Monday, September 10, 2007
The Beltline Arboretum: Miracle Mile?
Posted by: lain // Category: Historic Preservation, Kudzu and other bizarre plants, West End // 12:52 pm
Is anyone else here moderately (or even not so moderately) obsessed with the Beltline?
Here’s the latest, via the always awesome Maria Saporta–the Blank Foundation will fund the first mile of the Beltline arboretum as well as the planning for the entire loop.
The development of the arboretum will be in the capable hands of Trees Atlanta and the PATH Foundation.
This first mile of the Beltline arboretum is about three blocks south of the Wren’s Nest, and runs more or less along the train tracks.
For those of you who haven’t heard of (or paid attention to) the Beltline, it’s really remarkable. The plan–a 22 mile loop of transit, trails, and parks around the city of Atlanta. I guess that means an arboretum, too.
The vast majority of the land in question is old railroad tracks, covered in kudzu and lined with industrial buildings, many abandoned. Ultimately, the project will connect 42 different neighborhoods, increase density, and preserve a whole mess of historic buildings. In other words, the Beltline is the single most transformative public works project in the country.
By transformative, of course, I mean profoundly positive. This is one of the first steps in something great, folks.
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That’s fantastic news - I am certainly looking forward to more updates. Way to keep us out-of-towners (who don’t have time to read AJC.com) informed!
22 miles, eh? Sounds like a good place to start a marathon to me.
Eli, you just blew my mind.
[...] Speaking of the Beltline, the staff of the Wren’s Nest will help clean it up on October 20. This is the part comprising the aforementioned arboretum. We are excited to do so, though we’d be more excited if Park Pride could provide a keg of beer to accompany our efforts. Just a thought. [...]
[...] Speaking of the Beltline, the staff of the Wren’s Nest will help clean it up on October 20. This is the part comprising the aforementioned arboretum. We are excited to do so, though we’d be more excited if Park Pride could provide a keg of beer to accompany our efforts. Just a thought. [...]