The City Reader - Suburban Sprawl

Dunwoody is an upscale neighborhood in metro Altanta. It is a dynamic and vibrant community, with a broad mix of residents and a staunch refusal to be overshadowed by Atlanta. Although it was once a relatively small and quiet community, it’s rural landscape attracted people from Atlanta seeking to get away from the city. With increasing traffic to Dunwoody, interstate 285 was constructed and the transformation began. Now, most neighborhoods are a textbook example of sprawl: cul-de-sacs, curved roads and McMansions. It is actually difficult to look down a street and see the corner. Another product of sprawl was the Perimeter Mall and a retail and corporate phenomenon known as perimeter center. Walk around Dunwoody and you’ll immediately recognize all of the shopping opportunities and diverse dining options. Dunwoody offers unmatched convenience when it comes to shopping selections

When I initially developed a criteria for my ideal neighborhood, I was looking for a clean and safe community. Dunwoody offers this in the form of Dunwoody Nature Center, a park featuring trails, gardens, picnic spots, and a kids’ playground. Despite its influence by sprawl, Dunwoody still maintains much of its natural features.

I was also looking for a neighborhood with great access to public transportation and expressways. Dunwoody appeals to all of these requirements and does much more. Access to and from the community is very easy, with significant routes provided by I-285 and MARTA.

My third criteria was local entertainment. While, Dunwoody may not have the lively nightclub or bar activity that neighborhoods like Virginia Highlands and Atlanta possess, many of the community’s best live performance options, whether musical or spoken-word, can be found in this neighborhood, entrepreneurial shopkeepers provide most of Dunwoody’s retail goods and services

Dunwoody has come a long way from what it started as. The community has grown in size and continues to be one of the most progressive suburbs in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

-Kevin