The City of Atlanta announced that Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Amy Phuong, Department of Planning and Community Development Commissioner Tim Keane, Chief Resilience Officer Stephanie Stuckey, Renew Atlanta and TSPLOST General Manager General Manager Faye DiMassimo, Department of Watershed Management Director Todd Hill and Chief Bicycle Officer Becky Katz will participate in Park Pride’s 16th Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. City officials will join more than 400 other parks and recreation professionals, policy makers, architects and landscape architects, urban planners and community members.
 
On March 27, City of Atlanta leaders will serve as panelists for a session, “Government Powerhouse Panel on Connectivity,” to share how city departments actively collaborate to promote greenspace expansion and connectivity. Attendees will learn how parks, greenspace and trails development are being integrated into stormwater management, transportation and city planning initiatives.

“I believe I speak for my colleagues when I say that the City of Atlanta is excited to participate in such an important discussion on how local government plays an essential role in connecting residents to quality greenspaces and amenities,” said Amy Phuong, Commissioner for the Department of Parks and Recreation. “We are committed to realizing a City of Atlanta that is connected like never before, has a park in walking distance from every resident’s home and offers transportation modes which fits every resident’s preference. We look forward to engaging with other city leaders and conference attendees, as well as learning additional innovative approaches to further enhance our park and transportation system.”

Under Mayor Kasim Reed’s leadership, the Department of Parks and Recreation acquired an additional 171 acres of land in the City of Atlanta, including 15 new parks. As a result, 64 percent of Atlanta residents live within a half-mile walk of a park, up from 50 percent four years ago, serving as the largest greenspace accessibility percentage jump in more than 40 years. The Department of Parks and Recreation actively collaborates with other city departments to install dedicated bike lanes, streetscape and green infrastructure improvements in local parks.

To date, the City of Atlanta has installed 15,460 linear feet of sidewalk, 9,216 linear feet of curb and 414 ADA ramps, as well as created more than 100 miles of bikeways.

In November 2016, residents approved two historic proposals, the TSPLOST and MARTA, which authorizes the City of Atlanta and the MARTA to modernize, expand and enhance Atlanta’s transportation system.

Over the next five years, the City of Atlanta will build miles of Complete Streets projects. The City of Atlanta will also synchronize traffic signals, invest in sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure, build new bike paths and complete the 22-mile Atlanta BeltLine now known nationwide as a unique transit network linking neighborhoods throughout the city. In addition, MARTA will invest in making the system easier, faster and more convenient throughout the city.

The $2.5 million TSPLOST and $2.5 billion MARTA expansion plans will help leverage the work already being completed under the $250 million Renew Atlanta infrastructure bond program. As part of the program, the City of Atlanta in 2015 began synchronizing traffic signals, adding new bike lanes, repaving roads, repairing bridges and establishing public-private partnerships to enhance the local transportation.
 
“We have a story to tell about our single most significant infrastructure investment in modern times in the City of Atlanta,” said Faye DiMassimo, Renew Atlanta General Manager. “This panel provides City of Atlanta leaders an opportunity to identify Mayor Kasim Reed’s commitment to further improving the look, feel and experience of our city, as well as the importance of city departments’ partnerships to bring all of our current projects to fruition."