Athens, Georgia: Where Broad Street Is Too Broad

Athens, Georgia has come to the conclusion that the city's Broad Street may just be a tad too broad. Now what to do about it?

1 minute read

December 5, 2016, 12:00 PM PST

By jwilliams @jwillia22


Residents of Athens' West Broad neighborhood are ready to see some sort of transformation; however, what that transformation is is unclear as work begins on a new master plan for the area. Blake Aued of Flagpole reports that citizens have come to the conclusion that Broad Street, which divides the area, needs some pedestrian friendly upgrades, including more crosswalks.

...the state Department of Transportation widened Broad Street to accommodate the rise of the automobile and the strip-mall development lining the corridor, and crossing it became more difficult. There are no crosswalks except at traffic lights, which are few and far between from a pedestrian’s point of view, and no refuge for people once they get in the road. The Hancock-Broad intersection has no crosswalk at all. This divided the neighborhood.

“I’d jump up and down if someone would put a median on Broad Street and put some trees on it and make it look like people live on either side, and it’s not just this big commercial corridor,” said school board member Linda Davis, who also grew up in the area. “Making it walkable would be amazing.

In addition to the Broad Street issue, residents are also concerned about gentrification and displacement of existing residents, noting that any improvements shouldn't just be targeted to the new people moving into the community.

Friday, December 16, 2016 in Flagpole

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

6 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine