Fresh Loaf

Mike Dobbins

Transit and mobility wonks itching for something to do early this evening are in luck.

At the Technology Square Barnes & Noble at 6:30 p.m., Georgia Tech professor Mike Dobbins will sign his new book Urban Design & People.

Why are we so giddy about this event? Dobbins is one of the metro Atlanta’s smartest — and wittiest — transportation and urban planning maestros. He’s also one of the few people not afraid to speak his mind about the Beltline or the importance of affordable housing.

In the recently published book, the a former Atlanta planning commissioner offers a common-sense look, complete with historical examples, at the process behind creating public spaces. Dobbins also places a strong emphasis on the important role communities play in making those decisions. It’s an excellent primer for planners and laypeople alike, told by a narrator with nearly 40 years experience in his field. (You can read a chapter from the book here.)

(Courtesy Georgia Tech)

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John Williams has awesome timing. About 10 to 15 minutes before a portion of a Midtown Atlanta parking deck collapsed today, the web designer, who works in a nearby building, says he left the area to get his car’s emissions checked. He returned to find the structure near Technology Square shut down, firetrucks parked, and a crowd gathered wondering just what the hell happened.

In this photo taken this afternoon the middle section of the Centergy parking deck is collapsed onto the floors below it. On the bottom floor cars are smashed on top of each other.

“It looked like a section about five cars wide just fell and took out the next three floors below it,” Williams said in a phone interview with CL. “You can see the cars piled up.”

Williams shot video from the scene. To view them, click the screenshots below.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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