Can Atlanta Go All In on the BeltLine?

ATLANTA—It's not often one can use the terms "transit-oriented development" and "magical" in the same sentence, but that's what came to mind during last September’s Lantern Parade. Ten thousand people watched a procession of giant glowing puppets and fanciful blazing lanterns wind along once-abandoned and kudzu-choked train tracks. A thousand marchers passed through five neighborhoods, where celebratory onlookers clustered on back porches and crowded restaurant patios, or perched themselves on former rail embankments.

That magical TOD experience came courtesy of the BeltLine: Atlanta's multibillion-dollar, 25-year project to transform 22 miles of railroad and industrial sites into a sustainable network connecting 45 inner-city communities. The project envisions wide walking and biking paths, access to nearby neighborhoods and businesses, parks and green space, and new homes, shops, and apartments. The city's emerging streetcar system will eventually be incorporated into the loop, too. The largest redevelopment project in Atlanta’s history — which is saying something in a city that was rebuilt from the ground up after a certain W. T. Sherman paid a visit 150 years ago — the BeltLine is one of the boldest sustainability projects in urban America.