Developing a brighter path forward with Ryan Gravel
In 1999, an engineering student named Ryan Gravel had an idea: take a former railway corridor that wraps around the city of Atlanta, and turn it into a multi-use trail. This idea launched the multi-million-dollar BeltLine, a project that seeks to increase transportation options, add city green space, and spur growth.
Almost twenty years later, the BeltLine is in the early stages of development and is already changing the landscape, both physical and cultural, of Georgia’s biggest city.
Now a famous urban planner and the recipient of many awards, Gravel has released a book called “Where We Want to Live”, which “investigates the cultural side of infrastructure, describing how its intimate relationship with our way of life can illuminate a brighter path forward for cities.”
As members of another rapidly developing and changing city, Chattanoogans have much to learn from visionaries like Gravel. This week, they have a special opportunity to do so. On Thursday, the Chattanooga Design Center is hosting Gravel as part of their quarterly lecture series.
This event is sure to make Chattanoogans think deeply about what they want for their city, its inhabitants, and its future.
Ryan Gravel Lecture: Where We Want to Live
Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
The Camp House
149 E. MLK Blvd.
(423) 702-8081
thecamphouse.com