Creating vibrant communities of innovation where great ideas are born and groundbreaking research takes place has been TUFF’s focus for over 40 years. Drawing from this experience, we’ve learned that four pivotal criteria continue to shape the success of innovative communities:
- Strong institutional leadership sparks opportunity
- Private-public partnerships are crucial
- Creative ways to support live/work/play/learn are essential
- An inviting gateway connects campus and community
One of the best representations of the last point is the Fifth Street Bridge park expansion—a direct link between Georgia Tech’s campus, Tech Square, and the Midtown business community. More than 15 years later, as seen in this January 2024 Instagram post by ATL Urbanist, the impact endures:
TUFF was proud to be intimately involved in the arrangement, organization and implementation of this transformation. The ‘before’ view below starkly contrasts the revamped state, which features bike lanes, 24-foot-wide sidewalks, seat walls, lighting, and almost 33,000 square feet of planted landscape area. The once non-descript overpass has become a functional urban park, catering to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles, all while concealing its identity as a bridge over a noisy 15-lane interstate highway.
Looking for a scenic route to Tech Square, incredible Atlanta skyline panoramas, or a place to tailgate before a Georgia Tech football game? Visit the 5th Street Bridge to experience the transformation for yourself!
Photo Credit: Rob Felt, Georgia Institute of Technology | Tailgating 2008