BeltLine Urban Redevelopment Connects Atlanta Neighborhoods

Living in communities where residents can connect with fellow residents and nature are drawing investment as a response to urban sprawl.

The Atlanta BeltLine project is returning former railroad right of way to productive use to revitalize urban communities. The BeltLine will connect 45 neighborhoods with trails and parks and has a focus on affordable housing as part of the redevelopment project.

Rob Brawner, executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, the private sector nonprofit that complements the efforts of the publicly supported Atlanta BeltLine Inc., spoke at the 2017 Energy & Environmental Building Alliance (EEBA) High Performance Home Summit in Atlanta as part of panel discussion on "Amazing Atlanta Living to help builders from across the country understand the draw that urban revitalization can provide to cities.

The Atlanta BeltLine is a planned loop of 22 miles of modern streetcar services (an expansion of the Atlanta Streetcar), 33 miles of multi-use trail, and 2,000 acres of parks. It will open in phases through the anticipated completion in 2030.

In 2016, the Atlanta BeltLine consists of four open trails; two trails under construction; seven parks; intensive planning for modern streetcar expansion; more than $3 billion in private economic redevelopment; hundreds of affordable workforce homes; free fitness classes; a linear arboretum; and urban farm; and the largest temporary public art exhibition in the south.