A truly livable, attractive urban area only happens when the community which live and works in it cares enough to act. The Midtown community has done just that by spending countless hours framing its vision for the future of Midtown Atlanta. The outcome of these efforts clearly states a desire to encourage and retain an urban character with an increased emphasis on people-friendly paths and places that connect Midtown. There are several themes that define how people want their environment to feel, look and function.
   New buildings should be predominantly mid-rise in height. Today, Midtown is best described by signature tall buildings and surface parking lots. This medium height would encourage densities high enough to promote diversified uses, but low enough to create a pedestrian-scale environment. Medium-size new buildings would also blend the area together to create a continuous urban landscape.
   Clear, pedestrian-friendly paths with appropriate signage should be developed between our parks, museums, theaters, hotels, religious institutes, and schools. Seeing these places as part of one community and one place is important to defining Midtown as a destination for enjoyment and entertainment.
   A livable and workable place is defined by safe and pleasant public environment. Sidewalks must be wide enough to accommodate passing pedestrians or friends walking side-by-side; people must be safe from vehicles and lights should illuminate the sidewalks and buildings as well as the streets. Trees should be planted along the curbs to define an edge between the roads and sidewalks and to lend shade from the hot Georgia sun as well as to provide a visually pleasant place to be.
   Midtown should no longer be a place to speed through, but a place to go. The speed limits, street patterns, signage, and curb edges should accommodate cars, parallel parking, bike lanes, pedestrians and in some places, landscaped medians to meet all travel needs in a more hospitable environment.
   Midtown should be mixed with office, housing, retail, hotels, and cultural uses to create a vibrant urban area beyond the work hours of the day. Retail should be concentrated at strategic locations primarily at street level, and housing development promoted throughout, but particularly in the central and southern sections of the area. Office use, already healthy in the commercial corridor of Midtown, should continue to be enhanced in the northern portion of Midtown and along the West Peachtree corridor where current fiber optic cables provide necessary resources for high-tech firms.
   Finally, the architectural details of the buildings, the small extra touches such as flags, banners and awnings, and the buildings' proximity to the street and their orientation to the sidewalk will make a difference in how safe, attractive, and neighborly the community feels.

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