The Beltline got a fair bit of cyber ink this week, and all the news was good. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that ATL development officials are mulling whether to install ultra-high-speed Internet service as a means to attract tech-loving businesses to the Big Green Loop. And Atlanta magazine explains what the Beltline has in common with both Detroit and Paris.
On the ultra-high-speed Internet front, the AJC reports the city is weighing costs-versus-prospects for adding the advanced fiber-optic, cable-based Internet service to the whole 22-mile loop. It would be buried beneath trails and possible transit lines, where infrastructure upgrades were installed when the Eastside Trail was built. The move, officials think, could help spur redevelopment and summon more businesses to the Beltline corridor.
The magazine gives an interesting rundown of the "Brownfields 2013" conference this week at the Georgia World Congress Center, which was brimming with environmentalists, engineers and great legions of wonks. Beltline visionary Ryan Gravel listed similar undertakings in Chicago, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, New York (the High Line, of course) and even Detroit. Gravel told the magazine the colossal failure of T-SPLOST disappointed him, but he's encouraged by the Eastside Trail's patronage and the progress of the Atlanta Streetcar. Said he: "The success of the streetcar is important to regional transit in general and the Beltline in particular."
· Atlanta weighs speedy Internet along Beltline [AJC]
· Atlanta BeltLine is a leader, but not unique [Atlanta magazine]
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