The burgeoning skyline of Midtown Atlanta perches over Piedmont Park’s treeline, forming a contemporary backdrop in an idyllic setting. A new comprehensive plan unveiled recently by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW) puts forward a plan for the future of the urban green space. The vision is rooted in improving accessibility and ensuring the park’s cultural legacy continues in decades to come.
NBW’s vision charts a path for Piedmont Park’s next 15 to 20 years. In an RFP soliciting 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 city parks in the Southeast U.S. and beyond, and reflect a diverse, growing, resilient, and sustainable Atlanta.”
Like most large, central urban parks, Atlanta’s Piedmont Park plays host to evening jogs, meet-ups among friends, casual strolls along meandering paths, and pitstops at Sean’s for a snack. Before it was master planned by Frederick Law Olmsted’s sons, the land was a gentleman’s farm and later a horse racing venue and fairgrounds. It has since hosted expositions, sports rivalries, 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 historic events,” said Thomas Woltz, senior principal and owner of NBW.”
The comprehensive plan led by NBW, alongside local partner Perez Planning + Design (PP+D) and Kanics Inclusive Design Services, coincides with a planned expansion that will add 4 acres to the 200-acre green space. The Olmstedian landscape will link up with the Beltline and assume an expanded Atlanta Botanical Garden. The last time the park underwent a review and update of this magnitude and nature was in 1995.
In a press release NBW said its work will center on locations of the park where the expansion is taking place. It will also make “structural enhancements” aimed at strengthening the park’s resiliency. Given Piedmont Park’s history as a setting for gatherings both large and small, NBW’s plan considers how accessibility and safety can be improved. The firm also said it will develop an upkeep plan for each of the diverse environments located around the park, among these wetlands, the shores around Lake Clara Meer, the grassy lawns, and numerous playing fields and playgrounds.
“At their best, parks provide equal access to all to nature, community, and a deeper connection to self. As our city grows in the decades to come, places like Piedmont Park will be even more critical and welcome even more visitors,” said Piedmont Park Conservancy president and CEO Doug Widener in a statement. “We now have a great opportunity and responsibility to plan for the Park’s future and ensure it is a lasting resource, both for now and future generations.”
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