The Atlanta Regional Commission recently announced the 2019 recipients of the agency’s Developments of Excellence awards during the annual State of the Region breakfast. Each year, the awards honor developments and places that are improving the quality of life for residents.
Among the recipients was Station Soccer, a collaboration of Soccer in the Streets, MARTA, the City of Atlanta, and Atlanta United, that reinvents transit stations as a public space for community activity. The transformation of unused space into soccer fields has made the sport accessible to a new generation of athletes.
The three Station Soccer locations are part of a larger vision of 10 transit-connected sites that model healthy recreation and community building by activating otherwise empty spaces, according to organizers. The station locations also provide opportunities for youth education and engagement. Off-field programs offer lessons in life skills and financial literacy, with learning centers and community gardens planned for future phases.
Information: soccerstreets.org
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