Urban redevelopment
Friday, 13 February 2009
I spent this morning on a mini-bus.
Rather uncharacteristically, forward thinkers in Atlanta (not a particularly strong habit in these parts, recently) have marshaled money and public sentiment in favor of a 22-mile trolley or light rail route encircling downtown, mostly following abandoned or current rail corridors. The rails will be paralleled by sidewalks and walking trails, with frequent access to/from adjacent neighborhoods, parks, schools, and businesses.
This project is called the Beltline, and to continue to build bottom-up public pressure, one thing they do is offer free tours of the route, with a guide (Derrick Duckworth, for us, who did a fantastic job) to present history and discuss plans.
There’s lots worth remarking upon regarding this project, but I’m going to focus on just one. Trees Atlanta is part of the partnership, with an eye to planting trees along the Beltline corridor to make the Atlanta BeltLine Arboretum, extending for the entire 22-mile circle. For a city deficient in public parkland, this is visionary.
Kudos to EMH, who suggested this adventure and accompanied us. Her last major adventure was to the Valley of the Kings, so you know she’s flexible in her travels.