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[MUSIC]
Valarie Wilson: People fly into the city of Atlanta and they see the huge green canopy.
They think, "Oh this is great, all this green space." What they don't know is it's on private
property. A study had been done that determined that Atlanta was one of the most under-parked
cities of its size in the country. So what the Atlanta BeltLine is doing is actually
creating the opportunity for public green space.
Kasim Reed: It really is a 22-mile emerald necklace, where we have reclaimed old railroads
and made them one of the most beautiful parts of the city.
[MUSIC]
Valarie Wilson: The Atlanta BeltLine was a huge vision that grew up from the grassroots
community as a result of a thesis written by Ryan Gravel.
Ryan Gravel: The central focus of the thesis was the reuse of this 22-mile loop of old
railroad for transit that would achieve the economic development that you're seeing going
on now, along with the conservation of the existing neighborhood.
Valarie Wilson: And it's coming into their communities and creating opportunities for
green space, for parks and for trails, opportunities for the residents to get out and be healthy.
It's creating economic development and art in areas of the city that hadn't seen investment
in over 20 or 30 years.
One of the prime examples that I think to use in helping people to understand how the
Atlanta BeltLine has transformed some areas is when you think about historic 4th Ward
Park. The park sits on a place that was once an asphalt parking lot that had been abandoned.
Kasim Reed: How do you become more sustainable, but make it attractive, and then provide an
amenity for your residents to use at the exact same time? So what would typically be a regular
storm water retention pond, now is a beautiful park, and one of the most attractive places
in the city of Atlanta. [skateboard hitting concrete]
Ryan Gravel: There's a real synergy between the connecting corridor, all of the new parks
along the way, and then all the new economic development, as well as all the neighborhoods.
[MUSIC] There's really interesting ways that people
use it. You know, some people are just out for a ride, some getting exercise, some people
are going places. It's interesting to see how it evolves, and how people are starting
to adapt their lives to use it.
Daniel Yee: It's a really great place to exercise. This way I don't have to cross a lot of streets
and worry about traffic. On weekends, it's a very nice stroll for me, and my wife, and
my son, to just come out here and then maybe we'll eat at a restaurant, or do our grocery
shopping. It's nice to be able to leave the car at home.
Jamie Saye: We're 200 yards away from the beginning of the trail. The BeltLine itself
created up to a ten percent increase on the weekends so far. It's steadily rising with
every season. So what we have done for our business to accommodate the BeltLine are new
bike racks. We now have extra staff to help out with the BeltLine traffic.
Skip Engelbrecht: We had to build a complete separate entrance for the BeltLine, register,
employee. Now we're trying to make it sort of more of a pit stop, if you will, for the
BeltLine, letting people come rest, get water, restrooms. On the weekends, like, a thousand
people walk by an hour. It's insane, it's beautiful.
[MUSIC]
Ryan Gravel: I think the success of the eastside trail is an important part of going forward
and it's building a momentum of ... an expectation for the rest of it to get built.
Kasim Reed: The Atlanta BeltLine has been a complete win. It's been a win financially
for our community. It's been a win from a sustainability perspective. And it's been
a win in uniting neighborhoods across our city.
Ryan Gravel: The BeltLine is going to be defining what Atlanta's going to be, and it's going
to make it a much more exciting place to live. And that's pretty cool to be a part of.
[MUSIC]