[press.] Charlotte’s NPR Station came searching for YIMBY advocates – Yes In My Back Yard – people fighting FOR density in their community as a critical approach to addressing the escalating costs of housing. David Boraks found some YIMBYs planning the future of Hulsey Yard on the Atlanta Beltline. “Finding […]
(work.) A version of this post first ran in the Saporta Report’s leadership blog: “Atlanta Holds the Key to Dramatically Increase Needed Greenspace.” It describes how the City of Atlanta’s […]
[press.] Scott Trubey took the time to introduce Elevator City Partners and our plan for the West End Mall. Check out his story “Beltline visionary part of team seeking redevelopment […]
[press.] Robert Kunzig’s cover story for National Geographic’s April issue was this hot take on the future of cities: “These five cities are taking bold steps to rein in sprawl.” Ok, so nobody is surprised to hear that Atlanta is the poster child for sprawl, but it’s a big surprise […]
(ideas.) This was never the plan, but two thirds of the Beltline may forever move forward without transit. That’s because MARTA is only committed to one third of the long-promised […]
[press.] At the Southface Energy Institute’s Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable on October 6, I joined Hannah Palmer, author of Flight Path, to discuss our books, the future of Atlanta’s southside, and […]
[press.] Inspired by the Atlanta City Design’s inspiration from the Civil Rights Movement, Diana Budds pens this thoughtful piece for Co.Design – “Atlanta Is Fighting Urban Inequality–With An Idea From […]
[press.] Following the September 2017 unveiling of the Atlanta City Design, Jared Brey covered what it means for Atlanta in this article for Next City. “New Atlanta Planning Book Takes Cue From Martin Luther King Jr.” Excerpt > Atlanta City Design, unveiled earlier this month, is meant to inform and […]
(press.work.) It has been an honor to work with Commissioner Tim Keane on this remarkable aspiration for Atlanta’s future. It’s called the Atlanta City Design – Aspiring to the Beloved Community and Thomas Wheatley captured this brief synopsis for Atlanta Magazine. “Ryan Gravel and Tim Keane are sketching a smarter […]
(ideas.) Here’s the TED talk I did in New York in October 2016. > “When we look today in wonder and disgust at the metropolis sprawled before us, we wonder […]
(ideas.) Nearly three weeks later and I’ve successfully spared you my take on the debilitating results of our national election. I’ve been grappling with the populist sentiment that seems to […]
UPDATE > GREAT NEWS! Both ballot referenda passed on election day. While there remains a lot of uncertainty about our national politics, at least locally we will have solid resources […]
(work.) In early 2016, Sixpitch founder Ryan Gravel completed a collaborative effort with the staff and board at Chattahoochee NOW that culminated with “Vision53” – a document that outlines a […]
(work.) In early 2016, Sixpitch founder Ryan Gravel began working with Tim Keane, Commissioner of Atlanta’s Department of Planning and Community Development, on the Atlanta City Design. Supported by urban […]
(press.) New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman pens “In ‘By the People,’ Design for the Underserved and Overlooked” – a review of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s latest […]
(press.) With the tongue-in-cheek headline “A Glorified Sidewalk, and the Path to Transform Atlanta,” New York Times’ Richard Fausset digs into a cultural shift brought on by the Atlanta Beltline, […]
(press.) In anticipation of the release of Where We Want to Live – Reclaiming Infrastructure for a New Generation of Cities, Atlanta Magazine published two pieces in their March issue. […]
(work.) We’re counting down the days. After many years, “Where We Want to Live – Reclaiming Infrastructure for a New Generation of Cities,” launches March 15! Your first chance to get a signed copy is at the launch event the very next day. On MARCH 16 at 7:00 pm, A […]
(press.) New York Times contributing columnist Allison Arieff, who is also the Editorial Director at SPUR in San Francisco, penned this Op-Ed in early 2015, “What Happened to the Great […]
(ideas.) This text first appeared as a letter in the Terminus issue of Art Papers, (January/February 2016), for which I was a guest co-editor. The original, along with a letter by Art Papers Editor and Artistic Director Victoria Camblin, can be found here. Also check out the entire Terminus issue […]
(videos.) A few weeks ago, as I was digging through a decade and a half of Atlanta Beltline memories, I came across a digital memory of our early movement in […]
(press.) Nice article by OZY writer Sanjena Sathian – USA Today picked up her story, “The transit makeover of Atlanta” at the close of 2014. Excerpt: “Everyone, from my mother to the mayor to environmentalists to the White House, proclaims that this unlikely city, with its long history of segregation […]
(ideas.) This text first appeared in ideas+buildings. “Equity Through Sports + Art: A Design Dialogue in Atlanta.” Read the whole thing here and watch short video of excerpts from the event. Excerpt: “I think this kind of thoughtful and inclusive transition toward a better decision-making process – beyond just sports […]
(press.) This article for Rails to Trails Magazine was written by Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition. It goes beyond the Atlanta Beltline to describe a culture that is “Transforming Atlanta.” Excerpt: “The BeltLine, as Woolard puts it, “is the one forum where it all comes together: […]
(press.) Nice long-form blog Q&A for I Think We Should Talk by Paul Sternberg: “Ryan Gravel.” Excerpt: “In other words, it’s a game-changer for a city like Atlanta. … Ryan and I talked recently about process, which goes well beyond having a radical idea. It’s about going places, seeing things, and meeting people. […]
(press.) Great update by Rebecca Burns in Atlantic Cities. Link: “Can Atlanta Go All In on the BeltLine?” Excerpt: “I was immediately taken by it; not because I am brilliant but because Ryan’s idea was brilliant,” recalls Woolard. At the time, constituents would call her “constantly” to complain about the […]
(ideas.) Gravelblog original. “Planning a More Forward Southland.” Atlanta will open its arms this Saturday for a national gathering of over 5,000 city planners, elected officials, students, consultants, and various […]
Here are video clips from various bike rides. “Spring Saturday Afternoon on the Atlanta Beltline.” (videos.) 2014/04. Video (0:9:19) of an average weekend afternoon on the Atlanta Beltline. It’s mobbed. Runs the full length […]
(ideas.) Gravelblog original. “The Vulnerability of Car-Dependency.” I spent some down-time during our snowy debacle thinking about how two inches of snow brought metropolitan Atlanta to its knees, leaving thousands […]
(ideas.) Gravelblog original. “Claiming Space for a World Class Cultural Infrastructure.” As I’m writing my book I am constantly reminded how the Atlanta Beltline came to life through a powerful […]
(research.videos.) The Los Angeles River is spectacular. It’s sublime in the best sense of the word. I got to experience it first-hand for the first time back in the summer […]
(ideas.) I took my kids out for a bike ride on a beautiful day last spring and the trail was mobbed. I was taking pictures with my phone, including this […]
(backstory.press.) Here’s a Q&A update for Curbed Atlanta in late 2013. Link: “A Chat With The Guy Whose Thesis Birthed the Beltline.” Excerpt: Curbed: “So how has your life changed since “the thesis” started to become a reality?” Gravel: “The thesis was the easy part. Since then, I’ve changed jobs several times […]
(press.) Nice post in NationSwell, a new media outlet that wants to introduce you to people renewing America. Link: “What’s ‘the Country’s Best Smart Growth Project’? You’ll Be Surprised.” Excerpt: “Years later, when he returned to Paris as a graduate student, he found that the boarded-up, abandoned strip had been transformed into […]
(research.) I got to know Debra Edelson after she moved to Atlanta and was working on the Atlanta Beltline for the Trust for Public Land. In a previous life she worked for CSX as a partner in the effort to build the High Line in New York. In December 2013, […]
(videos.) I was struck down by a drone while touring the Atlanta Beltline with Fitz of Photomotion (3:07). Minutes later, we met Danté from “Danté’s down the Hatch.” Amazing day. Thanks to Fitz, who got the tour through a silent auction for the Lifecycle Building Center. >> Ryan Gravel
(press.) Architect Magazine wrote a story about the role of tactical urbanism in cities. Link: “Newest Urbanism.” Excerpt: “It’s like tactical urbanism on steroids,” Gravel says. “We built this amazing groundswell of support, even though, over the years, there have been challenges to the direction of the project—its vision, funding, ownership, […]
(videos.) “As Many Gains As Losses.” My +/- 60 minute talk starts at about (17:00). It’s the welcoming plenary talk to the National Brownfields Conference on May 15th, 2013. Opening […]
(press.) From GOOD Magazine‘s “GOOD 100” in 2013. Link: “Meet Ryan Gravel, Building A Better Future.” Excerpt: “For a lot of reasons, this country is changing its cultural expectations for how we live—we’re modifying our American Dream,” Gravel says. “But until our politics catch up with the big policy changes required to […]
(ideas.) This text first appeared in ideas+buildings. “A Case For the Modern Flaneur: Transforming Atlanta One Wanderer at a Time.” Even before Spring fever has set in completely, the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail […]
(press.videos.) The Atlanta Beltline is more than a sound byte. This long-form (27:13) interview at On Doers with Scoutmob co-founder Michael Tavani covers the story. “Episode 002 / Ryan Gravel.”
(press.) Project update from the New York Times. Link: “Now Atlanta Is Turning Old Tracks Green.” Excerpt: “Skip Engelbrecht owns an antique furniture store, Paris on Ponce, that backs up to the Eastside Trail. He said business has increased tenfold over the past two years as the trail opened. “It’s unreal. We used […]
(ideas.) This text first appeared in ideas+buildings. “The Atlanta Beltline: A Catalyst for Urban Sustainability.” As one of the most sustainable city infrastructure projects underway in the United States, the Atlanta […]
(research.videos.) The Dequindre Cut Greenway is made from an old railroad that is sunken below street level and runs 1.6 miles from Gratiot Avenue to the Detroit River. The trail […]
(ideas.) This text first appeared at CNN Opinion. “Turning urban sprawl into sustainable cities.” Also, here’s a related story on CNN International – Link: “Abandoned Railway Turns Urban Sprawl Green.” It may seem ironic that one of the most sustainable city infrastructure projects underway in the United States is taking shape in […]
(press.videos.) My dog Jackson tagged along for this 2012 interview on CNN International. Link: “Abandoned railway turns urban sprawl green.” Also, here’s a related piece I wrote for CNN Opinion – Link: […]
(press.) My friend Gene Kansas invited me to his studio at Sidewalk Radio in 2012 to talk about the future of “Sweet Auburn” Avenue and the coming of Atlanta’s first modern streetcar. Link: “Episode #17: Auburn Avenue.”
(press.videos.) “Webinar: Atlanta Beltline Corridor Design” for Public Square Atlanta, a community resource created by WABE, Atlanta’s NPR Station. This is a detailed description of the original design concept work […]
(ideas.) This article first appeared in Co.Design by Fast Company. “What The Atlanta BeltLine Can Teach Us About Urban Revitalization.” It’s time to move away from automobile-oriented infrastructure and invest in public […]
(ideas.videos.) On Saturday, February 11, 2011, over 450 people showed up to see the southern end of the old Southern Railway for the very last time in its raw state. The idea for the walk started with Angel Poventud, one of the Atlanta Beltline’s biggest fans. He organizes hikes along the […]
