The City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (DCP) is closing out an 8-month tactical urbanism demonstration of the Peachtree Shared Space project—which took portions of the popular thoroughfare between Baker Street and Ellis Street and created a vibrant shared space for motorists and pedestrians using planters, wheel stops and art-covered crosswalks. The pilot demonstration— initially scheduled to last 90 days — continued for 260 days in response to stakeholder and community feedback to collect additional data and observations to evaluate the project.

“We’re always looking for ways to redevelop the city’s streets equitably and improve the experience of our Downtown public spaces, and the Peachtree Shared Space was a great example of what we can do to maximize space for people and other forms of transportation besides cars,” said the Department of City Planning’s interim Commissioner Janide Sidifall. “This demonstration helped us advance the living streets concept in Atlanta, as seen in other major cities in the country.”

Information and data collected during the demonstration project was reported after the first 30, 60, and 90 days of the demonstration and found an average increase of 27% of pedestrians and a decrease of 11% in the total number of vehicles. The updated report includes survey results showing visitors and residents desire a more vibrant and inclusive Downtown, with walking and biking areas as top priorities. The City is appreciative of all the stakeholders who took the time to attend meetings to provide feedback and letters of support.

DCP and the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) are aiming to begin deinstallation of the Peachtree Shared Space demonstration project next week. To learn more about the data collection visit sharepeachtree.com.

This project was led by the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning in partnership with the City’s Department of Transportation and with support and assistance from Central Atlanta Progress, the Downtown community improvement district. Staff was supported by consultants from Toole Design Group, Stantec, Modern Mobility Partners, James Lima Planning and Development, Street Plans, and Edwards-Pitman. This project was funded with support from the Atlanta Regional Commission.  

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