughfare to South Downtown from Georgia State and that is through our world-famous Peachtree Street.
The south end of Woodruff Park to South Broad Street is the most important walk for South Downtown to thrive, especially after the World Cup.
Scooter rides are 1/8 the time of walking as well.
This walk has not been traversed much by students over the past 15-20 years.
Public safety and the perception of public safety is number one.
If I could have one Marty McFly moment and was able to go back to the future for the sake of downtown Atlanta, it would be to go back to the design meetings of MARTA’s 5 Points and express the magnitude of putting a massive concrete block on 5 acres in center of our city, with no limited to no commercial applications, while severing what was arguably our most walkable street: Broad Street.
A few weeks ago, Instagram account Old World Atlanta put up a before and after picture of the beginning route students will walk from the south end of Woodruff Park at Marietta Street down Peachtree Street to get to the soon-to-be open green space.
The good news is there are several tailwinds working in Georgia State student's favor and simultaneously South Downtown’s favor of a more friendly-walk in downtown Atlanta.
- The Azaela Fresh Market which is just to left of the above picture is already pulling more GSU students towards the southern tip of the park.
- Five Points MARTA transformation is under construction and will be for another 3-4 years. So long concrete top. A more open, spacious station is under construction.
- Increased police presence and proactive monitoring at Five Points MARTA station is currently being prioritized.
- A new paseo is being constructed between Peachtree Street and Broad Street. This will provide a well-lit, carless, and safe environment to traverse from Peachtree Street to Broad Street.
Picture of the new paseo’s from the inside:
We love all the major sporting matches and big headline events; that alone will not create a long-lasting and diverse downtown where the president, professor, and student can live, work, and play.
Peachtree roads walkability has never been more important in reviving our downtown than right now.