"Prototopia" (Peachtree City)

We have made two vists: visit #1 on 05/04/2003, visit #2 on 05/10/2003. On both days we hired a cart ($35 per day) and went off looking to see how the cart path system worked. This is some of the information we have so far.

Analytic data (so far, work still in progress)

• A map as pdf of the city showing the cart paths in green.
• This is the first 'complete' map drawn by Ruth. We felt the number of dead ends caused many problems.
• Fractional analysis as a PDF file [ here ]. Notice the high centrality effect of lots of short lines.
• Log radius fractional as a PDF file [ here ]. Notice the 3 strong local zones.
• Table of computed values [ here ].
• Ruth has examined another Peachtree City map, which is more cut down.

Looking for signs of life (thoughts and images from visit #1)

• It looks like it would be possible to perform observation counts along these routes. One method under consideration might be to drive around with a video camera attached to the golf cart and then count and map the encounters later. The question is, do we count people or do we count carts? The non-insular nature of the carts, their quiet electric engines, the relatively long periods of time (due to the low speeds) which allows the inhabitants to see who is approaching, all of this makes it possible to speak to those whom one is passing. So this is a genuine 'social encounter' more in the pedestrian than in the car mode.
• The general landscape is not flat and there are many short, steep sections on the cart paths. Trees are growing under the paths, which makes the secondary circulation system quite rough and unsuitible for activities such as cycling or rollar-blading.
• The distances were surprisingly great, Peachtree City is quite large.
• Pictures of golf carts [ here ].
• A sample golf cart (4 seats) [ here ].
• Sheep driving, encountering another cart [ here ]. Most people said hello.
• Sample segregated driving next to a road [ here ].
• Sample segregated driving next to a road with someone in the distance[ here ].
• It seems people often have both cars and carts [ here ].
• Cyclists on the segregated cart paths [ here ].
• South end of the lake, near the pump station, showing a cart crossing [ here ].
• Traveling North along the lake edge [ here ].
• Passed by young adults speeding along the cart paths [ here ].
• Local mother and family, clearly not golfing, who stop to help with directions [ here ].
• More pictures of the lake [ here ].
• Crossing a small bridge at the North end of the lake [ here ]. A small cart in distance, driven by a 7 year old with their parent operating the brakes.
• Flock of Teenagers heading to a shoping center at speed (North of lake) [ here ]. Notice the segregated route and that it is shot is though the cart's front screen.
• Shot of a bridge over a freeway (Georgia 74) to shoping center [ here ].
• Shot on a cart bridge [ here ].
• Typical entrance to the cart paths (a crossing) [ here ].

Photos from visit #2

• Photo of Sheep, driving the cart, and a shot of the video camera mounted to the cart (pointed backwards, to be subtle) [ here ].
• A shot of our hired cart showing our 'research assistant' and our camouflage-decoy in his baby car seat [ here ].
• Final shot showing the set up, with cart, camera, Sheep and decoy! [ here ].
• Two carts overtaking [ here ].
• Caution carts crossing! [ here ].
• A pedestrian path way leading into the woods, accessed off the cart path [ here ].
• It is hard to tell from this picture, but this cart has a bicycle strapped to its back [ here ].
• Another cautionary sign, this time at a local shopping center [ here ].
• Shot of a typical tunnel, demonstrating the damp, undrained conditions [ here ].
• Bridge over a lake in a small local park [ here ].
• Another shot of a dark tunnel [here ].
• The cart path along side Peachtree Parkway [ here ].
• A real golfer with real cart in the background [ here ].
• Example of a "social trail" - a user-worn track accessing the cart paths [ here ].
• More real golfers [ here ].
• Constant reminders of the sewer origins of the cart system [ here ].
• "Even Littler 5 Points"!, the convergence of 5 cart trails - a major local integrator [ here ].
• Another shot of the 5-path junction [ here ].
• A bridge awash with stream-water [ here ].
• A school - many schools were accessable from the cart path trail [ here ].

Observations from visit #2, May 10th, 2003 (in no specific order)

• There are more underpasses (tunnels) than is evident from the map (Southern zone).
• The physical quality of the tunnels is interesting; they are quite narrow and frequently wet, due to inadequate drainage. One of the reported problems with Milton Keynes’ Red Ways is the use of underpasses by homeless people as places to sleep. There is no possibility of the cart tunnels of Peachtree City being used in such a manner, as they are too inhospitable.
• We never noticed any lighting of the cart paths and wonder whether they are used after dark.
• The typical width of a cart path is 2.75m (compared to 3m in Milton Keynes).
• There are many sections of cart path that are not shown on the map.
• Concerning the non-mapped sections of cart path: our suspicion was that many of these short paths (often connecting parts of the mapped trail to parts of sub-divisions) had possibly been constructed by private individuals or communities wishing to link to the main cart path system.
• Paths are far more sinuous and meandering than shown on the map. The map version has been considerably ‘straightened out’. This has implications for any axial analysis.
• We frequently noticed minor (children) drivers.
• There were very few carts that we encountered that contained only a single person. The majority of carts contained groups, often families.
• Some sub-divisions have obviously tried to exclude public through-passage.
• Generally, we felt it was very typical ‘gated community’ style development, with one or two primary road-entrances accessed from an arterial and containing a high ratio of cul-de-sacs. However, in the case of Peachtree City, these disparate sub-divisions have been ‘knitted’ together by the cart paths.
• Many of the cart paths connect the ends of different road cul-de-sacs together.
• Our prediction is that the road system of Peachtree City will not be very intelligible (because of the high proportion of dead ends), but that by adding the cart paths into the analysis this intelligibility is drastically altered; the function of the cart paths is to make the overall system far more intelligible than it would otherwise be.
• We observed a far greater degree of ethnic diversity than we expected. This appears to support the Mayor’s claim that the carts are a very egalitarian mode of transport.
• Having visited those parts of the cart path system, which appeared very locally integrated, using log fractional integration (radius pi), these did not necessarily appear to be good local integrators in reality. We need to further consider what is a good measure of local integration for a cart system.
• We predict that step depth from a local shopping center might be as or more significant than any measures of local integration alone.
• Nevertheless, it should be noted that our encounter rate was consistently high throughout a 2-hour trip. We encountered another cart, on average, every 4-5 minutes.
• There is a further system of cart paths which run through and connect the golf courses and which are only accessible to members. This creates a second tier of private paths (although much fewer in number).
• Many schools appear to be located on the cart paths and indeed might even constitute ‘foci’ of the system.

Conclusions from visit #2

• A better map of the cart paths needs to be constructed.
• Our prediction is that both the cart paths and the road system when considered and analyzed in isolation will prove to be quite unintelligible. However, when combined and analyzed together the resultant system is far more intelligible than either of the component systems. This is extremely interesting, as the roads and the cart paths form a type of synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
• The cart paths are the only feature to distinguish Peachtree City from ubiquitous suburban sprawl.

Current theoretic approach

• We are interested in seeing why the golf cart paths work so well and intend to do so by comparing them to Milton Keynes' Red Ways.
• A paper analysis of the failure of the Red Ways in Milton Keynes is [here].
• A PDF of the Red Ways is [ here].
• An interactive vesion is [ here].
• A quick table of a comparison of both cities is [here].
• By looking at the intelligablity we might find something interesting. Sheep is currently working on measures of 'loopyness' for the primary circulation system.