For decades, Atlanta’s downtown core was nicknamed “The Gulch” to describe the undeveloped canyon of railroad tracks, parking lots, and elevated street viaducts. The area is adjacent to professional-league basketball, football, and soccer venues, along with a major convention center.

The historic development patterns have long-divided towers in the city’s central business district from underinvested neighborhoods, a painful effect of the past’s destructive policies.  

CIM, the development partner of the Atlanta Hawks, tapped us to advise on infrastructure strategies as they redevelop the area into a 50-acre, eight-million-square-foot mixed-use entertainment district known as Centennial Yards. Efforts include public infrastructure to connect people to transit, parks, and amenities in a community-centered place.