The City of Atlanta was honored with the Entrepreneurial American Community Award for the City’s collaborative efforts and creativity in the development of the BeltLine Project. This prestigious award was presented by Washington, D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities at its “Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit” formal dinner and awards program, Thursday, January 11, 2007.
Partners for Livable Communities honored a total of 9 individuals and communities throughout the country for stewardship and innovation in the improvement of communities and government. Five cities and counties received the Entrepreneurial American Community Award, which acknowledges the civic capacity building, commitment, vision and entrepreneurial spirit of a community. Atlanta was honored as a true innovator that has found success in providing unique solutions to local problems. Partners’ President Bob McNulty describes Atlanta’s award: “The BeltLine’s potential makes it one of the most dynamic urban strategic investments in America. We salute the public-private partnerships for the city’s bold move to reposition itself as a great American city – perhaps the boldest in this era.”
In the extensive BeltLine project, the City of Atlanta is redeveloping and revitalizing a 22–mile loop of previously underutilized or abandoned historic railroad and the grounds around it. The BeltLine plan will connect 45 in-town neighborhoods with the benefits of adding significantly more greenspace to the City, encouraging balanced and attractive future growth of the urban core, enhancing mobility around the City, investing $240 million in affordable workforce housing (the largest single commitment in the city’s history), increasing tax revenue by $20 billion, and creating more than 30,000 permanent jobs in the next 20–25 years, a job increase 50 percent greater than estimated to occur without the BeltLine.
“Thank you to Partners for Livable Communities for its recognition of the City of Atlanta and the BeltLine with its Entrepreneurial American Community Award,” said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, “I have been in public service for two decades now, and I have never seen a more compelling project than the BeltLine. The parks, trails, transit, affordable housing, and jobs that encompass the BeltLine will transform Atlanta connecting its people and places, its past and future.”
Although still in initial phases, already the BeltLine has increased the amount of greenspace in the City, encouraged the creation of public/private advisory committees and study groups, and generally offered an opportunity for all residents of Atlanta to examine development in the City and create a vision for what it should look like in the future. The BeltLine project is in the process of setting a national standard for transformative investment, sustainable growth and equitable development.
Terri Montague, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. the entity charged with BeltLine implementation said, “The BeltLine represents an unprecedented transformative investment that would enhance the quality of life and business climate in Atlanta, and help advance a new model for large scale urban development. We are pleased to receive this recognition for our entrepreneurial approach from Partners for Livable Communities.”
Partners for Livable Communities also honored the City of Easton, PA, for its innovative use of public/private partnerships in its economic revitalization plan centered on high-end residential development; Hillsborough County, FL, for its strategic planning and budgeting process that links funds in the budget directly to eight major goals to create more effective budgets; the City of Kalamazoo, MI, for its spirit and risk-taking in the implementation of the Kalamazoo Promise, a tuition assistance program for the Kalamazoo residents; and the City of San Diego, CA, for its 25 years of collaboration with Partners for Livable Places/San Diego on quality of life improvements and community building practices.
For more information on Partners for Livable Communities, please visit www.livable.com or call Robert McNulty, 202-887-5990 x 108 or Irene Garnett, 202-887-5990 x 109.
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