60th Anniversary Book by Billy Ray Johnson

GEORGIA TECH SCHOOL OF CITY & REGIONAL PLANNING 6 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y E X H I B I T, 19 5 2 – 2 01 2

1951

Howard Menhinick becomes 1st ProgramDirector

1952

City Planning Program welcomes 1st class

1954

Student Planning Society is founded

1959

Thera Richter becomes 1st female graduate and 1st woman to earn a graduate degree at Georgia Tech

1962

Joint Degree established in Transportation Planning (with Civil Engineering)

1965

Malcolm Little becomes 2nd Program Director

1968

1969

Joint degree established in Program Urban Design recognized by National Education Committee

1970

Arthur Campbell becomes 1st Africa-American MCP graduate

1979

Catherine Ross becomes Programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1st African-American faculty member Frederick K. Bell Scholarship instituted

1981

Leon Eplan becomes 3rd Program Director

1983

David Sawicki becomes 4th Program Director

1988

School hosts 27th ACSP conference

1989 1992 1995 1996

Stan Fitterman wins Edward McClure Award Shi Hak Noh becomes 1st PhD graduate

Steve French becomes 5th Program Director

Program moves to new offices in ArchitectureEast buidling

Center for Geographic Information Systems founded and Steve French Hahira Studio becomes 1st wins APA Center National Director Student Project Award

1999

Cheryl Contant becomes 6th Program Director Carol Barrett and Lester Solin inducted into inaugural class of AICP Fellows

2002

The City Planning Program becomes The City and Regional Planning program

2008

Bruce Stiftel becomes 7th Program Director

50th Anniversary Celebration Catherine Ross becomes Director of the newly founded Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (2003)

2010

Troels Adrian wins Edward McClure Award CRP Program becomes the School of City & Regional Planning & Bruce Stiftel becomes founding School Chair

2011

Subhro Guhathakurta becomes 2nd Director of the Center for GIS

2012

Fort MacPherson Studio wins National APA Student Project Award

2013

MS-GIST degree program approved

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

CHAIR’’S MESSAGE

BOOK INTRODUCTION

SECTION DIVIDER

DETERMINING GEORGIA REGIONAL BOUNDARIES First steps to develop regional planning entities across the state Georgia

1962

This Regional Boundaries report was completed when there were only two Regional Planning agencies in Georgia. It reflects the Georgia Department of Commerceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Planning Division taking the first steps to develop additional regional planning entities in the state. By the 1970s, all Georgia counties were included in Regional Planning Areas. The report analyzes factors that influenced the eventual regional delineation of the state, including natural and cultural environments. Cultural environments were divided up into four subcategories: transportation, communication,

urban centers, and political boundaries. Rules of thumbâ&#x20AC;? for establishing boundaries of regional planning organizations offered guidance on several practical concerns, including environment evaluation, avoidance of crossing state lines, utilization of county boundaries in building a regional planning area, consideration of political boundaries, and optimum size in terms of jurisdiction and physical area. The report also offers sample resolutions for creating an official regional or area-wide planning commission.

THOMAS FICHT Class of 1963

ROBERT DOYLE Class of 1959

SEA-TAC COMMUNITIES PLAN First federally-funded project to integrate airport improvements and programs for affected communities Port of Seattle and King County, Washington

1976

The Sea-Tac Communities Plan was completed in 1976 as the chief end product of an innovative, multi-year planning study cosponsored by the Port of Seattle and King County, Washington. Funded in part by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, the $642,000 study focused on the development of a coordinated master plan for Sea-Tac International Airport and its environs, a 44 square mile area adjoining Puget Sound between the cities of Seattle and Tacoma.

Compatibility Planning. In support of this Circular, the FAA commissioned Robert Doyle and the Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. Airport Consulting Practice in San Mateo, California, to prepare the April, 1978 report entitled “Planning for the Airport and Its Environs: The Sea-Tac Success Story.” Over 10,000 copies of this document were distributed to cities, counties and airport authorities throughout the United States.

That same year, the King County and Port of Seattle The plan was the first federally Planning Departments received funded project in which a “Meritorious Program Award” improvements on a large hub from the American Institute of airport were fully integrated Planners for this project. In with plans and programs for 1986, Robert Doyle received the communities directly the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award for his innovative affected by the airport. The FAA used the landmark plan approaches for enhancing FA as a model in its Advisory airport and community Circular, Airport Land Use compatibility.

WILD & SCENIC RIVER STUDY Protecting the Loxahatchee River Loxahatchee River, FL

1979

Authorized by Act of Congress in 1979, the study found 7.5 miles found eligible for designation. This 260 square mile ecosystem includes communities of Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Jupiter Island, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter Farms, Hobe Sound and Palm Beach Gardens. The ecosystem was designated as wild and scenic in 1985 and is now protected by the State of Florida.

FRED VAN VONNO

Class of 1980

CELLULAR ANTENNAE Design and implementation of communication antennae structures Michigan and northern Ohio

jrcpc@sbcglobal.net

1980s to present

In the 1980s and 1990s, the increasing popularity of mobile car phones created a new set of challenges for community planners. The growing pervasiveness of cell phones brought along necessary companions: the antenna tower and equipment facilities. When site requests for cellular antennae were presented, many community planners voiced concerns about safety, location, height of the antenna, future antenna needs and site aesthetics. In a report by Jonathan Crane , he writes, “Through effective site plans, cellular locations will come to be viewed as community enhancers, not detractors. The key is the planning.”

Crane’s firm has completed over 1,500 communications antennae structures in Michigan and northern Ohio over the past four decades, working with various land use requirements involving siting, historic, and environmental criteria. Projects have ranged from conventional monopoles to stealth religious icons to a Frank Lloyd Wright antenna interpretation at the Dominos Farms, Ann Arbor Township, Michigan. Crane’s career path has included working in Research & Development at General Motors, private consultations in traffic design, and government projects.

JONATHAN CRANE Class of 1974

EXTENDING THE LEGACY Planning America’s capital for the 21st century

Washington, D.C.

bkrucoff@verizon.net

In 1991, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), a federal planning agency in Washington, DC, was working on staffing a major long-range planning project. NCPC hired four entry-level planners, one from MIT, one from Harvard, and two from Georgia Tech. Barney Krucoff and Bill Holt were assigned to an effort set forth to continute a tradition of visionary planning for monumental Washington. Practical considerations were set aside. The plan includes removing major interstate highways and tearing down the historic headquarters of the United States Treasury, because it blocks the view of the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol.

1993

The highlight for Krucoff was arguing before the NCPC the staff’s position

that the Supreme Court of the United States should move. He argued that the Supreme Court, which sits in the shadow of the Capitol, the home of the legislative branch, should be represented in its true position as one of three co-equal branches of government. If moved to South Capitol Street as staff suggested, the court could anchor a new branch of The Mall, connect Washington to a neglected waterfront, and revitalize a vast section of the city. The commission approved the concept, and the recommendation was included in the report. It reads, “If the Supreme Court decides to move, it should be located at the tip of South Capitol, on the river.” Today, the Washington Nationals statdium sits at the approximate site proposed for the new Spreme Court.

BARNEY KRUCOFF Class of 1991

WILLIAM HOLT Class of 1991

DEKALB COUNTY SUBDIVISION CODE

DeKalb County, Georgia

townplanatlanta@aol.com stein@mindspring.com

2002

Boosting residential connectivity

Town Planning & Design and The Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University collaborated to develop a subdivision code for DeKalb County with prototype subdivision types.

The image above shows Ponce de Leon Avenue, an access street that flanks Ponce de Leon Avenue, which is now a codified street type in the DeKalk County subdivision code.

The code provides for more connected street patterns than traditional residential subdivisions by using different street patterns and foot paths in places where cul-de-sacs usually cut off foot and car traffic.

The code states that where a subdivision borders on or contains an arterial street (major and minor thoroughfares) or railroad right-of-way, the planning director may require rear service alleys to facilitate traffic flow and public services and/or provision of a pair of smaller access streets parallel to the arterial and at a distance suitable for use of the land as a park or open space.

The code calls for crescent and loop streets instead of dead-end cul-de-sacs and foot paths for connection between existing cul-de-sacs.

DON BROUSSARD Class of 1985

BRUCE MACGREGOR

Class of 1976

JOHN STEINICHEN Class of 1963

BRIAN LEARY Class of 1999

ATLANTIC STATION A Georgia Tech master’s thesis brownfield redevelopment project that changed Atlanta’s skyline Atlanta, Georgia

brian @galileodevelopment.com

2005

Atlantic Station is a mixed-use neighborhood in Midtown, Atlanta. It has been called a national model for smart growth and sustainable development. Built on the site of the former Atlantic Steel Mill, the project redeveloped a former brownfield site. The concept for Atlantic Station was originally formed by Brian Leary as his master’s thesis in 1999. The paper received attention from local elected officials and community leaders. By 2005, plans for the area had solidified, and the neighborhood opened in in the location of the former abandoned mill. Atlantic Station touts its high archietctural quality, attractive mix of affordable, middle-income, and up-scale housing, and world-class restaurants, theaters, and retailers. It provides homes for 10,000 people, employment opportunities for 30,000, and shopping and entertainment for many more. It is intended to be a 24-hour community buzzing with pedestrian traffic on its wide boulevards, sidewalk cafes, and expansive parks. Atlantic Station’s motto is, “Live, Work, Play.”

Housing diversity is central to Atlantic Station’s development. The area features low-rise condominiums, townhomes, and apartments. It has a district that features retail shops and larger stores. To accommodate parking needs for residents and visitors who are shopping, seeing a film in the movie theater, or enjoying the other forms of entertainment, Atlantic Station built an underground 7,200 space parking garage. Atlantic Station includes denser deveopment projects that have changed Atlanta’s skyline. The 22-story Wells Fargo Building was awarded the silver cert ificate in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Core and Shell Development program. It was the first LEED Silver-Core and Shell certified high-rise office building and the first high-rise office building in Georiga to receive LEED certification. The 25-story BB&T Tower and a 26-story hotel are also Atlantic Station high rises. The neighborhood features two cetnral landmarks along 17th Street: a large retention pond and Millennium Gate, a memorial arch honoring Georiga’s history and people.

BELMAR SEAPORT VILLAGE DESIGN GUIDE Building on Belmar's assets by merging new developments into the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing infrastructure Belmar, NJ

tcampbell@gtalumni.org

The Belmar Support Village Design Guide is a component of the Belmar Seaport Village Redevelopment Plan, which provides the town of Belmar the mechanism to establish new standards that reflect its goals for redevelopment of its downtown area. Under the guidance of the firm's principals, Michael Saltzman and Christopher Kirwan, Travis Campbell coordinated the design guidelines. The Design Guide addresses the standards for design image, identity, and quality. Developed over the course of a one-year period with a thorough base of research, intensive analysis of the town and region and a series of design charrettes and community meetings, the Design Guide reflects the history of Belmar, the interests of its current residents and the attributes of similar "precedent" towns from up and down the eastern seaboard and other coastal regions.

2006

The goal of the Seaport Redevelopment Plan is to build on Belmar's assets by merging new developments into the existing infrastructure of the town. The ultimate vision for Belmar is to create an enhanced town-center environment, where new housing, retail stores,

restaurants, and structured parking in mixed-use configurations will enliven the downtown area and enhance the quality of life for Belmar's current residents, new residents, and visitors. This plan will bring long-term economic sustainability to Belma Belmar. This long-term strategy hinges on the creation of high quality, technically sound and thoughtful buildings and pulbic places that will establish enduring value. Additionally, the Belmar Seaport Village redevelopment was a LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Project. This Design Guide is organized to emphasize designs benefiting a "Seaport Village" and "Beach Community" way of life. The goal is to establish a "sense of place" throughout the development area with high standards of design. The design goals will be achieved through the identification and reinforcement of particular styles, themes, and atmosphere, and through the overall articulation of buildings and attention to the buildings' uses.

TRAVIS CAMPBELL Class of 2003

PEACHTREE CORRIDOR PLAN Transforming 14.5 miles of Peachtree into one of the world’s “premier boulevards” Atlanta, GA

JSkach@urbancollage.com

As one of Mayor Shirley Franklin’s key economic initiatives, the Peachtree Corridor Vision Plan tapped the diverse talents of over 50 Atlanta business, institutional, and cultural leaders to create a design concept and financial strategy that would transform the 14.5-mile corridor into one of the world’s “premier boulevards.” Released in March 2007, the final report contains recommendations for $1.1 billion in public and private investment-- including a streetcar system--to secure the estimated $33 billion in potential investment value. Urban Collage principal Stan Harvey co-chaired the Planning & Design Technical Subcommittee of the Task Force, charged with creating an overall set of architectural and aesthetic standards to support and celebrate the diverse neighborhoods and urban areas along the corridor, supporting public outreach, ooffering design expertise, and producing extensive maps and narratives that were integral to the final report. John Skach, a senior associate at Urban Collage, and Robert Begle, a principal at the firm, were also on the team for the Peachtree Corridor Vision Plan. Harvey and Skach are alumni of the School of City and Regional Planning, and Begle holds a Masters in Architecture from Georgia Tech.

2006

Harvey, AICP, is a founding principal of Urban Harve Collage, a multi-disciplinary firm located in Atlanta that specializes in phyiscal planning.

He possesses 19 years of experience in redevelopment and planning including work for the City of Atlanta in the years preceding the 1996 Olympics. At Urban Collage, Harvey has served as Principal-In-Charge for numerous firm projects and as the Project Manager for the Rupp Arena, Arts & Entertainment District Task Force. His specialty is conceptualization of planning processes, facilitating community participation, directing facilities/infrastructure programs, and developing implementation strategies. Harvey holds an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Michigan. Skach, AIA, AICP, is a senior associate of Urban Collage. He is a licensed architect with experience as an associate in the successor firm to the Office of Mies van der Rohe in Chicago, nand as a project manager in the Atlanta office of Cooper Carry. As a certified planner, Skach has been involved in many urban design initiatives in the Southeast including downtown, new town, and neighbrohood plans; Hope VI public housing redevelopment plans; form-based design codes and guidelines, and brownfield revitalization. Skach holds an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Illinois.

STANFORD HARVEY Class of 1994

JOHN SKACH Class of 2001

HEATHER ALHADEFF Class of 2000

CONNECT ATLANTA Atlanta’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan Atlanta, Georgia

bkrucoff@verizon.net

2008

In December 2008, the Atlanta City Council unanimously approved a comprehensive transportation plan for the city. Dubbed Connect Atlanta, the plan was a first. Atlanta had previously done transportation planning at the corridor and the neighborhood scale, but had never taken a comprehensive look at the city city’s entire transportation system. The Connect Atlanta Plan gives the city a strong foundation for creating more vibrant, walkable communities, and will help guide the city’s transportation choices for years to come. A key consideration drives the recommendations of the Connect Atlanta Plan: Atlanta’s highway-dominated road system was designed primarily to facilitate flow between the city and its suburbs, and it must continue to do so; however, the nature of the existing road network does not support

the mobility and economic vitality of Atlanta’s urban communities. Connect Atlanta makes many recommendations about the road network--proposing the construction of 73 new streets to increase connectivity and economic activity, and the widening of 22 existing streets to enhance capacity. But recommendations also include downsizing streets that currently are too wide and too fast to support neighborhood life, or turning one-way streets two-way. Other recommendations include: guidelines on construction of sidewalks and other pedestrian amenities in new developments; proposals for 200 miles of bike lanes to connect activity centers and neighborhoods; and 95 miles of rail transit and high-frequency bus transit. (Source: Institute for Sustainable Communities)

JACK GLATTING Class of 1965

GLATTING JACKSON & GEORGIA TECH Thirty-five years of alumni making a difference United States

2008

In 1974, Jack founded the community planning firm that came to be known as Glatting Jackson. Jack cultivated a close and mutually supportive relationship with Georgia Tech. This relationship fundamentally shaped the character and success of the firm and continues to live in Glatting Jackson/Georgia Tech alumni in firms and organizations throughout the United States and the world.

Over a 35 year period, Glatting Jackson built an intellectually vibrant and innovative community planning practice. The success of Glatting Jackson would not have been possible without a steady flow of talented graduates from Georgia Tech and the GT Planning Program.

TIM JOHNSON Class of 1980

MASTER PLANNING GREENVILLE Incorporating mixed use into Greenvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future Greenville, MI

Citizen involvement methods including an online survey, community values discovery workshop, mobile workshops for service clubs, and a community open house. Plan included recommendations to create a mixed use district which would allow for attached housing, live work units and retail uses surrounding the central business district and a new hospital zoning district.

2008

Concept drawings were also prepared to illustrate possible re-development of an area along the Flat River adjacent to the central business district. create a plaza and community gathering space.

TIM CHAPIN Class of 1994

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD Integrating hazard mitigation into longrange transportation planning Tallahassee, Florida

tchapin@fsu.edu

2010

In 2004, Hurricane Charley, a category 4 hurricane, made landfall in Charlotte County, Florida. The resultant destruction of public infrastructure, including the Charlotte County-Punmta Gorda Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCPG-MPO) offices, motivated the MPO to seek ways to better address hazards in all aspects of its community planning functions, especially in the development of its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The CCPG-MPO recognized that mitigating vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to natural and man-made hazard is critical to its mission to provide a safe and efficient transportation system, but also that reduced vulnerability of the transportation system is critical to disaster response and recovery. In January 2008, the CCPG-MPO formed a partnership with faculty and staff at the Florida Planning and Development Laboratory at Florida State University to undertake a multi-year study to model the impacts of hurricanes on the countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transportation system and use this new information in updates to the MPOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LRTP. Funded by the Florida Department of Community Affairs-Division of Emergency Management, this project is designed to help Charlotte County, as well as other MPOs, to more e effectively account for the impacts of hazards during the transportation planning process.

TOM DEBO Class of 1972

GEORGIA TECH ECO-COMMONS Leveraging effective land-use policies to utilize campus as an outdoor lab for storm water management and hydrology studies Atlanta, Georgia

tom.debo@ coa.gatech.edu

2010

The project proposes an 80-acre Eco-Commons for the Georgia Tech campus that will help Tech reach a performance goal of 50% reduction in stormwater runoff. It will accomplish this target through an Engineered Waterway that replicates the storm water management of a natural stream and approximates the original route of the stream. The Commons will be designed for passive and active recreation areas and will be maintained in perpetuity.

RYAN GRAVEL Class of 1999

THE ATLANTA BELTLINE The Atlanta Beltline is the most comprehensive revitalization efforts ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia

Ryan.Gravel @perkinswill.com

2011

First conceived as a 1999 masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis by Georgia Tech student Ryan Gravel, the Atlanta BeltLine evolved from an idea, to a grassroots campaign of local citizens and civic leaders, into a robust new vision of an Atlanta dedicated to an integrated approach to transportation, land use, greenspace, and sustainable growth. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive revitalization effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment and mobility projects currently underway in the United States.

This sustainable project is providing a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit by re-using 22-miles of historic railroad corridors circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to each other. The beauty of the Atlanta BeltLine is that it offers not only modern conveyances and exciting new development, but it is a living, breathing part of our community; not simply a means of getting somewhere, but a destination unto itself. It offers a chance for Atlanta to redefine what it is to be a neighbo neighbor, to be a community, to be a region, and to share all that the city has to offer.

DHARM GURUSWAMY Class of 1997

AMTRAK IMPROVEMENTS Amtrak was able to complete an array of long-needed improvements while putting thousands of people back to work during the recession United States dharm.guruswamy @tylin.com

2011

Dharm Guruswamy is an experienced transportation professional whose work experience spans the private, public, quasi-public, and public multilateral sectors. He has more than 15 years of professional experience in the transportation industry, where he specializes in urban and intercity collective transportation with an emphasis on sustainability. Guruswamy has worked on several groundbreaking projects, including the implementation of the first air-rail codeshare in North America, contribution towards the first Strategic Plan for Amtrak, and implementation of a first-of-its-kind study on improving public transport in Cuenca, Ecuador. He managed on a day-to-day basis a $1.3 billion Recovery Act grant awarded by the United States Department of Transportation to Amtrak. In a little over two years, Amtrak was able to complete an array of long-needed improvements, enhancements, and repairs, while putting thousands of people back to work during the recession.

Renovation of the Wilmington, Delaware train station posed the challenge of modernizing the over 100 year-old facility while retaining its historic Victorian-style architecture. Soon after renovations were complete in March 2011, the station won a prestigious Brunel Award from the Association of American Railroads and the International Union of Railways. Replacement of another century-old structure, the Niantic River Bridge in Connecticut between East Lyme and Waterford, has been among Amtrakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most complex Recovery projects. The Niantic Bridge is one of the oldest moveable bridges in the country, built in 1907 and in continuous operation since as a key link for passenger and freight rail traffic between New York and Boston. The Recovery grant further allowed Amtrak to refurbish and return to service 60 corridor cars, 20 long-distance cars, and 15 locomotives that had been in storage. Also, Amtrak was able to build two new maintenance facilities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one in Hialeah, Florida, and the other in Los Angeles.

DANA JOHNSON Class of 2000

SHARON QIN Class of 2007

SOUTH COBB IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY Transformative visions improving lives, spirits, and living conditions in Cobb County Cobb County, Georgia

dana.johnson@cobbcounty.org and xiaoang.qin@cobbcounty.org

2011

The South Cobb Strategy keys in on three main initiatives that individually can impact their local surroundings, but when combined together, have a transformative effect of improving lives and community economic conditions. These initiatives focus on Mableton, the River Line, and Six Flags Drive. Each of these initiatives are in various stages of implementation, and there are opportunities through county government, CDBG funding allocations, and the South Cobb Redevelopment Authority that can be leveraged to assist these areas in maximizing their potential.

The three South Cobb Development Nodes are like a three-legged stool. If these three areas are balanced, then the goals set for each unique character area will be supportive of one another. These images are from a report that describes the methodology for improvements in each of the South Cobb Development nodes and identifies the efforts currently underway that will take these from vision to reality. Cobb county is trying to build new market share and improve the lives, spirits, and living conditions of those that reside in its neighborhoods.

2010 MASTER PLAN: DORAVILLE LIVABLE CITIES INITIATIVE Developing a comprehensive plan for downtown Doravilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future Doraville, Georgia

crcicot@tsw-design.com

2011

Caleb Racicot is a Senior Principal at Tunnell-Spangler-Walsh & Associates, an Atlanta-based planning, architecture, and landscape architecture firm. Racicot focuses on public sector planning, including master plans, zoning, and downtown revitalization--most of which promote compact, walkable, and mixed-use growth. Before joining TSW, Caleb worked at the City of Atlanta in the Bureau of Planning.

and support economic growth and a high quality of life.

Using these goals as a base, TSW facilitated an inclusive planning effort that brought together local stakeholders and regional economic development officials to create a market-based vision for providing jobs and transforming the GM site into a model for transit-oriented development. This included establishing a framework for guiding redevelopment Racicot worked with the City of Doraville on the GM site based on a fixed and its stakeholders to develop a plan for network of blocks and public spaces, but a flexible program of uses and downtown Doraville, including the densities within this framework. It then existing civic center, the former GM defined policies and projects aimed at assembly plant, and a portion of Buford growing businesses, celebrating Highway. Central to the effort was diversity, instituting "green" establishing a plan that would improve development, and creating a community connectivit connectivity, encourage market-viable where residents could age in place. and pedestrian-friendly mixed-use These policies provided further development, promote increased density guidance to private developers without to support transit and a vibrant limiting their ability to program the site to community center, maintain diversity, meet their needs.v ensure multiple transportation options

CALEB RACICOT Class of 2001

DAVID EMORY Class of 2004

COLLEEN KIERNAN Class of 2008

T-SPLOST CAMPAIGN Georgia Tech alumni led an effort to “Say ‘NO’ to the T-SPLOST and ‘YES’ to Plan-B Atlanta, Georgia

colleen.kiernan@sierraclub.org

David Emory's professional interests lie at the intersection of information technology and sustainable transportation, and he currently works as a softwar consultant focused on multimodal planning applications. He is actively engaged in local advocacy around sustainable transportation, serving as chair of the Georgia Sierra Club's transportation committee and also as vice president of Citizens for Progressive Transit. An Atlanta native, he has lived car-free in Midtown since 2006. Colleen Kiernan worked for variety of environmental groups before landing at the Sierra Club, where she worked as a field organizer on air pollution and energy issues from 2001 to 2006. She then earned her Master's in city and regional planning and went on to work at a local architecture and planning firm, doing green building and sustainability consulting. Colleen is a LEED Accredited Professional. In August 2010, she returned to the Sierra Club as chapter director. area of government transparency (with, for instance, MARTA's decision last fall to open its data after years of resistance).

2012

The Sierra Club's Georgia Chapter has a long history of involvement with transportation issues, with the 2012 referendum being a prime example.

The Chapter was an early and active participant in the multi-year planning process that preceded the vote, and was initially hopeful that it could support the outcome, provided that the investment package provided a clear net environmental benefit and that longstanding questions regarding regional transit governance and accountability were addressed. By spring 2012, with the project list finalized and the legislature declining to address the governance question, a majority of Chapter leaders had concluded that the conditions needed for support were not satisfied. The executive committee voted to oppose the referendum, and a detailed position paper was released in April. The paper focusing on providing a thoughtful and rational analysis of the merits of the proposal, avoiding the overheated rhetoric that characterized much of the debate. While Emory and Kiernan knew that the Chapter's position would be controversial, they felt that their contribution had a positive impact on the tone of the debate, and helped to shape the post-election narrative in a favorable way. The referendum's defeat raised importance issues regarding public trust in government decision making, and there has been subsequent progress in the area of government transparency (with, for instance, MARTA's decision last fall to open its data after years of resistance).

EAST RIVER SLIPS

Reimagining the waterfront of New York City’s East River Esplanade

New York City, NY

dnmurphy0505@gmail.com ariaritz@gmail.com

Deanna Murphy is a planner and architectural designer who works to enhance our cities through community-oriented place-making and sustainable design. She is currently a project planner and intern architect with Sizemore Group. Deanna has worked as a designer and planner in the private, non-profit, and public sectors over the past eight years, including positions at the Georgia Conservancy and the City of Atlanta. Aria Finkelstein has been working in Atlanta as a planner and designer in both the private and the non-profit sector. Aria is interested in how frameworks can support various changes over time.

2012

In December of 2012, Reimagining the Waterfront, a design competition sponsored by Manhattan’s Civitas and local officials, called for designers from around the world to submit proposals of a new vision for New York City’s East River Esplanade.

Our proposal, the East River Slips, re-activates the waterfront by creating a block structure, similar to the Commissioner’s Plan of 1811, which will provide a long-term framework by which the changing city can occupy and activate the waterfront. The East River Slips responds to two main challenges: lack of connection to waterfront and a lack of available land to activate it. Murphy and Finkelstein saw great opportunity from which to draw inspiration and guidance in the rich history of this waterfront and adjacent neighborhoods . Historic maps revealed a waterfront once vital to the city’s economy and livelihood, full of activity and lined with piers. The neighborhoods of East Harlem, Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, Lenox Hill, and Upper East Side are hosts, historically and presently, to musicians, actors, and artists of varied backgrounds. The East Harlem neighborhood, is also home to La Marqueta, a marketplace

DEANNA MURPHY

Class of 2010

ARIA FINKELSTEIN

Class of 2011

JEFF SAUSER Class of 2010

PHIL SCHAEFFING Class of 2012

CITY CENTER MASTER PLAN: SANDY SPRINGS LIVABLE CITIES INITIATIVE

Reimagining a car-oriented downtown core through a new, walkable, and mixed-use master plan Sandy Springs, Georgia philschaeffing@ gmail.com

2012

The Sandy Springs LCI Update and City Center Master Plan was a 10-month process starting in February 2012. The goal was to complete the city's required 10-year update of their Livable Cities Initiative (LCI) plan and to focus on the car-oriented downtown core for a new, walkable and mixed-use master plan. The area is centered on the Roswell Road-Mt Vernon Highway-Johnson Ferry Road intersection and extends south past Hammond Drive. Goody Clancy conducted extensive public engagement to identify the goals of the community which were classified as we presented design alternatives for feedback. We worked closely with our consultant team to ensure the plan responded to the projected housing and retail market demand for the area and better accommodated traffic through a more connected road network. The design that emerged focused on connected green spaces, a walkable block structure, and a new civic identity to attract investment and residents. We then developed strategies to facilitate implementation and a cost comparison between estimated public investments and new private development to guide the city's decision-making. The master plan was unanimously adopted by City Council in December 2012 and estimated Phase I public investment was presented to positive review in January 2013.

GEORGIA TECH CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY GT Center for GIS maps Georgia Tech’s resource usage Atlanta, Georgia

2012

At Georgia Tech, addressing issues of sustainability across campus is among the Institute’s top priorities, and CGIS has been helping various areas throughout the Institute with their sustainability efforts. With approximately 9,000 trees blanketing the campus landscape, CGIS saw the need to develop a GIS-based tree inventory plan that would include a wide range of research points, ranging from tree values, to gray-green interaction issues, to carbon sequestration, to storm water problems. Thanks to CGIS’ push to secure external funding, the project was made possible with assistance from the US Forestry Service and was completed in 2012. While several of our campus buildings are already LEED-certified, measures are being taken to ensure that, going forward, all construction meets LEED Platinum or Gold specifications in conforming with the nationally-accepted benchmarks for the design, construction, and operation of

high-performance green buildings. Each project will document several LEED characteristics in order to accumulate points for certification. CGIS has helped Facilities Management analyze current and future open space scenarios to help Georgia Tech in its ef efforts to secure a campuswide credit for the “Open Space Preservation” characteristic. Obtaining this campuswide credit will streamline the LEED certification process by eliminating the need for documenting this credit for all projects. Georgia Tech is currently working on developing a storm water master plan for the campus. One of the critical components of this effort is estimating current water usage and future demand. In this regard, CGIS is helping Capital Planning and Space Management (CPSM) compile data from across campus and is working to build a database of water use on campus for multiple years.

RAMACHANDRA SIVAKUMAR Class of 1985

SARAH SMITH Class of 2009

EASTSIDE TRAIL HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT GT Center for Quality Growth & Regional Development analyzes public health benefits of the Atlanta Beltline Atlanta, Georgia

sarah.smith@coa.gatech.edu

2012

The construction of the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail offers a unique opportunity to measure the health effects of an urban multi-use trail on the surrounding population. Georgia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development is currently studying trail activity and use with support from the Atlanta Beltline Partnership and Kaiser Permanente. Many chronic diseases can be prevented by increasing physical activity levels. Since the Eastside Trail connects existing residential neighborhoods, commercial and retail establishments, parks, and schools, it provides a new opportunity for walking and cycling which could have far reaching positive impacts on public health. The spatial location of these existing conditions was mapped and a baseline inventory of existing physical and socio-economic conditions was established. This work by the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development will provide the basis for

future study to determine how behavior changes once the trail is constructed. Mental health and opportunities for social activities and interactions are another important aspect of overall health. The addition of parks and greenspace to the area along the Trail will increase community social connections. Since the population surrounding the trail is diverse, the trail will provide an opportunity for different types of people to interact with each other, also enhancing community connections. The research conducted by the Center will evaluate whether the BeltLine Eastside Trail and other similar projects can encourage healthy behaviors by providing the infrastructure and access to destinations through effective adjacent land use designations, and targeted urban design elements close to where people live.

TONY GIARRUSSO Class of 2000

MAPPING MOUNTAIN GORILLA RANGE Increasing local GIS capabilities for mountain gorilla and park conservation in East Africa. Atlanta, GA and Rwanda

2013

Over the past decade, the Center for GIS (CGIS) and Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), a group dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitats in Africa, have collaborated on many fronts.

CGIS has converted twelve years of daily GPS readings from DFGFI's mountain gorilla research groups into one consolidated spatial database with over 50,000 unique mountain gorilla observations and their associated descriptors for the period 1999-2011.

Starting in 2002, DFGI and CGIS helped establish a Center for GIS at the National University of Rwanda (CGIS NUR) with the intent of increasing local GIS capabilities, especially in relation to mountain gorilla and park conservation in Volcanoes National Park. Field data has been collected from Volcanoes National Park to aid CGIS and DFGFI researchers in mapping the mountain gorilla habitat.

Additionally, in the summer of 2012, Additionall CGIS participated in a research symposium on the Gorilla Database Project at the Karisoke Research Center in Musanze, Rwanda. As part of the symposium, CGIS led a breakout session working with managers, sta staff,and researchers from DFGFI; the Rwanda Development Board (which has jurisdiction over parks); and CGIS NUR to identify and prioritize mountain gorilla conservation data gaps and needs, and standardize future data collection methods and procedures. CGIS has also helped establish a working GIS laboratory at the Kraisoke Research Center where DFGFI staff and visiting researchers can easily access GIS software, data, and resources.

Over the years, CGIS has expanded its role with DFGFI to include mapping, analysis, visualization of mountain gorilla range while simultaneously providing general technical GIS support.

ELLEN HEATH Class of 1982

LIZ DRAKE Class of 1998

ADDIE WEBER Class of 2004

JENNA LEE Class of 2011

LIVABLE MILITARY COMMUNITIES

Sustainable economic development and military operations can be a compatible pair through comprehensive planning

North Central Texas

Ellen.Heath @aecom.com

2013

AECOM is assisting the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) in the preparation of a plan for several communities surrounding Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (NAS Fort Worth JRB). The plannersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibilities include public engagement, two corridor plans, economic analysis, and comprehensive plan updates for the cities of Lake Worth, Sansom Park, River Oaks, White Settlement, Westworth Village, and Benbrook.

The plans focus on sustainable economic development that is compatible with military operations. Preliminary recommendations include re-imagined major corridors with recommendations for encouraging residential and mixed-use re-development. The plan is funded through the US Department of Housing and Urban Developmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Regional Sustainability Planning grants program.

LANEY WALKER/ BETHLEHEM

Transforming Augusta’s urban core into a model city for the 21st century

Augusta, Georgia

2013

Laney Walker/Bethlehem is a recipient of a 2013 National Planning Excellence Award: HUD’s Secretary’s Opportunity and Empowerment Award. This project, focused on two historic African-American neighborhoods in Augusta, Georgia, is a pioneering effort to reverse decades of blight and disinvestment and regenerate nearly 1,100 acres of Augusta’s urban center. This long-term project draws upon local bond financing supplemented with HUD NSP, HOME, and CDBG funds as seed capital to catalyze mixed-income/mixed-tenure housing and mixed-use, sustainable development. Dedicated local funding supports local acquisition, infrastructure, and financial incentives for developers, homebuyers, and existing businesses and homeowners. Patty McIntosh’s firm, Melaver McIntosh, is part of the Laney Walker/Bethlehem core development team, along with the Augusta

Housing and Community Development Department, which serves as master developer, and APD Urban Planning & Management, a private planning firm that serves as overall project manager. The project has been shaped by a disciplined planning and community involvement process resulting in a master plan identifying seven priority development areas: market studies assessing how best to attract a broad mix of residential and commercial users; a pattern book directing development partners to mesh smart growth principles with historic architectural patterns and features; a green guide to ensure sustainable development practices; and a selection of 24 private development partners to assist the City’s Housing Department with design, engineering, construction, marketing, and program development.

PATTI MCINTOSH Class of 1985

ATLANTA PARKS & GREENSPACE PLANNING A new era for greenspace in Atlanta, GA Atlanta,GA srutherford @atlanta.gov

2013

1999-2000 was a watershed moment for public support for greenspace in Atlanta. Governor Roy Barnes started the statewide Georgia Greenspace Program, which awarded over $27M to the City; Atlanta voters passed the Quality of Life Bond referendum, allocating over $26M for greenspace and trails; the 1998 Combined Sewer Overflow consent decree required the City of Atlanta to invest $25M in the acquisition of property along streams in Metro Atlanta; PARC 911 wrote a platform that highlighted the need for parks in the 2000 Mayoral race; and the Trust for Public Land released its Inside City Parks report ranking Atlanta last among other American cities of similar size, age and density for its amount of greenspace per 1,000 residents. In 2005, Dee Merriam was asked to lead the development of a green infrastructure plan, Project Greenspace, for the City of Atlanta. Project Greenspace looked broadly at the need for greenspace as an integral part of the city fabric.

Green infrastructure ranges from stream buffers that improve water quality, to protecting the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tree canopy, to establishing attractive streetscapes and parks. The discussions between the departments of Parks, Planning, and Watershed Management that occurred during the formation of this plan planted the seeds for future collaboration in 2012, when Susan Rutherford convened a Green Stormwater Infrastructure Task Force that is working to incorporate green infrastructure into all City infrastructure projects. Several alumni made significant contributions during this time. Under the direction of then-Commissioner Michael Dobbins, Angela Milton, Janeane Giarrusso, and Susan Rutherford worked to ensure that the City had the capacity to accept these resources; to ensure the funds were used to address greenspace deficits; to develop the Greenway Acquisition Plan; and to implement existing plans. To inform these efforts, Tony Giarrusso provided GIS resources to map vacant, developable land and document detailed land composition throughout the City.

SUSAN RUTHERFORD Class of 2000

JANEANE GIARRUSSO Class of 2000

GEORGIA TECH URBAN CLIMATE LAB Exploring the connections between climate change and the built environment Atlanta, GA stone @gatech.edu

2013

Brian Stone is the director of the Urban Climate Lab (UCL). The UCL is a group of researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning who are exploring the connections between climate change and the built environment. Globally, urbanized areas account for the majority of the human population but have received relatively little attention in climate change research. The UCL integrates expertise in the realms of environmental science, urban design, and public health to develop strategies to manage and counteract climate change at the urban scale. Of particular interest to the UCL research group is the influence of land use on warming trends in cities. Land use is contributing to climate change through two distinct mechanisms. First, land use change in the form of urbanization is associated with increased energy consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases, serving to enhance the global greenhouse eeffect. A second and more direct mechanism through which land use influences climate change is through the displacement of natural land covers, such as tree canopy, by building materials with a greater capacity to absorb, store, and reemit heat energy. In response to the resulting “urban heat island

effect,” large cities in the US are found through in the UCL’s work to be warming at more than twice the rate of the planet as a whole. We maintain the only long-term database of warming trends in large US cities and use these trends to identify the most rapidly warming metropolitan areas in the country. Through several ongoing research eeffects, the UCL is measuring the success of alternative land development and urban design strategies in abating the pace of climate change in cities. As demonstrated in a paper presently in review for publication (“Habeeb, Vargo, and Stone: Rising Heat Wave Trends in Large US Cities”), all measurable characteristics of heat waves have increased in large US cities since the period of the 1960s. In response to these trends, metropolitan regions will increasingly need to develop regional heat management strategies. UCL is exploring the potential effects of strategies focused on urban greening techniques (tree planning, green roofs, and other building-integrated vegetation), the use of cool roofing and paving materials, and the preservation and expansion of forested areas within metropolitan regions.

BRIAN STONE Class of 2001

GEORGIA TECH URBAN CLIMATE LAB Exploring the connections between climate change and the built environment Atlanta, GA stone @gatech.edu

2013

BRIAN STONE Class of 2001

SECTION DIVIDER

FALL 2012

NORTHSIDE DRIVE [THE GRAND TRANSIT BOULEVARD] This comprehensive studio focused on transforming a five mile stretch of Northside Drive from a dismal, disorganized, and underperforming corridor into a grand transit boulevard. By upgrading Northside Drive into a fully functional multi modal corridor for cars, transit, bikes, and pedestrians and incorporating funding for community benefits and watershed improvement strategies, students explored the corridors potential for dissolving the east-west divide that for decades has walled off the low and mid-wealth neighborhoods to the west from the robust Downtown and Midtown centers to the east. The project proposes a consistent baseline cross-section for the corridor, including four travel lanes, two variable use lanes, bike lanes, lighted and landscaped sidewalks, and planted medians where right-of-way and adjacent use conditions permit. The primary goals of these additions to Northside Drive are reducing design speeds, eliminating slip ramps, tightening turn radii, and better accommodating bikes and pedestrians while at the same time considering the cultural character of the area.

INSTRUCTORS Michael Dobbins RESEARCH ASSISTANT Guanying Li

Amy Ingles Lydia Kalinke Josh Levin Sarah McColley Eric Phillips Landon Reed James Wong Wunwun Zhang

STUDENTS Joel Anders Tanya Bedward Stefanie Brodie Lauren Cardoni Margaret Carragher Rachel Cox Aaron Gooze Garrett Hyer

75 URBAN DESIGN

LAND USE

TRANSIT VISION

FALL 2012

STORMWATER & URBAN DESIGN [FOUR PROJECTS ALONG THE BELTLINE] This studio project explored urban design strategies that address stormwater management in a central role, whether as part of the organization of urban territory, the infrastructure of the public domain or the architecture/landscape design of private parcels in the private domain. Four teams focused on sites along the Atlanta Beltline: (1) Ansley Mall and adjacent area involving the Clear Creek Watershed (2) University Avenue in the Pittsburg neighborhood involving the McDaniel Creek Watershed (3) Colonial Homes and the confluence of Peachtree Creek and Clear Creek (4) Boone Road and Maddox Park area involving the Proctor Creek Watershed. Each team explored stormwater management alternatives within their urban design strategies, establishing before/after development stormwater measures for evaluations. One alternative was developed into a comprehensive urban design proposal. The research questions for the studio were: How can urban design contribute to more effective and sustainable stormwater management strategies and how can stormwater management strategies contribute to more effective and sustainable urban design?

INSTRUCTORS Richard Dagenhart Tom Debo PROCTOR CREEK STUDENTS Justin Wallace Travis Hampton Yu Wang UNIVERSITY AVENUE STUDENTS Daniel Braswell Roberta Baron Kai Liao

FALL 2012

INSTRUCTORS Richard Dagenhart Tom Debo PROCTOR CREEK STUDENTS Justin Wallace Travis Hampton Yu Wang UNIVERSITY AVENUE STUDENTS Daniel Braswell Roberta Baron Kai Liao

FALL 2012

ATLANTA BROWNFIELDS [AREA-WIDE PLANNING PROGRAM] Studio students contributed to a new national initiative for area-wide approaches to brownfield redevelopment by assisting the City of Atlanta in a two-year planning process prioritizing brownfield sites, establishing revitalization strategies, and identifying partners and resources to immediately carry-out assessment and cleanup of multiple brownfields in Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s southwest neighborhoods. Students analyzed the potential and the challenges of targeted brownfields for achieving economic development, public infrastructure, community health, affordable housing, and greenspace goals. The Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program is designed to help communities confront local environmental and public health challenges related to brownfields, and benefit underserved or economically disadvantaged communities. The area-wide planning approach recognizes that revitalization of the area surrounding the brownfield site(s) is just as critical to the successful reuse and cleanup of an individual brownfield site. As the brownfields area-wide plan is implemented by the City of Atlanta, it is anticipated that there will be positive environmental outcomes related to air and water quality, and it is also expected that these types of environmental outcomes at brownfields would accommodate the growth and development that would otherwise have occurred on undeveloped, greenfield properties.

INSTRUCTORS Nancey Green Leigh Nathanael Hoelzel GEORGIA TECH STUDENTS Seanna Berry Dan Cotter Alexandra Frackelton Susannah Lee Mackenzie Madden Stephen McRae Ted Ranney Patrick Terranova Travis Voyles KAISERSLAUTERN STUDENTS Peter Buchmann Theresa Richter Carsten Schittko

FALL 2012