Despite recent controversy that claimed the BeltLine Inc’s president, when the 2.25-mile Eastside Trail opens this week, Atlanta's long-awaited Beltline will take its “most significant step forward yet,” reports Bill Torpy.
The vision for converting an abandoned railway corridor circling downtown Atlanta into a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit - known as the BeltLine - began life as a doctoral thesis by Georgia Tech student Ryan Gravel in 1999. With Monday's opening of the Eastside Trail, Gravel's vision, which saw its transit plan take a hit with the rejection of a proposed transit sales tax in July, is facing another reality check.
"Ed McBrayer, executive director of PATH, the organization
charged with the corridor's construction oversight, calls this section 'a big first step. This will be a model case to see if the Beltline can
be all that we think it can be,' he said. 'This starts a network we've
been looking for, for 20 years. It will be a trail connecting Fernbank
to Centennial Park (downtown) to the MLK Center, to Piedmont Park to
Freedom Parkway. You can travel to a lot of destinations that mean
something.'"
Also, McBrayer added, "This section will either prove
or disprove that economic development will follow greenspace as we think
it might."
FULL STORY: Beltline a walk in the park
Atlanta Beltline Acquires Major Piece of the Future Eastside Trail
The Atlanta Beltline will be realized one step at a time, and this was a big one.
New Study Commissioned for Atlanta BeltLine Transit
The study will assess alignment options for a 13-mile segment of the greenway.
Atlanta Streetcar Expansion Still Moving Forward
MARTA has drastically reduced its plans to construct new rail transit, but one project still has political support from the top at City Hall.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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