One of Atlanta’s most historic corridors, named after one of its most prominent citizens, will undergo a redesign focused on emphasizing its culture, environment and economy thanks to the input of students from the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design.  The students were part of a contest sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Resilience for proposals to shape the future of Ted Turner Drive that has been made possible by the recently passed T-SPLOST and portions of their design proposal will be implemented over the next several months.

Focused on five key sustainable strategies, this challenge provided an opportunity for college students to develop a resilient street design to help shape the future of Atlanta in five key areas: water, energy, sustainability, social cohesion, and mobility. Under the guidance of university professors, teams spent five months conducting research, working on design implementation, and canvassing the community.

Participating colleges included: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Georgia Institute of Technology.

“We are so proud of the creativity and determination of our landscape architecture students who participated in the Ted Turner Dr. competition”, said Dean Dan Nadenicek, UGA College of Environment and Design. “This kind of challenge prepares them for life and work in our quickly changing world. I am very grateful to Mayor Bottoms and Atlanta’s Office of Resilience for this opportunity to engage our students.”

Student teams representing both Morehouse College and Georgia Tech, tied as the finalist teams. Council member Amir Farokhi awarded the winning team with $2,500 and the finalist teams with $500 each.

“From the beginning, Atlanta's history has been one rife with upheavals that have led to dramatic social, economic, and physical transformations. Even today, this city's propensity for change is reflected all around us, as it moves towards the sustainable, equitable, and resilient future we dream of”, said Kanaad Deodhar, Georgia Institute of Technology. “The redesign of Ted Turner Drive is an important step in this evolution, and this Challenge presented all of us an opportunity to make our mark on the city we love. We’d like to thank everyone who put the Challenge together, and we are excited to see what the future holds.”

“This experience was so foundational to the interests and goals of mine and my teammates. The ability to see encounter and develop actual solutions to actual equity issues was so invaluable”, said Jared Mitchell, Morehouse College. “We are grateful to the Atlanta Resilience Office, TSPLOST, and everyone else involved in orchestrating this opportunity.”

Lead implementation partners include Renew Atlanta and the Department of Parks and Recreation, with funding from Turner Enterprises, T-SPLOST and Rebuild by Design.