Turner Field Stadium Neighborhoods LCI

*Aerial of the Turner Field Stadium Core Area Proposed Plan*

Overview.

The Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) is a program by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), a regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county metro area in Atlanta. The LCI program awards planning and implementation grants on a competitive basis to local governments and nonprofit organizations for the enhancement of communities by reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality by better connecting homes, shops and offices.
The Turner Field Stadium Neighborhoods LCI was not your typical LCI project. Located at the bullseye of the Atlanta Region and at the intersection of some of Atlanta’s most ambitious plans, it not only included the 1996 Centennial Olympic Stadium (now home to the Braves), but it also encompassed several of the city’s historic neighborhoods that have been negatively impacted by urban renewal projects of the last half century. Noting this importance, the ARC awarded this LCI the most funding for a single project since its beginning 20 years ago.
With the Braves leaving the stadium and the City actively negotiating the sale of the property to Georgia State University, this is a highly anticipated community plan with the potential to reshape the south side of Atlanta.

Community Engagement Process: The planning team conducted an extensive and unconventional public engagement process that reached over 1600 community residents and stakeholders and provided the critical feedback needed to build a bold plan. Most importantly, the planning team facilitated dialogues to shape a common vision for the future of the area that was both realistic and ambitious while celebratory of the historic significance of the site.

StadiumNeighborhoodsLCI_Kickoff_Presentation_Page_39.jpg

The Activity Score Exercise

In the Activity Score exercise, the community was presented with a series of local examples of communities with different densities. Each density type had services associated with it and given a numeric score. Once participants decided the type of the community they wanted to be, they were encouraged to reach the score using a 3D model of the site and different building types (multifamily, office building, etc.) Once the model was finished, an assistant would add up the score of each building type to see if the desired density was achieved.

Learn More

The community vision for the area was then translated into 13 design parameters (organized under 6 categories) that guided the concept plans.

Flexibility and Density

Edges (Neighborhood and Interstate)

Public Open Space

Corridors and Transit

Legacy (Neighborhood and Sports)

Stadium Elements

The Concept Plans

Ballpark Plaza

Through a large formal mall preserving sight lines to the Gold Dome and a relocated Olympic Cauldron, this concept visually connects Hank Aaron’s historic homerun to Atlanta’s Civil Rights legacy, and Muhammed Ali’s torch lighting at the 1996 Games. Celebration Mall creates a unique space for commemorative sculpture and public gatherings.
Big Park

Through a large formal mall preserving sight lines to the Gold Dome and a relocated Olympic Cauldron, this concept visually connects Hank Aaron’s historic homerun to Atlanta’s Civil Rights legacy, and Muhammed Ali’s torch lighting at the 1996 Games. Celebration Mall creates a unique space for commemorative sculpture and public gatherings.
Neighborhood Squares.

This concept emphasizes a return to the historic neighborhood scale of the site by creating a series of small public squares. Each distinct square marks a site important to the story of the surrounding community. To acknowledge Hank Aaron’s legacy, one square encloses the Fulton County Stadium infield as a parallel to GSU’s baseball field, which is located along Georgia Avenue.