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ATLANTA,
June 23, 2005—The Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation today weighed in on the proposed
22-mile transit greenway Belt Line development
around Atlanta.
Speaking
to the Atlanta Chapter of the American
Institute of Architects, Trust President and
CEO Greg Paxton said the project represents a
tremendous opportunity to complement the best
of Atlanta’s historic areas and tourist
attractions, but he called for a “Belt Line
Blueprint” to guide development.
“Rather
than reacting, we need to analyze the existing
neighborhoods and resources (along the Belt
Line) to create a win-win for our city,” he
said.
Paxton
said the Belt Line provides the city an
opportunity to practice careful historic
preservation that would bring community
revitalization and economic development
opportunities to adjacent communities.
“Preservation
is context-based,” he said.
“It uses as givens and as resources
existing street and transportation patterns,
utilities, parks, building fabric and
infrastructure.”
Ignoring
context almost inevitably degrades it, Paxton
said in referring to past missed opportunities
to take advantage of existing, historically
significant opportunities.
“The
net result of good preservation is lower costs
per square foot for rehabilitation,
enhancement of the community, retention of
historic character and a greater appreciation
of the tax base in a historic community,” he
added.
The
Belt Line would reuse existing railroad
rights-of-way as a wide linear park with
streetcars, bicycle and pedestrian paths that
connect more than 40 diverse neighborhoods, as
well as city schools, historic and cultural
sites, shopping districts and public parks.
The
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the
country’s largest statewide, nonprofit
preservation organization with more than 8,000
members.
Committed
to preserving and enhancing Georgia’s
communities and their diverse historic
resources for the education and enjoyment of
all, The Georgia Trust generates community
revitalization by finding buyers for
endangered properties acquired by its
Revolving Fund; provides design assistance to
105 Georgia Main Street cities and encourages
neighborhood revitalization; trains
Georgia’s teachers to engage students in 57
Georgia school systems to discover state and
national history through their local historic
resources; and advocates for funding, tax
incentives and other laws aiding preservation
efforts.
The
Georgia Trust is a recipient of the Trustees
Award for Organizational Excellence from the
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
For
more information on The Georgia Trust, go to www.georgiatrust.org.
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