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The Atlanta Beltline is a 22-mile linear park following an old rail line encircling Atlanta. This project will transform the city over the next 20 years. Design a conceptual master plan for play that could have huge impact on Atlantans for decades.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia USA
Members: 12
Latest Activity: Oct 2, 2010
Master Plan for Play for the Atlanta Beltline
NEW!!! Watch the TV special on the BeltLine.
There is a lot of information that will help you in your design efforts:
BeltLine Special: PART 1 PART 2
23 July 2010: Video on student thesis that became Atlanta BeltLine
21 July 2010: BeltLine Construction update
15 July 2010: New video of the lastest construction on the Beltline
The 22-mile Beltline project will transform the City of Atlanta over the next two decades. It will have many large parks with playgrounds around it, but in between those sites will be large stretches that aren't specific parks. We want to make sure that this connective corridor will be home to uniquely engaging and exciting play spaces. That is the task of Playable Site: to create a master plan for play for the Atlanta Beltline.
James Corner Field Operations and Perkins + Will have been hired to create a cohesive design that will include a light rail system for this project. We're here to make sure nobody forgets to add fun.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION SITE
competition site
NEW: The width of the BeltLine varies from about 80 to over 200 feet.
The Atlanta BeltLine project is converting an abandoned 22-
mile rail system loop into a linear park that will transform the
City. The playablesite design concept should address the
entire rail loop.
Atlanta BeltLine Overview
(edited from ABI website)
The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that
will shape the way Atlanta grows throughout the next several
decades. The project provides a network of public parks, multi-
usetrails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor
circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to
each other. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive
economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of
Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban re-
development projects currently underway in the United States.
At the heart of the Atlanta BeltLine is an integrated approach
to land use, transportation, greenspace and sustainable devel-
opment that will create a framework for future growth in the City
of Atlanta…and lead to a vibrant and livable Atlanta with an
enhanced quality of life.
TRANSIT: A 22-mile loop of pedestrian-friendly rail transit along
mostly abandoned former rail lines is the spine of the Atlanta
BeltLine, which will weave its way through 45 neighborhoods
surrounding Atlanta’s urban core. BeltLine transit will also
connect to existing MARTA service in up to five locations and
to future transit systems, such as the Peachtree Streetcar and
commuter rail lines.
TRAILS: A 33-mile network of multi-use trails will help create a
new public realm and pedestrian friendly-environment that will
include the
core 22-miles that follow the railroad segments, plus numerous
extensions to link together many of the existing parks and trails
surrounding the BeltLine.
PARKS: The BeltLine will increase Atlanta’s greenspace
by nearly 40% as the project adds nearly 1,300 acres of new
parks and greenspace throughout 25 years. The BeltLine will
create a linear park with 33 miles of multi-use trails connecting
40 parks, including approximately 700 acres of existing parks.
AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE HOUSING: Over the span of 25
years, the Atlanta BeltLine is projected to create more than
5,000 new units of affordable workforce housing; these will be
a combination of owner-occupied and rental units.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS:
The Atlanta BeltLine has a first-source jobs policy in place to
train local residents for jobs where BeltLine developments and
infrastructure occurs. ABI is also working with communities
and developers to establish community benefits agreements
that will produce amenities and services that residents desire
and create new jobs in economically viable businesses.
PUBLIC ART + HISTORIC PRESERVATION: Public Art is a
vital component of the Atlanta BeltLine, a new public realm
that can redefine how one experiences the city. The industrial
character of much of the BeltLine corridor provides many unique
opportunities for art, and ABI is incorporating potential sites for
public art in the Master Plans for the Atlanta BeltLine's 10
subareas. ABI is also working to identify unique and historic
structures and sites along
the BeltLine that preserve the city’s rich and diverse character
and neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Atlanta BeltLine is being
built with an unprecedented level of community input. An
important component of BeltLine implementation since its early
planning, the Citizen Participation Framework approved by
AtlantaCity Council in July 2006 has institutionalized avenues
for the community to participate in the planning and
development of the BeltLine.
_____________________________________________________
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
design considerations
This is a purely conceptual exercise so let your imaginations run wild. Incorporate play throughout the BeltLine, don’t worry about the traditional playgrounds designed into the parks along the way; those are being taken care of. Play needs to be everywhere else, too. Your job is to figure out how to do that.
Play is movement, wonder, excitement, curiosity, exploration, and challenge and we want the BeltLine alive with play. We want play that is so engaging that it inspires visitors to walk farther than they might normally, or visit a part of the BeltLine in a part of the City unknown to them.
The possibilities are endless, but it is important that whatever it is you design be easily maintained and durable. Even though this is a conceptual we will still try to make it a reality. Create play design so strong that it alters the BeltLine’s vision or at the very least influences it.
Some thought triggers:
Think about engaging a child's sense of wonder, and helping adults reconnect with theirs.
Think about the fun of coming upon unexpected play structures; perhaps playable art that weaves a story throughout the BeltLine no matter where one enters.
Or maybe some type of challenge that inspires people to run to the next site or times them as they find their way through a maze or climb something.
Do you create a Le Parkour course that runs throughout the entire 22 miles?
Do you integrate challenges into the BeltLine along with an online community uses something like foursquare?
Do you make the BeltLine come alive with playful sculpture that promotes movement and challenges visitors to find the next part of the story?
Or do you simply make sure there are hills to roll down, sand piles to dig in, and water to splash in?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESOURCES
resources
The Atlanta Beltline website
Atlanta BeltLine Overview
BeltLine Maps
BeltLine Photos
BeltLine Videos
BeltLine on Facebook
BeltLine on Flickr
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
submission requirements
The design must be submitted digitally in a PDF format up to
15 MB in size and must contain the following components:
- Registration Identifier Code (from the email you received when you registered)
- 100 words project description
- one to two pages describing the conceptual thinking, motivation and concept generation
- three different views of 3D representation
- one topographic view of concept in real space so can understand location
- up to two pages describing the material specifications noting the sustainable approach
Until the submission page is loaded, entries can be emailed to submit@playabledesign.org
Submission deadline: October 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
For insight on the Beltline check out this article on Fred Yalouris, Director of Design, for the Beltine project and our partner in Playable 2010.
There is a lot of information that will help you in your design efforts:
BeltLine Special: PART 1 PART 2
23 July 2010: Video on student thesis that became Atlanta BeltLine
21 July 2010: BeltLine Construction update
15 July 2010: New video of the lastest construction on the Beltline
The 22-mile Beltline project will transform the City of Atlanta over the next two decades. It will have many large parks with playgrounds around it, but in between those sites will be large stretches that aren't specific parks. We want to make sure that this connective corridor will be home to uniquely engaging and exciting play spaces. That is the task of Playable Site: to create a master plan for play for the Atlanta Beltline.
James Corner Field Operations and Perkins + Will have been hired to create a cohesive design that will include a light rail system for this project. We're here to make sure nobody forgets to add fun.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITION SITE
competition site
NEW: The width of the BeltLine varies from about 80 to over 200 feet.
The Atlanta BeltLine project is converting an abandoned 22-
mile rail system loop into a linear park that will transform the
City. The playablesite design concept should address the
entire rail loop.
Atlanta BeltLine Overview
(edited from ABI website)
The Atlanta BeltLine is a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that
will shape the way Atlanta grows throughout the next several
decades. The project provides a network of public parks, multi-
usetrails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor
circling downtown and connecting 45 neighborhoods directly to
each other. The Atlanta BeltLine is the most comprehensive
economic development effort ever undertaken in the City of
Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban re-
development projects currently underway in the United States.
At the heart of the Atlanta BeltLine is an integrated approach
to land use, transportation, greenspace and sustainable devel-
opment that will create a framework for future growth in the City
of Atlanta…and lead to a vibrant and livable Atlanta with an
enhanced quality of life.
TRANSIT: A 22-mile loop of pedestrian-friendly rail transit along
mostly abandoned former rail lines is the spine of the Atlanta
BeltLine, which will weave its way through 45 neighborhoods
surrounding Atlanta’s urban core. BeltLine transit will also
connect to existing MARTA service in up to five locations and
to future transit systems, such as the Peachtree Streetcar and
commuter rail lines.
TRAILS: A 33-mile network of multi-use trails will help create a
new public realm and pedestrian friendly-environment that will
include the
core 22-miles that follow the railroad segments, plus numerous
extensions to link together many of the existing parks and trails
surrounding the BeltLine.
PARKS: The BeltLine will increase Atlanta’s greenspace
by nearly 40% as the project adds nearly 1,300 acres of new
parks and greenspace throughout 25 years. The BeltLine will
create a linear park with 33 miles of multi-use trails connecting
40 parks, including approximately 700 acres of existing parks.
AFFORDABLE WORKFORCE HOUSING: Over the span of 25
years, the Atlanta BeltLine is projected to create more than
5,000 new units of affordable workforce housing; these will be
a combination of owner-occupied and rental units.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS:
The Atlanta BeltLine has a first-source jobs policy in place to
train local residents for jobs where BeltLine developments and
infrastructure occurs. ABI is also working with communities
and developers to establish community benefits agreements
that will produce amenities and services that residents desire
and create new jobs in economically viable businesses.
PUBLIC ART + HISTORIC PRESERVATION: Public Art is a
vital component of the Atlanta BeltLine, a new public realm
that can redefine how one experiences the city. The industrial
character of much of the BeltLine corridor provides many unique
opportunities for art, and ABI is incorporating potential sites for
public art in the Master Plans for the Atlanta BeltLine's 10
subareas. ABI is also working to identify unique and historic
structures and sites along
the BeltLine that preserve the city’s rich and diverse character
and neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The Atlanta BeltLine is being
built with an unprecedented level of community input. An
important component of BeltLine implementation since its early
planning, the Citizen Participation Framework approved by
AtlantaCity Council in July 2006 has institutionalized avenues
for the community to participate in the planning and
development of the BeltLine.
_____________________________________________________
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
design considerations
This is a purely conceptual exercise so let your imaginations run wild. Incorporate play throughout the BeltLine, don’t worry about the traditional playgrounds designed into the parks along the way; those are being taken care of. Play needs to be everywhere else, too. Your job is to figure out how to do that.
Play is movement, wonder, excitement, curiosity, exploration, and challenge and we want the BeltLine alive with play. We want play that is so engaging that it inspires visitors to walk farther than they might normally, or visit a part of the BeltLine in a part of the City unknown to them.
The possibilities are endless, but it is important that whatever it is you design be easily maintained and durable. Even though this is a conceptual we will still try to make it a reality. Create play design so strong that it alters the BeltLine’s vision or at the very least influences it.
Some thought triggers:
Think about engaging a child's sense of wonder, and helping adults reconnect with theirs.
Think about the fun of coming upon unexpected play structures; perhaps playable art that weaves a story throughout the BeltLine no matter where one enters.
Or maybe some type of challenge that inspires people to run to the next site or times them as they find their way through a maze or climb something.
Do you create a Le Parkour course that runs throughout the entire 22 miles?
Do you integrate challenges into the BeltLine along with an online community uses something like foursquare?
Do you make the BeltLine come alive with playful sculpture that promotes movement and challenges visitors to find the next part of the story?
Or do you simply make sure there are hills to roll down, sand piles to dig in, and water to splash in?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RESOURCES
resources
The Atlanta Beltline website
Atlanta BeltLine Overview
BeltLine Maps
BeltLine Photos
BeltLine Videos
BeltLine on Facebook
BeltLine on Flickr
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
submission requirements
The design must be submitted digitally in a PDF format up to
15 MB in size and must contain the following components:
- Registration Identifier Code (from the email you received when you registered)
- 100 words project description
- one to two pages describing the conceptual thinking, motivation and concept generation
- three different views of 3D representation
- one topographic view of concept in real space so can understand location
- up to two pages describing the material specifications noting the sustainable approach
Until the submission page is loaded, entries can be emailed to submit@playabledesign.org
Submission deadline: October 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
For insight on the Beltline check out this article on Fred Yalouris, Director of Design, for the Beltine project and our partner in Playable 2010.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Cynthia Gentry on June 29, 2010 at 9:05am
-
A recent Lantern Walk along the BeltLine trail. (Photos by Chris Martin)
© 2012 Created by Cynthia Gentry.
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