Clifton Community Partnership

Pedestrian friendly article:
Great Neighborhoods Deserve Great Streets and Centers
June 3, 2008
Source: Community Partnership Update/June 2007

Emory University, through the Clifton Community Partnership (CCP), has been sponsoring a set of community conversations to find ways to enhance the quality of our corridors and commercial centers. “There seems to be strong consensus that while our residential areas are among the region’s most desirable, our major road corridors, nearby commercial strips and intersections are more for cars than people,” said Sara Fountain, CCP Advisory Group member and community leader.

Anticipating that the region’s future growth will bring redevelopment, “we’ve pulled together diverse stakeholders from the Clifton community to envision how the quality of public space might be enhanced over time,” said Bryan Cooke, executive director of the CCP. Since the project got underway in late 2006, hundreds of community leaders have participated in interviews, three community workshops and multiple community briefings. Goody Clancy, the noted architectural firm, has been developing the Urban Design Guidelines around community-based principles.

The goal is to lay out a clear set of urban design strategies that will lead to inviting pedestrian-oriented places, safer streets that bicycles, transit and vehicles can share, and greener connections between home, work, school and retail districts. As redevelopment happens, the Urban Design Guidelines can lead to improvements that complement these goals.

Emory intends that its own developments, on and near the edge of campus, align with the urban design principles and recommended practices. The areas that will be affected include parts of Clifton, Briarcliff and North Decatur roads. During the course of various redevelopment projects planned in the next decade, Emory’s investments in sidewalks, bike paths and greenspace will help to create a more pedestrian-oriented and vibrant community for everyone.

“As the CCP looked closely at the edges of campus,” said Cooke, “one of the overall objectives of the Urban Design Guidelines Initiative has been to involve other nearby land owners in developing the design principles, eventually incorporating them into future redevelopment projects, to fund amenities that would benefit their properties and help to make the area more distinctive, more vibrant and inviting for everyone who lives, works or goes to school here.”

From day one, the Urban Design Guidelines Initiative has benefited from active community input, including educating the CCP and Goody Clancy team. Residents and local leaders have guided them in touring the Clifton community. In January, the CCP hosted a charrette (a two day community meeting) where many neighbors rolled up their sleeves around maps and drawings to help identify and confirm special areas for protection, and at the same time, note the places suitable for more dense redevelopment that can support quality retail, restaurants and public amenities desired by the community.

“Much of the distinction of the Clifton community comes from well-preserved historic residential neighborhoods with extensive tree canopies,” said Cooke. “However, automobile dependency is nibbling on the community’s quality of life.”

“Demographic trends are changing the housing market in Atlanta and elsewhere,” said David Dixon, principal with Goody Clancy. “Increasingly, people want to be able to walk to work, shopping and restaurants.” Bringing housing options to the Clifton community is one of several complementary ways to address the traffic issue.

From these discussions, preliminary urban design principles emerged. The Goody Clancy group then developed visual scenarios to demonstrate how the principles could be applied to commercial areas and streets. During April, the CCP and Goody Clancy team continued to meet with key stakeholders including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), county officials and various civic associations to ensure that the guidelines align with other community priorities.

On June 11, the fourth community meeting took place at Miller-Ward Alumni House with discussion on the emerging Urban Design Guidelines. By August, Goody Clancy is expected to complete the urban design plan and guidelines and Emory University intends to adopt them as an amendment to its Campus Master Plan. Emory and the CCP will encourage DeKalb County to incorporate the guidelines into the County’s long-term plans and guide off-campus (but in close proximity) redevelopment efforts.