A Run Along the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine
Allen Post, author of the columns on Sprout Space in March 2012, writes this week about his experience with the new section of the Atlanta BeltLine. The photo is from Ryan Gravel, a senior urban designer for Perkins+Will, who conceived of the BeltLine while earning his master’s degree in architecture at Georgia Tech. Read more and watch the video about Ryan’s concept in Chris Schroder’s Moments series in Saporta Report.
A photo along the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine, which was dedicated October 15, 2012, and runs along the railroad corridor from 10th Street & Monroe Drive near Piedmont Park down to Irwin Street near DeKalb Avenue.
After much anticipation, I was excited to test out the newly opened Eastside Trail of the BeltLine. My wife and I recently ran the length of it and back from Piedmont Park, through Virginia Highland, Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. I was amazed at how crowded and vibrant it has already become and excited to see everyone taking advantage of this new urban amenity.
One of the many great surprises of the new BeltLine path is its accessibility between neighborhoods. I felt like a kid again, finding a new secret cut-through between my house and my best friend’s house.
As an architect, I was fascinated by the new vantage points created as one snakes through the once undeveloped and inaccessible land. This photo shows a good example of that. My colleague, who now uses the path as a stress-free commute into Midtown from Kirkwood, tells me that she notices more bikers joining her every day.
As a native of Atlanta, it is refreshing to see such a complicated civic project like this one take shape and have such an impact on our community. I look forward to the other sections of the Beltline as it begins to take shape in the not-too-distant future.
