{"343331":{"#nid":"343331","#data":{"type":"external_news","title":"How a SCaRP master\u2019s thesis became the BeltLine","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMost of us know the Atlanta BeltLine. It\u2019s where we walk, bike, run a 5K, watch the lantern parade, access parks and other neighborhoods. We\u2019re hungry for this type of sustainable connectivity and community, which started fifteen years ago as an idea from then Georgia Tech graduate student, Ryan Gravel. After spending his senior year in Paris, where he walked everywhere, ate fresh foods, and lost 15 pounds Gravel thought deeply about the role of city infrastructure in how we live our lives. Sidewalks versus highways, for example, encourage different lifestyles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAtlanta is a railroad town,\u201d Gravel explained, \u201cwith compact mixed-use intown neighborhoods built around streetcars.\u201d Gravel was fascinated by trains as a child growing up in Chamblee. So, when he needed a city-scale design project for his master\u2019s thesis, Gravel knew what infrastructure was missing to revitalize Atlanta \u2013 transit. His master\u2019s thesis became the kernel of a vision that would transform a 22-mile loop of old railroads with transit, trails, and green space to promote economic growth and quality-of-life in 45 neighborhoods.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"28044","created_gmt":"2014-11-10 11:00:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:27:20","author":"Jessie Brandon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","publication":"sammie hansen","field_article_url":"","publication_url":"http:\/\/www.atlantaintownpaper.com\/2014\/11\/intown-20-masters-thesis-became-beltline\/","dateline":{"date":"2014-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-11-08T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1224","name":"School of City \u0026 Regional Planning"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"15269","name":"Atlanta BeltLine"},{"id":"1564","name":"community"},{"id":"19131","name":"ryan gravel"},{"id":"166890","name":"sustainability"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}