Draft Recommendations

At this station, you can review the draft ideas the Beltline is exploring to celebrate neighborhood history and strengthen community identity along the Beltline. We invite you to share what matters most to you by selecting up to ten (10) draft recommendations, in no particular order, which will help direct our work in this topic. Please note, some of these recommendations will require further evaluation for implementation feasibility.

Theme	Recommendation	What This Is	Community Benefit
Planning Tools: Support Atlanta Beltline's planning processes with tools that help recognize history, culture, and neighborhood identity as the Beltline continues to grow.	Establish a Historic & Cultural Resource Mission Statement	An explanation that weaves history and culture into our regular planning and design processes.	Ensures neighborhood identity is considered consistently across all projects.
	Integrate Historic & Cultural Resource Checkpoints into Project Planning	Short review moments built into existing planning steps to identify when a project is near a historic place, community space, or cultural location.	Keeps projects moving smoothly while acknowledging meaningful community places and stories early in the process.
	Apply Inclusive Criteria for Places of Community Importance	A broader approach that recognizes community gathering spaces, traditions, and everyday meaningful places—not just older buildings.	Reflects a fuller and more authentic picture of neighborhood identity.
	Offer Learning Opportunities About Neighborhood History	Opportunities for staff to connect with neighborhood stories through tours, conversations, or visits to important places.	Supports thoughtful communication and deeper understanding of what matters to residents.
Interagency Coordination & Partnerships: Working with neighborhoods and partner agencies to share information and support coordinated, predictable planning across the Beltline.	Coordinate Regularly with City & State Partners	Sharing early information about upcoming initiative amongst agencies.	Helps projects move forward predictably and keeps planning aligned across partners.
	Strengthen Partnerships with NPUs & Cultural Organizations	Collaborations with neighborhood groups, cultural leaders, and storytellers.	Ensures neighborhood perspectives are reflected in planning and storytelling.
Economic & Financial Tools: Providing resources that help multifamily and commercial property owners reinvest in older buildings and community spaces along the Beltline.	Create a Beltline Reuse Fund	A small grant or loan program that helps repair or creatively reuse older buildings within the Beltline Planning Area.	Supports local businesses and revitalizes older community spaces.
	Develop an Adaptive Reuse Toolkit	A clear guide that explains incentives, funding tools, and reuse options.	Helps property owners understand possibilities and plan successful projects.
	Offer Workshops on Tax Credits & Incentives	Free workshops to help owners understand programs supporting repair or reuse.	Makes it easier for people to use financial tools that support reinvestment in older buildings.
Community Partnerships & Storytelling: Working with residents, artists, and partners to honor neighborhood history in ways that reflect community priorities.	Expand Storytelling Through Art on the Beltline	Using murals, installations, and creative works to share neighborhood stories.	Makes local history visible and engaging for trail users.
	Create a Community Storytelling Mini Grant Program	Small grants supporting oral histories, cultural mapping, and storytelling projects.	Gives residents opportunities to share stories representing their community identity.
	Build School & University Partnerships	Student projects documenting stories, researching history, or creating interpretation materials.	Connects young people to neighborhood history and nurtures future community leaders.
	Host an Annual Beltline History Week	Week of tours, talks, art, and storytelling events.	Creates a fun and accessible way to celebrate community identity. Possibly leverage other Atlanta area initiatives like Phoenix Flies.
Data, Transparency & Public Access: Making information about Beltline history easy to find, easy to understand, and easy for communities to contribute to.	Publish an Annual History & Culture Report	A yearly update highlighting stories, activities, and contributions that may be included in ABI's annual report.	Keeps residents informed and makes progress visible.
	Create a History & Culture Online Portal	A dedicated webpage with maps, stories, photos, and updates.	Provides an accessible way to learn about neighborhood history anytime and makes it easy for anyone to explore neighborhood history.

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