The Ted Turner Drive Resilience Corridor Challenge - Renew Atlanta
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The Ted Turner Drive Resilience Corridor Challenge
I. Background:
The City of Atlanta joined the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) network in 2016 and recently
released its Urban Resilience Strategy which comprehensively addressed the various
challenges the city faces. A key element of urban resilience planning is understanding a
challenge from multiple perspectives, and then designing interventions that have multiple
benefits. Through its Resilience Strategy, the city has identified key areas of focus, including
water, energy, sustainability, social cohesion, and mobility.
Atlanta’s strategy recognizes that the city has world-class colleges and universities, which are
an enormous resource to enhancing the city’s resilience. One of the actions within Atlanta’s
strategy is to host a resilient infrastructure design competition among the city’s colleges and
universities around resilient street design. As such, Ted Turner Drive represents an opportunity
to transform a city space into a truly resilient corridor. The purpose is to transform the 1.4 mile
stretch of Ted Turner drive into a gateway to downtown that showcases inviting urban space
with resilience values as defined by the City through the 100RC strategy process.
TED TURNER DRIVE HISTORY AND CONTEXT
In 2015, the Atlanta City Council passed legislation to rename a portion of historic Spring Street
to “Ted Turner Drive” in honor of notable Atlanta resident, media mogul, conservationist and
philanthropist Ted Turner, and his positive and enduring impact on the city. As such, the
Challenge serves as an opportunity to engage local college and university students to share
their vision of how resilient street design could shape the future of Atlanta.
The improvements to Ted Turner Drive will inspire both residents and visitors of the city to be
more environmentally conscious, add value to the city’s sustainability profile, and serve as a
lasting symbol of Atlanta’s progress. This resilient initiative aligns with the City of Atlanta
initiatives -- Resilient Atlanta, Green Infrastructure Master Plan, Atlanta City Design, and Renew
Atlanta Bond & TSPLOST. The goal is to turn Ted Turner Drive into a model of sustainability
and resilience street and sidewalk design, creating replicability for future city infrastructure
projects.
Ted Turner Drive is a minor arterial running north-south through the heart of Atlanta’s downtown
central business district connecting to I-75/I-85 (the Connector) at each end. On the southern
end of the corridor from Whitehall Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Ted Turner Drive
has two-way operations with two lanes in each direction. North of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard to Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, Ted Turner Drive operates as one-way with four
northbound lanes. A portion of Ted Turner Drive, in the area commonly referred to as the
“Gulch”, from approximately Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Marietta Street is elevated on
structure (bridge). The corridor has a mix of land uses and a significant amount of impervious
surface in the area. Ted Turner Drive is located within the the Atlanta Downtown Improvement
District (Central Atlanta Progress), a public-private partnership that strives to create a livable
environment for Downtown Atlanta through development of plans, provisions of services, and
implementation of infrastructure projects.
II. Goals & Parameters
The competition calls for specific designs and ideas to enhance Ted Turner Drive. However, a
successful proposal should also connect the transportation corridor to the larger goals of the
City as it works to become more resilient and livable.
Successful proposals will include design interventions that generate high impact, foster a sense
of place, and mitigate environmental challenges like water, heat stress and air quality.
Successful designs will turn the following list of challenges into opportunities. Designs should
address as many of the issues below as possible.
● Environment - Stormwater management, water retention, heat mitigation, greenery,
indigenous flora, recycling/waste reduction, energy
● Mobility - Alternative, low energy transportation
● Health - Active design to encourage health/exercise
● Social cohesion - Active public space, cultural relevance, designing for diversity
Resilience elements could include green infrastructure, solar charging, electric and/or
autonomous vehicles, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, LED lighting, green materials, and tree
canopy cover. As community engagement and equity is a core value of the City, it is critical that
these components are incorporated into the program as well.
The submitted designs should have an implementing budget of approximately $5-7 million.
Alternatively, proposals can offer a phased plan in which the first phase has this implementing
budget, with a structure for utilizing future funds to complete the project.
III. Process & Timeline
1) Kickoff (January 27): The competition will kick off with a day-long event of learning
about urban resilience, work that is already being done in the city as it relates to
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community input and resilience, as well as inspiration for what’s possible regarding
mobility, green infrastructure, and urban design. Student teams will be matched with
mentors and will get time to plan out their partnership for the semester.
2) Research Stage (Jan 29 - March 9) Under guidance of university professors, students
will undergo a research stage to understand the needs of the community, stakeholders,
and surrounding businesses. They can use research methodologies such as surveys,
observation, interviews, mapping, and literature/plan review. This research will begin to
inform their thinking about their approach to design and the opportunities for
interventions in the corridor.
3) Research Submission & Design Opportunity Submission (March 9)
To move forward into the next stage of the competition, students must submit proposals
that incorporate the citizen input, critical topics, city goals, and research learnings. The
proposal will outline their approach to design for the next phase of work.
4) Design Stage (March 19 - April 13): Students will have four weeks to create a design
based on the design opportunity they submitted on March 9th. Students will build on
their initial ideas and create a detailed and implementable design that addresses and
incorporates citizen input, critical topics, city goals, and research learnings.
5) Public Engagement Opportunity (April 5): This will be held so that students can hear
directly from local residents, businesses and stakeholders on their initial design ideas.
This workshop will showcase each teams’ working designs and set up a forum for
feedback. Students should demonstrate how this engagement informed and was
incorporated into their final designs.
6) Final Design Presentation (April 20): At the end of the semester, each team will give a
final presentation to the professors, each other, the city and the jury. Video submissions
of design with a presentation may be necessary should Jury members be unable to
attend.
7) Final design is chosen by the Jury (May 1)
8) Implementation of projects (Summer 2018 - )
IV. Maps & Technical Information
This information about the corridor is meant to inform design. Design teams will have to show
how they have utilized this knowledge in their design proposal. All relevant maps are included
at the end of the design brief.
3V. Evaluation
The jury will be composed of representatives of the City of Atlanta, relevant private sector
professions, and non-profit representatives.
Design proposals will be judged based on the following criteria:
● Innovation and Creativity - Project utilizes approaches that address more than one
challenge while harnessing forward thinking design or concepts.
● Design Effectiveness
○ Stormwater design and landscaping, incorporating natural infrastructure solutions
to protect/restore watersheds and wildlife and reduce flooding
○ Alternative transportation options beyond single occupancy vehicles including
walking, biking, and transit, as well as electric vehicle charging
○ Reduction of air emissions, energy usage, and increase in clean, renewable
energy
● Economic Feasibility - Project recommendations can be implemented within the
proposed budget of $5-7 million or proposals offer a phased plan in which the first phase
has this implementing budget, with a structure for utilizing future funds to complete the
project.
● Technical Feasibility - Project recommendations utilize design and construction methods
and materials that are determined to be generally acceptable by the design and
construction practices of the City of Atlanta.
● Community Engagement - Meaningful engagement of Atlanta communities including
people of color and low-income residents, as well as visitors
● Equity - Project reduces disparities for the most marginalized while improving wellbeing
for all Atlanta residents
VI. Eligibility & Specifications
● Submit the online registration form with the requested information by Friday, January
26th. Each team must provide the contact information of all the participants.
● Submit a zip file containing:
o A write-up of the concept behind the design proposal and an explanation of how
it is connected to the research components of the brief. The written document
should be submitted as a PDF in letter-size, portrait format, with margins of 1
inch on each side. Font should be Arial, size 11, 1.5 line spacing in text and one
line between paragraphs. Document should be a maximum of 5 pages and
should include the following information: Name of the project; name or authors of
the project.
4o Plans and renders, sized to Maximum A0, 300 dpi
o Photographic material (optional) RAW or JPG format at 300 dpi
o Video (optional)
o Write-ups, plans, and renderings should be compressed and sent to
rrhammond@atlantaga.gov.
● The City of Atlanta and Jury reserve the right to request additional documentation in
order to verify the authenticity of the nominated works.
● The City of Atlanta and Jury reserves the right to disqualify candidacies that do not
comply with the required documentation in a timely manner, or not adhere to the criteria
outlined by this call.
● People with direct blood relationship with a member of the jury or the organizers may not
participate in the competition.
VIII. Legal
The team member contestants, by virtue of accepting the terms of this competition, agree to
cede to the organizers of the contest, as well as Rebuild by Design, The City of Atlanta, Central
Atlanta Progress and 100 Resilient Cities, the right to edit, publish, distribute and reproduce in
any form the content of your project upon visibility authoring and credits to members of project
teams.
Members of the winning teams, to accept the terms of this competition, consent to assign the
rights to the idea presented in the contest organizers for further development, design and
construction to be changed later, all without losing the original authorship and credit
corresponding authors.
Participation in the contest implies acceptance of all the provisions contained in the bases
without an express declaration.
IX. Prize Money
A winner and finalist will be determined by the Jury. The winning team will be awarded $2,500
and the finalist team will be awarded $500.
X. Maps
● Location map (Ted Turner Dr from Whitehall St to Ivan Allen Jr Blvd)
● Existing land use, including greenspace
5● Future land use
● Population density, with male to female ratio
● Travel to work, including mode choice
● Average weekday & Saturday traffic volumes
● Average weekday AM & PM peak traffic volumes
● Topography
● Impervious surfaces, including bridges/structures
● Combined stormwater drainage & sewer
● Stormwater and sewer utilities (north half of corridor)
● Stormwater and sewer utilities (south half of corridor)
● Programmed transportation projects
X. The Organizing Committee
The City of Atlanta
Renew Atlanta Bond & TSPLOST Programs
Atlanta Office of Resilience and Sustainability
Central Atlanta Progress
100 Resilient Cities
Rebuild by Design
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