Linking Buford Highway Redevelopment with the Peachtree Greenway, Brookhaven, GA

Abstract

The sponsor and client for this studio was the City of Brookhaven, where the 3-mile long Buford Highway was identified as a rapidly transforming character area in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The goal of the Studio was to undertake a comprehensive planning process supported by public engagement, that evaluated the transportation, housing, environmental and land use impacts of a new greenway planned to parallel a seven-lane arterial that has been the most culturally diverse corridor in Atlanta. Students grappled with issues of pedestrian safety, multi-modal connectivity, housing affordability, gentrification and urban heat islands in the production of guidelines and implementation program for the sensitive redevelopment of this important corridor. Finally, students organized and presented their recommendations to the staff, public, and elected officials. The recommended plan envisions improvements to Buford Highway that follow the principles of Complete Streets and provides appropriate space for transit, pedestrians and bikes. It also envisions redevelopment of underutilized property in this corridor to encourage a pattern of mixed-use development that would preserve affordable housing, balance jobs and housing, and improve multi-modal connectivity by taking strategic advantage of both the highway frontage and the greenway.