By Taylor Anderson
Prior to the advent of the automobile, the human development pattern took a highly predictable and successful route – it focused on a central gathering area for community (often churches) and commerce (markets and trading posts). These development patterns occurred and reoccurred for centuries and what most people view as the best cities in the world followed that pattern, primarily in what we call today “downtown” or along Main Street.
With the invention of the automobile, a new development dynamic occurred. We spread out and devoted more and more resources (money and land) to the automobile – at the expense of community and commerce. While on one hand the automobile offered unprecedented freedom of movement, it drove our development pattern into prioritizing the car (via roads and parking) over people. It drove us to big box retail and huge parking fields and took us away from community and local commerce. It also created long commutes and financial commitments both personally to owning, maintaining and insuring an automobile to have a job and from the government via the taxpayer to unsustainable infrastructure investment.
According to recent statistics, more than half of all Gwinnettians commute more than 10 miles to work. Incredibly, more than 20% commute for 25 miles. While we’re having the conversation on transportation alternatives and will have a vote on it early next year, there really is a much more simple, cost effective answer to our transportation quagmire – a commute of less than 10 miles, and ideally, less than 5 miles.
While the automobile centric development pattern continues to today, most municipalities have come to the realization that dependence on auto-centric development is no way to develop a community. In fact, the head of Georgia DOT, Russell McMurry recently stated, “You can’t widen your way out of congestion.” We can’t afford to build it and we can’t afford to maintain it.
Our downtowns are the answer – focusing on development of a downtown that prioritizes traditional aspects of community and commerce over auto-centric development. It’s building places for people over cars.
In Sugar Hill, our downtown is taking shape in the traditional historical context. We’re focusing on community through the greenspace (the Dawn P Gober Community Plaza and The Bowl) and gathering areas (The Eagle Theatre and E Center gymnasium) and commerce (City Hall and E Center office, restaurant, and retail). In the coming year, we expect private sector development to also add to the fabric of our downtown.
We’re also focused on creating the traditional footprint of downtowns of lots and blocks. This development pattern provides both pedestrians and automobiles with options for getting around. It also provides that traditional character of downtowns that make them look and feel authentic – the opportunity for small scale development and redevelopment.
This is the first in a three part series on the case for Main Street. The next part will focus on the financial case for Main Street.
