Georgia Tech: Atlanta ‘test bed' for reusing urban spaces
For decades, metro Atlanta was known for its expansive and new development.
Georgia Tech, however, wants the region to be better known for innovative “urban infill,” what urban planners generally refer to as the redevelopment of industrial areas or land with previous uses.
Using several grants, the school is at the forefront of defining “urban infill” in a blueprint that could help other cities. It is starting with the former Ford plant, which has been proposed as an “aerotropolis,” or generally an area that thrives off nearby airport activity.
“We are the test bed for the re-creation of urban spaces, neighborhoods and communities,” said Catherine Ross, director of the school’s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development. “My hope is that we develop this reputation – with Atlantic Station, the Beltline and the aerotropolis – as cutting edge examples of recreating communities.”
The former steel mill that now is Atlantic Station led Atlanta’s way into brownfield redevelopment. The shuttered auto plants in Hapeville and Doraville, the Beltline project and the military base at Fort McPherson could be next, she said.
Georgia Tech’s work is being funded in part by more than $300,000 in grants from sources including the Ford Motor Co., The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The Ford grant is to study mobility and fuels, such as creating a state-of-the-art transit hub in Hapeville with connections to commuter rail and the airport. Waste recycling, green job creation and renewable energy also are what Georgia Tech will look into, Ross said.
A second grant from the Pew and Johnson groups is asking how development in Hapeville will affect the health of nearby residents. Ross said that the "health impact assessment" is about improving quality of life, such as finding best practices for sound proofing homes near an airport.
The studies could define what Jacoby Development will do with the former Ford auto site, said Scott Condra, senior vice president of development for the firm that bought the 122-acre site in 2008 for $40.3 million. The site is zoned for 6.5 million square feet of space that could range from hotels to light industry. A 4,000-space parking facility that would serve the airport is likely to have solar panels on top and a way to filter run-off water before it returns to the water table, Condra said.
"It could impact what we do," Condra said.
Ross said the studies are being done by several Georgia Tech departments, including mechanical engineering, and city and regional planning.
