December 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 58

AT L A N TA B E LT L I N E

the city of Atlanta. " Atlanta is basically a black-white city in terms of
race and ethnicity. And, much of
the city north of Interstate 20 is majority white and affluent, and south
of Interstate 20 is majority black
and lower income, " explains Nonet
Sykes, chief equity and inclusion
officer, ABI. " Ryan envisioned this
project as a way to bring those two
worlds together and no longer keep
the various neighborhoods along
the rail corridor segregated. "
Sykes says social equity is top
of mind within every facet of the
BeltLine project, and it's not exclusive to the affordable housing component. " It's really about having
an equity mindset and approach
toward workforce development,
housing development and transit
development, " she notes.
In December 2013, ABI board of
directors approved the Atlanta BeltLine 2030 Strategic Implementation
Plan (SIP) to help steer the transportation and redevelopment project
through its projected 2030 completion. According to ABI, the first seven
years of the program earned about a
3:1 return on investment, with more
than $1 billion in private redevelop-

ment stimulated by approximately
$350 million of investment.

Enhancing the Park System
Throughout the duration of this
long-term plan, ABI and the city
intend to expand the park system
- augmenting green space by
40 percent, building 1,300 acres
of new parks and renovating 700
acres of existing green space.
The Historic Fourth Ward ranks
among Atlanta's most underserved
areas, with one of the highest rates
of children living in poverty. What's
more, the area lacked parks and
green space and suffered from constant flooding. The Trust for Public
Land (TPL) acquired numerous
properties to construct a new 17-acre
park featuring a manmade lake to
collect stormwater overflow to remedy the area's flooding problems.
After two years, the Historic Fourth
Ward Park opened in June 2010 and
includes a playground, recirculating
stream, splashpad, amphitheater/
plaza, as well as an outdoor trellis,
event lawn and sculpture garden.
In July 2018, Enota Park received
a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior as part

PHOTO BY JOHN BECKER

To date, Atlantans and visitors can walk or
ride to seven new and renovated parks along
the Atlanta BeltLine.

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of a nationwide program focused
on building and expanding green
spaces in underserved communities. Located on a 0.3-acre play lot,
Enota Park will be expanded to
more than 8 acres and will feature
a full-size basketball court, community garden, rebuilt creek bed,
event lawn and playgrounds.

Trails Connect
People and Places
The ongoing construction of the
BeltLine trail system demonstrates
the city's efforts to bridge the socioeconomic and geographic divide.
Once completed, it will feature 33
miles of shared-use paths for walking, running and cycling, and adjoin 45 " intown " neighborhoods.
" Early on in the design process for
the 12 segments that are currently
open and under design, we looked at
many opportunities to connect neighborhoods to the trail, " says Beth McMillan, ABI's community planning
& engagement director. " We provide
access at all street intersections with
the trail. " To date, the following trails
are open to the public: West End
Trail, Westside Trail, Eastside Trail,
Northside Trail and Southwest Connector Spur Trail.
Stretching 2.4 miles, the West
End Trail is among the first path
projects to be completed and links
many Southwest Atlanta neighborhoods - such as the historic West
End, Mozley Park and Westview.
The trail also intersects with the
3-mile Westside Trail and offers
access to retail and restaurant developments in those areas.
Crews completed the first phase
of the Eastside Trail's southern extension in November 2017, which
boasts new pavers, lighting handrails
in the Krog Tunnel, streetscape enhancements on Wylie Street, as well
as the installation of a temporary pe-

December 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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