Atlanta’s Morningside neighborhood in the late 1970s was a great place to be a kid. I walked and biked around, played in creeks looking for crawdads, and changed plans literally on the flip of a dime that my friend liberated from the sidewalk. Now, thinking back on that joy of adventure and exploration, it dawned on me that I never organized or planned what I would do that day. I merely went outside and discovered life in whatever form or fashion came my way.
Watching my hometown change from discovered fun into a place of scheduled events has left me yearning. However, there is a bit of hope creeping in, like kudzu on an embankment. This hope is placed in the power of the culturally impactful Atlanta Beltline project. It is literally changing how we experience and feel about our city, as well as instigating new development patterns that city planners around the country have been promoting for decades. This switch toward public space and transportation game-changers is happening across the country.
When Ryan Gravel was thinking up the Beltline concept in graduate school, Los Angeles County adopted the Los Angeles River Master Plan (1996). Now, the City of Los Angeles is helping implement the L.A. River project after publishing the River Revitalization Master Plan (2007), which includes a network of parks, pedestrian, bike and equestrian trails, natural areas and community spaces.
Chicago is in on this culture shifting capital program too. It is building The 606 ( the Bloomingdale Trail) which, according to its website, “brings together elevated trails for bikers and runners, art installations and landscape design to create an urban oasis and a new way to explore Chicago.” They celebrate the ability for this infrastructure to connect people by what they deem a living work of art.
The real magic of the Beltline is that the portions that have been cleared and/or constructed are literally re-introducing this seemingly new style of life. It is rather fitting and ironic that the railroads are yet again the reason for Atlanta’s resurgence. The space once occupied by freight trains is now providing this new place of wonder. The Beltline has brought back what I call a “fortuitous life” to Atlantans. In my opinion, to experience a day of fun that consists of unintended possibilities is genuinely the best gift the general population could ever stumble upon.
I hope that we continue to celebrate this newly found experience. But let’s also realize that there are some basic norms expected of people in public spaces. Some things should be common sense rather than taught. For example, letting Fido’s dog leash extend as far as possible turns it into a clothesline that could take out an errant child on a tricycle. Simply put, use your common sense and, when necessary, correct others with a smile, because you can always catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Atlantans are known for their hospitality. Let’s all continue to be good neighbors as we explore the city together on foot, bike or transit.
I haven’t found any crawdads, but if you haven’t explored the Beltline yet, I promise you will find fun in the most unexpected ways. Don’t forget to pay it forward by supporting more Beltline construction so all of Atlanta can stumble upon a Fortuitous Life right in their own backyards, whether in Morningside or West End.
Heather Alhadeff is the president of Center Forward, a transportation planning firm in Atlanta.
About the Author
