The Trust for Public Land in Georgia THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF
in 2021
AND MORE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR AHEAD
A LETTER FROM THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S GEORGIA TEAM
JENNIFER CAMACHO, ASTR A GROUP
Thank you for supporting The Trust for Public Land in Georgia in 2021. As we take this opportunity to look back at the year, it is hard to overstate the important role that our parks and green spaces have played in helping us weather the most significant public health emergency in a century. We have seen firsthand how parks are critical for health and wellness, reducing anxiety, stress, and depression and improving physical well-being. As people turned to the outdoors in unprecedented numbers, The Trust for Public Land persevered in our ongoing efforts to bring parks and green spaces where they’re needed most. In Georgia, we completed our first two Atlanta Community Schoolyards™, and will build three more by early 2022, bringing accessible parks to hundreds of residents living in park deserts. In partnership with the City of Atlanta, we built and opened the innovative Cook Park. This
first-class recreational amenity will both revitalize long-neglected communities and protect thousands of residents from persistent flooding. Perhaps most excitingly, we are working with dozens of public and private partners to create what will be Georgia’s defining public space— the Chattahoochee RiverLands—an audacious 100-mile corridor of greenway, blueway, and parkland linking suburban, urban, and rural metro Atlanta. With your support, The Trust for Public Land continues to improve millions of lives in Georgia and across the country. Jackie Gingrich Cushman Chair, Georgia Advisory Board George Dusenbury Georgia State Director
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF LAND-FOR-PEOPLE IN GEORGIA Since 1991, we have partnered with Georgians to connect land and people throughout the state, bringing more than 200,000 people to a close-to-home park, trail, or natural area. Our accomplishments include: • Protecting more than 18,000 acres along the Chattahoochee River for public recreation • Creating the vision to add 1,400 acres of new parkland along the Atlanta BeltLine and acquiring more than $47 million worth of land for new parks and trails during the early years of the project • Preserving historic sites, including much of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Recently, we completed the 16-acre Cook Park, where nearly 60 families lost their homes in 2002 to flooding. We launched a program with Atlanta
times we get organizations “Often who come in and try to tell the community what they want to see. [The Trust for Public Land] actually came in and asked: what are your dreams, what are your visions? Let us help you to create that. —Byron Amos, Vine City resident
”
Public Schools, the City of Atlanta, Park Pride, and Urban Land Institute to convert public schoolyards to community park spaces. And we have introduced under-resourced Atlanta youth to the Chattahoochee River in partnerships with outdoor industry leaders and nonprofit partners.
CLOCK WISE, FROM LEF T: PAUL DINGMAN; SCAPE L ANDSCAPE ARCHITEC TURE; PAUL DINGMAN; CHRIS R ANK OF R ANK STUDIOS, COURTESY OF DELTA AIR LINES
COOK PARK
WE DID IT! Five years ago, The Trust for Public Land and the City of Atlanta set out to build a long-promised park for Vine City and English Avenue residents. This beautiful park provides tremendous recreational opportunities, protects thousands of residents from flooding, and generates sustained investment in the community. Your support allowed us to roll up our sleeves and engage with neighbors and local partners to bring Atlanta’s newest park to life. Cook Park is a testament to the proud history and resilience of this community. The Vine City and English Avenue neighborhoods have been home to Black luminaries and civil rights leaders
This is sacred space. Today is a true “testimony of … what happens when people come together. The community has taken ownership of this park.
”
— Bishop John H. Lewis III, Chairman of the Vine City Civic Association
like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Julian Bond. But the area has also been plagued by chronic disinvestment, health challenges, and environmental threats. In 2002, catastrophic floods displaced about 60 families and left blocks of vacant land. Once the site of tragedy, these 16 acres are now a joyfilled gathering space, creating new memories for more than 3,600 residents within a 10-minute walk in addition to local and national visitors.
A PARK WITH PURPOSE Cook Park’s purpose is multi-faceted. It prevents chronic flooding in a flood-prone area of our city, with the power to absorb more than 9 million gallons during heavy rains. It provides a central place for exercise and play. And it builds a sense of neighborhood pride. Residents became vital partners in planning and creating their park through neighborhood association and church gatherings, community festivals, site visits, and design sessions. Together, we created a space that inspires physical activity, reduces stress, and draws people together.
TPL STAFF; INSET: ALEX JACKSON
COOK PARK
BY THE NUMBERS 16 acres
of active and passive recreation space for all ages and abilities 2-acre pond with fountains and terraces
28-jet “sprayground” water feature By developing the park through a powerful, collaborative process, we ensured that the park honors the knowledge and desires of the community.
1+ miles of pathways and bridges
CELEBRATING A NEW PARK
14 exercise stations
One of our greatest joys has been seeing residents already embracing their new park. Each day, parents bring children to the splash pad and playground. Couples enjoy lunch at the pavilions. Dog walkers, joggers, basketball players, and community groups utilize the park’s many features. And most inspiring, the neighborhood is embracing Cook Park.
2 climbing boulders
Thank you for helping make this vision a reality!
1 extraordinary playground
200 new trees
3,671 residents served within a 10-minute walk Hundreds of community volunteers engaged
$13.7 million raised by generous donors like you
CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERLANDS
SCAPE L ANDSCAPE ARCHITEC TURE
For nearly three decades, The Trust for Public Land has been working to protect the Chattahoochee River, from Helen to Columbus, helping to preserve 18,000 acres and 80 miles of riverfront. And we are just getting started!
The Trust for Public Land and more than 80 partners spent twenty months developing this compelling plan to unite communities around the Chattahoochee River. A delicate balance
A SAFE, CONNECTIVE CORRIDOR The Chattahoochee RiverLands will connect communities along the river and throughout the metro Atlanta region. Trails, new parks, and public spaces will provide opportunities for better health, physical activity, transportation, private reflection, and community cohesion. SCAPE L ANDSCAPE ARCHITEC TURE
Chattahoochee RiverLands is a bold vision to create metro Atlanta’s defining public space. Similar to the way the Atlanta BeltLine has redefined the City of Atlanta, the RiverLands will transform the metro Atlanta region, becoming a first-class destination that brings residents and visitors from all over to experience what is happening in and around the river’s edge. Over 100 miles of greenway and blueway—featuring parks, trails, boat launches, campsites, and public amenities—will link 19 metro Atlanta cities and seven counties between Buford Dam and Chattahoochee Bend State Park. When completed, the Chattahoochee RiverLands will serve millions of people throughout the region.
of both environmental conservation and community activation, the RiverLands will enable the entire metro Atlanta region to enjoy the Chattahoochee in dynamic, new ways by focusing on the following goals:
The river’s resources must be inviting and accessible to the widest possible range of people of all backgrounds, abilities, and ages. A wide variety of amenities and local partnerships will create a common ground for recreation and transportation that equitably serves all of the metro Atlanta region’s diverse and rapidly expanding communities.
SCAPE L ANDSCAPE ARCHITEC TURE
A COMMON GROUND FOR ALL
AN ECOLOGICAL REFUGE FOR THE REGION Ecological restoration, land conservation, development standards, and other tools will provide holistic approaches to protect sensitive species and ecosystems, reduce habitat fragmentation, improve water quality, and promote the long-term revival of biodiversity.
A LIVING LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS As a multi-decade endeavor, the RiverLands will interpret the social and ecological history of the Chattahoochee while introducing scalable models for regional planning that promote community growth, equitable investment, and environmental stewardship.
This audacious endeavor begins with an inspiring demonstration of the RiverLands’ future impact: The RiverLands Showcase. This pioneering project—encompassing 2.7 miles of trails and soft-surface “Rambles” across approximately 150 acres of green space—will provide a best-in-class model for the entire 100-mile RiverLands vision, featuring ecological restoration and a wide array of recreational and leisure amenities. As an area of focus for environmental justice and equitable development, the Showcase site will serve nearly 44,000 people, including 13,000 children, 75 percent of whom do not have access to a close-to-home park or green space.
CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERLANDS
BY THE NUMBERS 100 miles
of trails and parks
19 cities and 7 counties 43 water access points 25 trail head parks
Millions
of neighbors united
TPL STAFF
connected
ATLANTA COMMUNITY SCHOOLYARDS™ Our public schoolyards are packed with potential. Across the country, we have helped communities transform more than 200 barren campuses into Community Schoolyards that foster learning and exercise, cool the surrounding neighborhoods, reduce flooding, and connect people to the outdoors. And thanks to your support, we are bringing the power of Community Schoolyards to Atlanta. The City of Atlanta has made great strides in expanding park access—from 66% to 72% in just three years. But many communities still lack safe and easy access to green space. When The Trust for Public Land analyzed Atlanta Public Schools campuses and the surrounding communities in 2021, we found that transforming 96 school grounds into vibrant, natural spaces for learning, recreation, and community would provide 216,342 Atlanta residents access to a new park.
Building on decades of trust and successful partnerships throughout the city, we are developing a comprehensive plan for Atlanta Community Schoolyards to make this potential a reality for thousands of students and their families, teachers, and neighbors. The first two Community Schoolyards at John Wesley Dobbs Elementary and L.O. Kimberly Elementary are already open to students and will soon become available to residents. The next four—Harper-Archer Elementary, Sarah Smith Elementary, Miles Elementary, and Centennial Academy—are in various stages of construction. We also have the green light to begin community engagement with Toomer Elementary and Price Middle School. These initial six campuses alone will bring the myriad benefits of parks and green space to more than 12,700 residents with limited park access—but not for long! PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR FRIENDS AT DELTA AIR LINES
BUILDING A GREENER, HEALTHIER, MORE EQUITABLE FUTURE FOR GEORGIA’S COMMUNITIES Our work across Georgia’s parks, schoolyards, lands, and trails begins and ends with people. Community leaders, students, and neighbors. Passionate volunteers and expert staff. And dedicated supporters like you. Your continued generosity will help us:
• Expand park access through Atlanta Community Schoolyards and expand the Community Schoolyards program into metro Atlanta
ALEX JACKSON
• Connect more than a million Georgians along the 100-mile Chattahoochee RiverLands
• Advance transformative green spaces to communities across the state • Advocate for federal, state, and local funding to build and steward parks and green spaces • Strengthen partnerships and support for neighborhood and grassroots organizations, creating internships, fellowships, and employment opportunities through partners and vendors • Deliver cutting edge research and data for communitycentered decision making BAILE Y GARROT
Envisioning brighter futures for all of Georgia’s communities
JOHN BOYDSTON
Connecting communities to the outdoors and each other
Georgia Advisory Board Jackie Cushman†
Jim Irwin, New City, LLC
Doug Aldridge, Wells Fargo Advisors
Bob Kinney
Virginia Almand
David S. Martin
Hunter Amos, Newmark Knight Frank
Suzanne Masters
Patricia T. Barmeyer, King & Spalding
James H. Morgens, Morgens Property & Investment Co.
Mark Berry, Georgia Power Cory Boydston, Ashton Woods Homes
Gary Motley, State Farm
B.W. Cardwell, Jr., Colliers International
Alan S. Neely Carlos Pagoaga, The Coca-Cola Company
Alex Crumpler, EPAM Systems, Inc. Jocelyn Dorsey
Amy Phuong, Atlanta Hawks
Robin Dunson, Cox Enterprises
Christopher Glenn Sawyer
Ralph G. Edwards, Jr., EBS Property Investments
Jeff Seavey, Truist
Chris Graham, Georgia-Pacific
Sally Seeds Markham Smith, Smith Dalia Architects
Henry D. Gregory, Jr.
Rian Smith, The Integral Group
John Hardman, WildArk
Chad Wright, GDP Holdings
Paula Hennessy
†
Chair
BACK COVER: DARCY KIEFEL • FRONT COVER: HOLLIS BENNET T; BAILE Y GARROT; JULIETA VERGINI; ALEX JACKSON; CHRIS R ANK OF R ANK STUDIOS
Thank you for helping improve the health, equity, and climate outcomes for communities in Georgia and beyond. We couldn’t do this without you.
Join us Help ensure everyone has access to the outdoors. Every park we create, schoolyard we transform, trail we extend, and landscape we protect is thanks to supporters like you.
tpl.org/donate
George Dusenbury Georgia State Director george.dusenbury@tpl.org Devin Girod Director of Philanthropy 214.449.6555 | devin.girod@tpl.org 600 W. Peachtree Street, Suite 1840 Atlanta, GA 30308