Cities: Atlanta, Georgia

by Kari Larson

·     19^th in the US City Sustainability Ranking in 2008

·     Leads the Southeast in LEED registered buildings

Beltline Project

1.     Background

·     Idea came from the thesis of a grad student at Georgia Tech, Ryan Gravel, 1999

·     The large issue preventing Atlanta from being more sustainable is urban sprawl. - There are 5,000 people living in the city of Atlanta and 5,000,000 people in the metropolitan area.

·     The thesis addressed the need for an infrastructure system that could promote and sustain economic growth in a way that would promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

·     The original project would create a 22-mile long loop around city and construct a light rail system around city accompanied by a linear park and 33-miles of multi use trails. Because of the projects growing support many other projects have been added.

·     The Beltline began being built in 2006 and in 2010 many walkways and parks connecting parts of Atlanta have been opened up for public use.

·     This is a 25-year project, funding has been approved for the first 5 years.  It is projected to cost 2.8 billion dollars.

2.     Environment

·     The project plans on cleaning up over 1,100 acres along the Beltline that have been designated as “brown fields”, areas where the Environmental Protection Agency has declared that it may be complicated to develop because of the presence of hazardous substances, contaminants, or pollutants. 

·     The added parks will increase Atlanta’s green space by 40%, which will add over 1,300 acres of new park space.

·     These parks include retention ponds that protect against flooding

·     An old quarry is in the planning stages to become a 2.5 billion gallon water supply that is meant to supplement Atlanta’s water supply and can be supply water for 30 days to all of Atlanta in case of a drought.   The quarry will also add 3.000 more acres of park to the Beltline.

3.     Transportation

·     The Beltline will allow city residents, who prefer not to use a car or can not afford one, to travel to all of Atlanta’s surrounding neighborhoods as well as connect to the already existing MARTA transit system as well as bus roughs.

·     The Beltline is expected to reduce Atlanta’s carbon footprint by 665,000 metric tons per year simply by reducing the amount of cars on the roads

·     The trails promote people to walk or bike to there destinations rather than ride in a car, which also promotes a healthier lifestyle.

4.     Economy

·     The Beltline allows for the northern and eastern portions of Atlanta to continue to grow in a way that can sustain its growing population and prevent congestion.

·     The project will promote growth in the southern and western parts of the city by creating easier access and will attract simple amenities like grocery stores to areas that do not have easy access to them.

·     The project promotes a more even growth through out the city.

·     There is a green space job-training program to train workers so that they can get jobs working on the beltline. As of 2010 100% of the graduates of the program have been employed and usually work on projects in there own neighborhoods. 

·     With new development comes a higher property tax.  To take this into account, the city of Atlanta plans to implement the largest affordable housing initiative that has ever been undertaken in the city.