The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) “Living Beyond Expectations” Lifelong Community Demonstration Project temporarily transformed two blocks of Auburn Avenue in Atlanta’s Historic Old 4th Ward neighborhood into a model Lifelong Community – a healthy, walkable place with housing, transportation and service options for people of all ages.
Over the course of three days, Street Plans worked with stakeholders and volunteers to temporarily transform Auburn Avenue using inexpensive or donated materials and engaging programming. The transformation included a number of mobility enhancements, such as a protected bike lane, with improved pavement markings and footrests for cyclists stopped at intersections. Volunteers installed over a dozen pedestrian wayfinding signs indicating estimated walk times to key destinations. The project also included wellness programming, new public spaces, street seats, participatory art projects, and an ideation wall inviting attendees to share their thoughts about what makes a neighborhood a true “Lifelong Community.”
This demonstration project allowed planners, community leaders, neighbors and individuals from throughout the Atlanta region to work together to create a tangible demonstration of the concepts and practices that create a community that works for people of all ages.
Click on the links below to read media coverage of the project and learn more:
Governing: Atlanta Shows What a Senior-Friendly Neighborhood Looks Like
Streetsblog USA: Surprise! People Aged 60-79 Are Behind More Than a Third of the Biking Boom
Atlanta Journal-Constitutional: Sweet Auburn transformed for ‘Living Beyond Expectations’