Unsprawl Case Study: Glenwood Park in Atlanta, Georgia

The award-winning, 28-acre Glenwood Park is a brownfield redevelopment in an infill location that features a mix of well-designed homes and commercial spaces, including a mixed-use "town center."

1 minute read

September 13, 2005, 7:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Glenwood Park is a new, 28-acre neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, two miles from the center of downtown. It is located on a former industrial site that had most recently been used as a concrete recycling facility. A small amount of industrial land remains nearby, but the community is primarily surrounded by century-old, single-family neighborhoods, including Grant Park to the west and Ormewood Park and East Atlanta to the east.

...The community is designed around a classic main street environmentâ€"with on-street parallel parkingâ€"that culminates in a town square surrounded by three- to four-story buildings “framing a beautiful outdoor room.” Alley-loaded, single-family homes with views of the Atlanta skyline face tree-lined streets, public squares, and pocket parks. Townhomes with classic stoops and lofts and condominiums provide a more urban (and more affordable) context, while the large, oval Glenwood Park serves as a gathering place and environmentally benign water retention and filtration area."

Thanks to Simmons Buntin

Monday, September 12, 2005 in Terrain

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

1 hour ago - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

3 hours ago - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

4 hours ago - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.