Atlanta Streets Alive

Atlanta Streets Alive is a ciclovía held throughout the year in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Ciclovía is Spanish for a temporary closing of the street to automobiles for use by people participating in recreational activity. Organized by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Atlanta Streets Alive opens streets for people in the city of Atlanta by temporarily closing them to cars to create a whole new healthy, sustainable and vibrant city street experience. People can walk, bike, roller-skate, jog, skip and roll down 3 to 5 miles of major thoroughfares that have been closed to cars throughout Atlanta three or four times a summer. Throughout the route there are activities and examples of tactical urbanism inspired to help citizens envision shared streets. In 2018, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition connected the routes for Atlanta Streets Alive with their street campaigns to drive energy towards demanding more complete and shared streets in the city of Atlanta.

Virginia Avenue during Atlanta Streets Alive
Atlanta Streets Alive in Old Fourth Ward
Atlanta Streets Alive in Virginia Highland

The first event kickoff was held at Woodruff Park.[1] The event has grown from around 5,000 people in 2010, to 83,000 in October 2013,[2] and an estimated 20,000 attended the event in October 2012.[3] 134,000 people attended the route in June 2018. Atlanta Streets Alive is part of an international open streets movement happening in many cities throughout the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Atlanta Streets Alive strives to promote healthy lifestyles and physical activity,[4] celebrate the unique character and community spirit of Atlanta neighborhoods, reclaim public streets for people, and build demand for streets that serve all people on foot, bike, transit and in cars.

Event History
Date Location Length (Miles) Attendance Notes
May 23, 2010 Edgewood Ave 2 5,000 [5]
October 17, 2010 Edgewood Ave 2 5,000 [6]
June 11, 2011 Edgewood Ave, Auburn Ave 2 5,792 [7]
June 25, 2011 Edgewood Ave, Auburn Ave 2 5,077 [7]
May 20, 2012 North Highland Ave 2 15,000 [8]
October 7, 2012 Virginia Ave, N Highland Ave, BeltLine 5 20,000 [3]
May 19, 2013 Peachtree Street 2.7 15,000 [9]
September 8, 2013 Peachtree Street 3.7 60,000 [10]
October 7, 2013 Virginia Ave, N Highland Ave, Boulevard 5 82,000 [11]
April 20, 2014 West End, Atlanta 2.7 16,000 [11]
May 18, 2014 Peachtree Street 3.1 9,000 [12]
September 28, 2014 Boulevard, North, N Highland, and Highland Ave 4.5 95,000 [13]
April 19, 2015 Ralph David Abernathy, White Street 3 9,000
September 27, 2015 Highland, Boulevard, North Ave 4 102,735

[14]
October 2015 Peachtree Street 2.7 61,205

[15]
November 8, 2015 Clarkston 1.5 500
April 17, 2016 Ralph David Abernathy, Georgia Avenue 4 81,441
June 12, 2016 Peachtree Street 2.7 98,077
September 25, 2016 Highland Ave, Boulevard 3 90,416
October 2016 Peachtree Street 2.7 106,188
April 23, 2017 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd and Georgia Ave 4 9,000
June 11, 2017 Marietta Street and Howell Mill Road 3.6 110,000
September 24, 2017 Peachtree Street 3.1 134,000
April 8, 2018 Decatur Street and DeKalb Ave 4.4 74,000 [16]
June 10, 2018 Marietta Street and Howell Mill Road 3.6 134,000

[17]
September 30, 2018 Peachtree Street 3.1

Ciclovía
Main article: Ciclovía

The first open streets initiative was called Ciclovía, or “bikeway” in Spanish. Ciclovía started in Bogotá, Colombia and now draws over 1.5 million people to walk, bike, skate and enjoy more than 70 miles of streets opened to people – and closed to automobile traffic – every Sunday. Ciclovía was founded in 1976 in Bogotá, Colombia. It started small and grew in the 1990s under the mayor and the parks director, brothers Enrique and Guillermo Peñalosa. By 1996 it was recognized as the most important recreational activity in the country. The route was extended to 50 miles in 1997 and events to add appeal beyond biking were added.

On Sundays and holidays, the main streets of Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, and other major cities are blocked off for the event to become Carfree. From 7 AM to 2 PM, runners, skaters and bicyclists take over the streets. At the same time, stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers and musicians lead people through various performances. Bogotá's weekly ciclovías are used by approximately 2 million people (30% of citizens) on over 120 km of carfree streets.[18] Thirty years later, the concept spread to many cities, including Tokyo, Kiev, and Atlanta.

See also

References
  1. Gumbrecht, Jamie (2010-05-21). "Atlanta Streets Alive makes roads into activity space May 23". accessAtlanta. Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
  2. "Streets Alive Wants 4 Events In '14, Including West End Route". Atlanta Curbed. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2013-12-10.
  3. "Atlanta Streets Alive — a lively Sunday of car-less streets filled with people". The Saporta Report. 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  4. Wheatley, Thomas (2011-06-10). "Atlanta Streets Alive, Beltline skate park opening beckon you this Saturday | Atlanta News & Opinion Blog | Fresh Loaf | Creative Loafing Atlanta". Clatl.com. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
  5. "Atlanta Streets Alive makes roads into activity space May 23". AccessAtlanta.com. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  6. "Atlanta Streets Alive is Oct. 17". Atlanta INtown Paper. 2010-10-15. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  7. "Atlanta Streets Alive - June 11th & 25th". TWOTONEATL. 2011-06-09. Archived from the original on 2013-09-09. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  8. "Atlanta Streets Alive 2012: Bicyclists, a cat in a stroller, and people in cardboard killer-robot costumes". Creative Loafing Atlanta. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  9. "Peachtree Street becomes car-free zone during Atlanta Streets Alive". SaportaReport. 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  10. "Record Attendance". Curbed Atlanta. 2013-09-10. Retrieved 2013-09-10.
  11. "Past Events | Atlanta Streets Alive". www.atlantastreetsalive.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-11.
  12. "The Peachtree Route | Atlanta Streets Alive". www.atlantastreetsalive.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  13. Moore, Bobby (2014-12-11). ""Atlanta Metal" doc breaks stereotypes | Atlanta Creative Loafing". Clatl.com. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  14. "Atlanta Streets Alive opens the streets". Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
  15. "Atlanta Streets Alive takes over Peachtree Street in Downtown and Midtown Atlanta". Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
  16. "Atlanta Streets Alive drew 74K, called key step toward safer DeKalb Avenue". Curbed Atlanta. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  17. "134,000 People Power Westside Atlanta Streets Alive". Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.
  18. "Car-Free Streets, a Colombian Export, Inspire Debate". The New York Times, Javier C. Hernandez, June 24, 2008. 2008-06-24.

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