Over 70 percent of survey participants agreed that streets with two-way traffic would best serve Midtown's retail businesses and developments. Yet survey participants were cautious to recommend changing the existing north/south, one-way pairs in Midtown (Spring Street, West Peachtree Street, Juniper Street, and Piedmont Avenue).

• Image with the highest mean score (+3.69), Boulevard: An avenue is a commercial/mixed-use street accommodating a moderate amount of traffic. Typically, parallel parking is provided on both sides. The office buildings and colorful landscape elements lining the avenue provide a visual balance to the wide street and offer and sense of enclosure both to those traveling by car and on foot. Parallel parking is available on either side of the street and acts as a buffer between pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Electric utilities are buried, keeping unsightly power lines out of view.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-5.25), Lane: The backbone of the residential block, a lane accomodates slow moving traffic. Lanes typically have a residential focus, allowing for commercial uses only at intersections and cross streets. In this image, the lack of landscaping, poor condition of the sidewalks, and inadequate drainage contribute to the low survey rating. Pedestrians are confronted by utility poles in the middle of sidewalks and a dreary combination of vacant land and surface parking lots. The absence of buildings along the street makes the area feel like an urban wasteland.

The survey showed that participants are more enthusiastic about mass transit than their current transportation habits might indicate. More than half said they mainly use MARTA when attending special events. Interestingly, the highest rated image in this category was of an electric shuttle, indicating a desire for public transportation alternatives that are environmentally sensitive. The survey also showed that:

• Almost half of those who participated in the survey rated MARTA's train service in midtown "good;"
• The majority said they would consider riding a bike or a MARTA bus or train if it were made easier for them;
• More than any other reason, convenience was cited as the reason for driving alone;
• Over 70 percent of survey participants agreed that integrating the movement of public transit, cars, bicycles, and pedestrians should be a top priority when setting transportation policy for Midtown.

• Image with the highest mean score (+3.80): Public transit is made more convenient by the presence of spacious bus shelters with ample seating and protection from the weather. The surrounding area is enhanced by street trees and additional benches along the brick-paved sidewalk. Note that despite its size, the bus shelter does not present an obstacle to pedestrians walking along the sidewalk.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-.20): The large advertising panel attached to this bus shelter overwhelms the structure and obstructs the view of those who use it. The amount of seating is inadequate and the structure interfere with the flow of pedestrian traffic.

The majority of survey participants found buildings that are low (less than four stories) to mid-rise (up to 14 stories) most attractive. They also preferred:

• Buildings constructed with traditional materials, particularly brick;
• Mixed use buildings with a combination of ground floor retail and upper level parking, residences, or offices

• Image with the highest mean score (+5.27): This building's plaza provides public space with an abundance of seating, trees, and pedestrian-scale lighting. The mid-rise height of the building reflects survey participants' preferred building height.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-.4.81): The lack of ground floor windows across the front of the building creates a fortress-like appearance and prevents interaction between pedestrians and building inhabitants. There is no landscaping, street furniture, or lighting.

Because many of Midtown's largest employers provide free parking for their employees, over half the survey participants indicate that they incur no monthly parking costs. While parking is essential to a vital urban area, there are ways to camouflage and condense it.

• Image with the highest mean score (+4.54), Surface Parking Lot: The design of this parking lot is enhanced by landscaping both along the perimeter of the lot and traffic islands. An adequate number of pedestrian-scale light poles increases safety.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-.4.33), Surface Parking Lot: This lot is poorly landscaped and overshadowed by the billboard which looms above. Public safety is compromised by a lack of lighting and the absence of sign indicating the lot's address.

• Image with the highest mean score (+4.01), Parking Deck: This parking deck is designed to look like a mid-rise building. The surrounding area consists of wide sidewalks landscaped with street trees and pedestrian-scale light poles.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-.4.33), Parking Deck: The combination of a surface parking lot an an open, steel-structure parking deck results in an eyesore. Neither the paved surface nor the deck has any significant landscaping or lighting.

In general, survey participants were in favor of more low to mid-rise, mixed use buildings in Midtown. The survey indicated that:

• Participants would patronize the following most often in Midtown: banks, outdoor cafes, cultural/arts venues, bookstores, drug stores, local family-style restaurants, and grocery stores;
• They would patronize the following least often: video rental stores, clothing stores, and nightclubs.

• Image with the highest mean score (+5.07): The retail shops along this street are animated by large store display windows, colorful signage, and awnings. A bench and street further enhance the pedestrian environment.

• Image with the lowest mean score (-.2.06): This strip shopping center has no landscaping, inadequate lighting, and poorly designed signage. Low lying power-lines and an unattractive pedestrian way separates a sea of pavement between the parking lot and the shopping center. As pedestrians make their way across the asphalt to the reach the businesses, they must keep a sharp eye out for cars.

Fifty-seven percent of survey participants would like to see Midtown develop into a unified community of neighborhoods containing a mix of residential housing types, pocket parks, commercial offices, and civic and religious buildings, all within walking distance of each other. Mid-rise apartment buildings were some of the highest rated images, especially those built with traditional materials such as brick.

• Image with the highest mean score (+5.38): These urban townhouses are designed on a human scale appropriately set back from the street, giving the area a sense of enclosure and safety. The stairways leading onto the street and the column-framed doorways provide classic entryways that clearly define each unit. The sidewalk is lined with an attractive iron fence that differentiates the public space from the private.

• Image with the second highest mean score (-.5.10): The brick exterior and landscaping give this low-rise apartment building a welcoming feeling. The iron and brick fence around the property enhances security without obstructing the view.

Piedmont Park provides a green, natural environment in the heart of Midtown's residential and commercial community. Given the neighborhood's affection for this park, it is not surprising that survey participants said they want:

• Additional small pocket parks dispersed throughout Midtown and linked by a continuous network of improved pedestrian sidewalks and bikeways
• Requirements that developers improve the public environment surrounding any new development with plazas, green space, and sidewalks.

• Image with the highest mean score (+5.82): This small urban plaza creates an area of natural beauty amid the busy city streets. Benches provide ample seating beneath the shade of mature trees.

• Image with the second highest mean score (-.44): While this paved plaza in front of an office building acts as a buffer between the busy street and the building's front yard, it does little to encourage pedestrians to stop and linger. A lack of outdoor furniture, sculpture, or fountains leaves this landscape devoid of elements to soften or enrich the surrounding urban area. Large scale advertising signs further contribute to this image's low score.

More visible security would make Midtown a better neighborhoods, most participants agreed, and they would like to see security personnel closer to the pavement. Images of security officers patrolling on mountain bikes or horseback received the highest ratings. Significantly, no image of a security officer was given a negative score by survey participants. Also telling is the fact that:

• 48 percent of participants said they feel safe in Midtown, but only in very specific locations and only during the daytime;
• 74 percent of the participants agreed that the police are not sufficiently visible
• 73 percent said there should be a private security force in Midtown.

• Image with the highest mean score (+4.96) and second highest mean score (+4.79): This security officer on horseback is more accessible to pedestrians and more aware of his immediate surroundings than he would be inside a patrol car. The image of a police officer on a mountain bike also received a high rating.

Signs that are relatively small in scale and sensitively lighted received the highest rating in the survey. Billboard, neon signs, and oversized advertising were the most negatively rated.

• Image with the highest mean score (+5.08): This pedestrian-scale restaurant sign is graphically appealing in its simplicity and use of interesting shapes and colors. The absence of garish lighting combined with the sign's legibility further enhances its appeal.

• Image with the lowest mean score (+3.32): Neither creative nor subtle, this sign's neon lights and magnetic message board add to the visual clutter along the street.