A small town comes back to life
Satellite historic towns and cities that have languished for decades because they have been swept over by sprawl are now getting a second life as new urban centers. This report in the October-November 2012 issue of Better! Cities & Towns looks at Woodstock Downtown in Woodstock, Georgia, which has roared back to life despite Atlanta's severe housing crash. The article looks at the planning and development efforts, form-based code, streetscape improvements, and policy decisions that have helped to bring about this resurgence. “It is just cranking,” says Cheri Morris of the 32-acre mixed-use restaurant and retail precinct. The restaurants—six of them, in five buildings that her company renovated or developed from scratch—are busy, often well into the evenings. The city is now expanding the street grid and urban neighborhood on a 22-acre tract across the railroad tracks to the west, and Woodstock Downtown's success has sparked a number of efforts like a 60-mile network of trails that runs through downtown and a cultural arts village founded by local artists.
For more in-depth coverage on this topic:
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• Get the October-November 2012 issue. Topics: Guiding investment to urban centers, Florida next gen project with streetcar, Town centers, Upstate NY downtowns, Transformation of a small town, New Moscow district, Community engagement, Walkable City, Human Transit, Freeways Without Futures, Beruit
• Get New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide, packed with more than 800 informative photos, plans, tables, and other illustrations, this book is the best single guide to implementing better cities and towns.
