Blueprints: Finding Green Solutions for Stormwater in Downtown Atlanta
Re-envisioning PeachTree Center MARTA ENTRANCE
Atlanta is at once a landlocked city and full of water. It is ranked among the wettest cities in the country in annual precipitation. It was built near the Chattahoochee River and various creeks and streams. Some, like Peachtree Creek and Proctor Creek are well known to current Atlanta residents, while others have dropped from view, capped over and hidden from the public eye for decades.
Water gives cities life. Learning how to live with and manage water is one of the great challenges and opportunities of building sustainable, resilient communities. The Georgia Conservancy has been engaging in stormwater management projects that utilize green infrastructure and small-scale redevelopment for many years through a partnership with Georgia Tech’s Masters in Urban Design program. Stormwater and environmental restoration featured heavily in our recent NPU-G Community Master Plan Update.
Our latest project combining stormwater management with urban ecological design focuses on downtown Atlanta. We partnered with Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), Sherwood Design Engineers, and a graduate Georgia Tech studio to assess issues and identify solutions for stormwater management across dozens of city blocks. Downtown forms a critical juncture for stormwater: it sits on a hill that forms the high points of four different drainage basins that flow through the rest of the city. In developing green solutions at our headwaters, we can bolster the health of our aquatic systems throughout Atlanta, yielding positive effects beyond our state’s capital.
Our final report for this project will be delivered to CAP for their reference as they embark on projects that change the face of downtown, making it more resilient to ecological, demographic and economic stresses.
Full Project Report for the Downtown Atlanta Stormwater Studio
PROJECT Partners
Blueprints for Successful Communities is a part of the Georgia Conservancy's Sustainable Growth Program
To learn more about the Downtown Atlanta Stormwater Studio, please contact Georgia Conservancy Senior Planner Nick Johnson at njohnson@gaconservancy.org
