Urban Transformation for Sustainable Growth and Smart Living: The Case of the Atlanta Beltline

The Beltline project in Atlanta combines elements of urban greenway planning, parks and recreation, pedestrian and bike friendly trails, public transit, and other facilities connecting over 40 neighborhoods. This is bringing about transformative urban regeneration in those neighborhoods, with large-scale economic investments and growth in previously neglected areas and brownfields. The Beltline has generated considerable interest among urban scholars. However, most studies have focused on specific aspects of the Beltline development in detail. This study uses extensive literature review and analyzes census data while taking a comprehensive look at the following smart living perspectives: urban health and wellbeing, smart public transportation, economic development and brownfields, and managing affordable housing during neighborhood change. While the Beltline has brought about considerable growth and investment, and created city level green spaces and trails, the process has been accompanied by gentrification and displacement that has disproportionately affected the racial minorities and poor neighborhoods.