coUrbanize, a technology company that specializes in community engagement for development, has partnered with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) to launch a community engagement platform for the approximately $200-million transformation of Five Points Station, the largest and busiest station in the MARTA system. 

A dedicated coUrbanize website, at www.FivePointsTransformation.com, is serving as a focal point for public information and dialogue. The site provides details about the project and enables local stakeholders to comment on proposed plans, offer suggestions, and participate in virtual roundtables. MARTA and its project team, led by architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), will incorporate the feedback into upcoming phases of design.

The project features a redesigned entrance, the relocation of bus bays to improve bus-rail transfers, and the creation of public space for programmed and spontaneous events.

"This is our second project with MARTA," notes Karin Brandt, CEO and founder of coUrbanize.  "Most of the projects we host on our platform center on mixed-use developments that include a housing component.  MARTA is demonstrating that transit projects are equally worthy of community feedback.

"We welcome creative applications of our technology," she continues. "To us, the most important concern is to give local communities a voice in plans that affect their quality of life and the future of their neighborhoods, whether these plans involve housing, mixed-use developments, public appointments, or transit. Projects can only succeed when they address community needs."