FAQ > “how do we ensure Beltline transit delivers?”
Q: Now that it looks like Beltline transit might finally happen, how do we make sure it delivers on its promise? A: (faq.) If there was no transit planned for […]
ABC > “It won’t really work without it.”
(press.research) In “Charlotte Rail-Trail gives glimpse of Atlanta BeltLine’s potential,” the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Tyler Wilkins pitches a trip to Charlotte for all the doubters to get a glimpse of what Beltline transit is capable of. The success of their light rail in building a more sustainable future is news […]
Generator > please invest in the future of cities
(ideas.work. ) After a slow start, Aftercar is finally underway. Phase One will open by February as a social house and shared workspace. Ryan Gravel, original visionary behind the Atlanta […]
Gravel > You don’t know what’s coming next, but you’re ready.
(ideas.videos.) On the morning of May 7, I had the huge honor of giving the commencement address for PhD graduates at the Georgia Institute of Technology, my alma mater. I […]
Gravel > listen to better ideas
(ideas.) We didn’t get to this place in American history by chance and we’re not going to get out of it easily. We’ll never move forward if we only listen to the people who built and support the systems and institutions that hold us here. We need new ideas. We […]
FAQ > “what the hell are you doing?”
Q: What the hell are you doing these days? Seems like you’re spread pretty thin. (faq.) When people ask me what I’m doing, I usually narrow my answer based on context because if I tell them everything, it sounds like too much. NO – I’m not formally involved with […]
Gravel > 20 years later, damn proud.
(ideas.) Twenty years ago, I never imagined we would actually build the Atlanta Beltline. I just wanted to graduate – which I did. I finished my Beltline thesis in December […]
Collective Knowledge > “you’re seeing something that I’m not seeing.”
(press.videos. ) I enjoyed sitting down with Gail O’Neill and Felipe Barral for their show Collective Knowledge. Our wide-ranging conversation is captured in this half-hour episode: first up is Paris […]
FAQ > “what do you think about the More MARTA plan?”
Q: What do you think about the More MARTA plan? (faq.) A year and a half after the November 2016 referendum, MARTA released its draft plan for how to spend $2.5 billion of City of Atlanta taxpayer money on transit – a plan dubbed “More MARTA.” I guess since I was […]
Gravel (live on the TED stage) > We Are the Lives That We’re Talking About.
(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 […]
Landscape Architecture Magazine > “An unprecedented testing ground.”
(press.) To be clear, I’m not walking away from the project itself, and I never framed progress as an “either/or.” But in “A Beltline Champion Walks Away,” writer Zach Mortice well describes for Landscape Architecture Magazine, inherent tensions between the benefits and challenges of change. Excerpt: “Most of all, Gravel […]
The New York Times > “Nobody said progress was easy.”
(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 […]
The New York Times > “Full of high hopes.”
(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, […]
Loving Lafitte
(research.) Not only am I from Louisiana and therefore somehow obligated to check in on the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans, but this project is getting built fast, so I […]
Gravel > “we need the Arts to drive the discussion.”
(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 […]
Go River! (the Los Angeles River is sublime).
(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 […]
Gravel > My favorite picture in 14 years working on this thing.
(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 […]
Curbed > “the thesis was the easy part.”
(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 […]
Nothing Short of Stunning.
(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, […]
Architect > “it’s like tactical urbanism on steroids.”
(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, […]
National Brownfields Conference > “welcome, y’all.”
(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 […]
GOOD > “until our politics catch up.”
(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 […]
On Doers > “it’s more about the experience.”
(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.”
New York Times > “business has increased tenfold.”
(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 […]
Gravel > “a catalyst for changing our cultural expectations.”
(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 […]
Gravel > “perhaps it should be expected here.”
(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 […]
Sidewalk Radio > “not a museum, not a theme park.”
(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.”
Public Square Atlanta > “what’s the design strategy?”
(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 […]
Gravel > “automobiles were the mobile devices of yesterday.”
(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 […]
Gravel > This Walk Was Epic.
(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 […]
Gravel > “les changements d’Atlanta seront tout à fait dramatique.”
(ideas.) Translation: “Atlanta’s changes will be quite dramatic.” This text first appeared in the Saporta Report as a guest column. “Atlanta can gain inspiration from the “little belt” in Paris.” It was […]
TEDx Atlanta > “it’s already changing the way we think about the places we live.”
(videos.) My 18 minute TEDx Atlanta talk gives a solid overview of the ideas behind the Atlanta Beltline.
Esquire > “one of the most ambitious modern ideas.”
(press.) Esquire Magazine‘s “Best & Brightest” for 2006. Link: “Ryan Gravel is Remaking Atlanta.” Excerpt: “Five years of local support and city studies have turned Gravel’s Beltline into one of the most ambitious modern ideas for the refurbishing of an American city on the verge of actually happening (though it’ll […]
New York Times > “a rare power to capture the imagination.”
(press.) Front page of the Arts section in the New York Times. Link: “The Greening of Downtown Atlanta.” Excerpt: “But it has taken on a life of its own, exhibiting a rare power to capture the imagination of diverse interest groups, from cyclists to powerful developers, and to flatten opposition. It […]
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