Midtown Atlanta’s burgeoning skyline towers above Piedmont Park’s treeline, creating a modern backdrop in an idyllic setting. A new comprehensive plan recently unveiled by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW) lays out a blueprint for the future of the urban green space. The vision is based on improving accessibility and ensuring the park’s cultural heritage is preserved for decades to come.
NBW’s vision charts a path for Piedmont Park’s next 15 to 20 years. In a request for proposals for the comprehensive plan, the Piedmont Park Conservancy said the design “should push the boundaries of what the future of urban parks can be and do, set the standard for urban parks in the Southeastern United States and beyond, and reflect a diverse, growing, resilient and sustainable Atlanta.”
Like most large, centrally located urban parks, Atlanta’s Piedmont Park is the setting for evening jogs, meeting friends, leisurely strolls along winding paths, and stopping at Sean’s for a snack. Before it was planned by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, the site was a farm and later a horse racing track and fairground. Since then, it has hosted exhibitions, sporting events, and concerts.
“Piedmont Park is a place of refuge, recreation and beauty. Like so many other Olmsted-era public spaces, it has also been the central stage for some of Atlanta’s most significant historical events,” said Thomas Woltz, senior principal and owner of NBW.”
The comprehensive plan, led by NBW along with local partners Perez Planning + Design (PP+D) and Kanics Inclusive Design Services, includes a planned expansion that will add 10 acres to the 200-acre green space, connecting the Olmstedian landscape to the Beltline and forming the expanded Atlanta Botanical Garden. The last time the park underwent a review and renewal of this magnitude and type was in 1995.
In a press release, NBW said its work will focus on the areas of the park where the expansion is taking place, and it will also make “structural improvements” aimed at strengthening the park’s resiliency. Given Piedmont Park’s history as a place for gatherings large and small, NBW’s plan considers how to improve accessibility and safety. The company also said it will develop a maintenance plan for each of the various environments surrounding the park, including these wetlands, the shores of Lake Clara Meer, the lawns, and numerous playing fields and playgrounds.
“At their best, parks provide all people with equal access to nature, community and a deeper connection to themselves. As our city grows in the coming decades, places like Piedmont Park will become even more important and will welcome even more visitors,” said Doug Widener, president and CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy, in a statement. “We now have a great opportunity and responsibility to plan for the future of the park and ensure it remains a lasting resource for both current and future generations.”
