Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

How to Ruin Your Street Grid With Highways, Parking, and Superblocks

11:23 AM EST on December 17, 2013

Atlanta's street grid, circa 1911. Image: ##http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/post/70217724429/how-to-screw-up-a-street-grid-atl-style## ATL Urbanist##
Atlanta's street grid, circa 1911. Image: ##http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/post/70217724429/how-to-screw-up-a-street-grid-atl-style##ATL Urbanist##

Street grids are a key ingredient in a walkable city. Fortunately, many American cities -- especially the older ones -- were endowed with tightly knit grids, dispersing traffic of all types and creating good connections for people on foot.

The bad news, of course, is that the usefulness of many street grids was severely curtailed by interstate highways and other 20th Century interventions. Darin at Network blog ATL Urbanist explains how Atlanta degraded its street grid, comparing the above map with the one below.

Atlanta's street grid present day. Image: ##http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/post/70217724429/how-to-screw-up-a-street-grid-atl-style## ATL Urbanist##
Atlanta's street grid present day. Image: ##http://atlurbanist.tumblr.com/post/70217724429/how-to-screw-up-a-street-grid-atl-style##ATL Urbanist##

Darin says:

How can you completely screw up a lovely grid and ruin the connectivity between neighborhoods, rendering a city less walkable and more car-oriented?

Enlarge this satellite map of the current Atlanta and notice the way interstates 75 and 85 slice through the streets of Midtown and Downtown, and most significantly how their interchange with east/west I-20 forms a weave of asphalt that might as well be a crater.

Then notice the enormous walls created by Turner Field’s parking lots at the lower right and the World Congress Center in the middle, above the Dome.

Reconnecting these segments of the city divided by highway infrastructure and more is key to a more walkable future, and street-level projects like the Atlanta Beltline and the upcoming streetcar will hopefully help a great deal.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Urban Cincy says it's important to understand that streetcar opponents in the Cincinnati region oppose all types of transit investments, not just this specific project. Better Institutions writes that the way rich people actually inflate rents in cities is misunderstood -- the real problem is affluent opponents of dense development. And the State Smart Transportation Initiative reports that the state of Washington will stop focusing on congestion as a measure of the performance of its transportation system.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines at a Discount

We talk a lot about how parking minimums drive up housing costs, but so do overly wide roads. Why not take away a lane or two and let people build on the land?

October 4, 2023

Watch 15 Years of Street Transformation in a Single Streetfilm

It's hard to see the big picture of just what has been accomplished between Times and Union squares. That's where Clarence Eckerson Jr. comes in.

October 4, 2023

Study: Remote Work Isn’t Always A Cure for America’s Driving Addiction

A lot of Americans traded long commutes for short errands during the pandemic — but whether that swap resulted in more or less driving is a consequence of policy choices.

October 4, 2023

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Trending Down

An estimated 19,515 people died in car crashes during the first half of 2023, which is down 3.3 percent but still 19,515 too many.

October 3, 2023
See all posts