New Urbanism cuts through Atlanta’s smog

Infill project fares better than suburbia in EPA report on travel behavior and air quality. A proposed new urbanist brownfield development in downtown Atlanta has become a pilot project in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) program for Environmental Excellence and Leadership, Project XL. Jacoby Development Corporation of Atlanta has proposed a $2 billion, 12 million square foot mixed use redevelopment of the 138-acre Atlantic Steel site which lies minutes away from the city’s central business district. The development includes residential, office, retail, and hotel uses, as well as a multimodal bridge connecting the development to a nearby highway and a MARTA transit station. Construction of the bridge requires federal approval and funding, but since Atlanta is out of compliance with the Clean Air Act’s transportation requirements, the city is not allowed to begin any highway construction that could exacerbate existing air quality problems. In June 1998, Jacoby asked Project XL to evaluate the development as a transportation control measure (TCM), a project that demonstrates an air quality benefit. A TCM may be constructed despite Atlanta’s noncompliance. EPA published an analysis of how both the development’s location and its design would affect travel behavior. The Atlantic Steel site is compared to three hypothetical developments, all on greenfield sites. Two are low density suburban developments, one straddling the Cobb/Fulton county line, and the other in Henry County. Both of these hypothetical projects generate considerably higher vehicle miles traveled (VMT) than Atlantic Steel. The worst is Henry County, without bus transit, generating 52 percent more VMT, compared to 49 percent more for Cobb/Fulton, which has bus transit. Emissions of pollutants were also significantly higher for the suburban projects. The third hypothetical project, located in Sandy Springs, was designed with relatively high density, an urban street pattern, and rail transit. Sandy Springs’ location, however, far from the central business district, means that it still generates 14 percent more VMT than Atlantic Steel. To further improve Atlantic Steel’s already positive environmental performance, EPA commissioned a redesign from planning firm Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ). In December 1998, DPZ held a charrette in Atlanta with extensive stakeholder involvement. The result was a design with higher density, mix of uses throughout the site, greater connectivity to off-site streets, traffic calming measures, and clearer pedestrian trajectories. Jacoby then submitted a revised plan that incorporated many of the recommendations from DPZ. EPA’s report concludes that the revised plan would provide lower VMT and emissions and an improved pedestrian environment compared to the original design. Geoffrey Anderson, an analyst with EPA’s Office of Policy, Urban and Economic Development Division, says the Atlantic Steel project has the potential to become a model for environmentally sound developments in other cities. The final agreement could be signed in the summer of 1999, and then the design of the bridge must be finalized with the Federal Highway Administration. As part of the agreement, EPA will continue to monitor the development after its completion. Jacoby’s Charles R. Brown says stakeholder and public reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and he does not expect any major revisions in the design. Construction is slated to begin within a year, Brown says.