Taking over abandoned storefronts and long-shuttered factories, breweries are breathing new life into cities across the country. Job interview, proposals and book clubs represent just a smidgen of activities occurring at your local brewpub. In the last few years, cities across the US have experienced a brewery renaissance. From empty storage units to abandoned storefronts, microbreweries are choosing to open taprooms and brewpubs in economically depressed neighborhoods, bringing in new jobs and creating a sense of community. “People tell me, ‘It feels like I’m at my best friend’s place,’ ” Jim Jamison, founder of Foggy Noggin Brewing, tells Imbibe magazine. “ There’s even been a proposal, and another guy asked for permission to marry someone’s daughter. It’s a place where people want to meet.” Pint-Sized Urban Renewal In a recent article for The Atlantic, writer James Fallows identified “Eleven Signs a City Will Succeed.” Wrapping up a list ranging from community engagement to politics and education, craft breweries came in at number eleven. Calling it “perhaps the most reliable” marker of a city on the rise, Fallon believes having a brewery within city limits provides clear evidence of urban renewal. “A town that has craft breweries also has a certain kind of entrepreneur, and a critical mass of mainly young (except for me) customers,” he writes. “You think I’m joking, but just try to find an exception.” Close Communities That entrepreneurial spirit does more than invigorate local commerce; many local breweries make a point of giving back to the community. In Philadelphia, for example, Crime and Punishment brewery sponsors Little League team, while over in Dallas, monthly pet adoption events take place at Community Brewing. Detroit’s Batch donates a portion of its taproom sales to charity and Colorado’s Green Flash’s brews a special pink IPA...
Atlanta’s BeltLine
Improving quality of life
In the quest for a healthier, more transit-friendly Atlanta, a growing grassroots movement is backing the BeltLine plan. The Atlanta BeltLine, which includes 1,300 acres of parks, 33 miles of multi-use trails, 22 miles of rail transit, and 5,600 units of affordable housing, has grown from a seedling in the mind of a Georgia Tech student into a full-fledged redevelopment movement supported by civil leaders, residents, and national environmental organizations. Repurposed historic railway corridors and remediated brownfield make up the backbone of the BeltLine, accompanied by the addition of new parks and trails that unite various parts of the city into one, easily accessible whole. The BeltLine has caught the attention of multiple media outlets, and recently earned praise from The Sierra Club’s Smart Choices, Less Traffic report, where it was heralded as one of the nation’s finest examples of eco-conscious transportation initiatives. “If they pull it off, and I think they will, it will be a model, and pull them out of the economic doldrums they are in,” said Chris Leinberger, a leading scholar and expert on walkable urbanism. “The BeltLine is going to save the city of Atlanta and become a major economic generator for the entire region.” Most civic support has been poured into the transit lines. The BeltLine holds the ability to make the neighborhoods of Atlanta more accessible and united. A poorly developed public transit system and mind-numbing traffic (Atlanta tops Forbes’ “Worst Cities for Commuters List”) currently locks residents within their neighborhoods and suburbs. To ease transportation woes, the BeltLine will connect 45 neighborhoods via rapid rail transit, merging with existing MARTA systems to extend access to the city’s suburbs. As each segment of the BeltLine reaches completion, more residents can enjoy abbreviated commute times. Improved public transit will also reduce Georgian’s dependency on personal motorized vehicles and the carbon footprint that they leave behind. While the transit line holds the greatest appeal for most Atlantans, it is also the source of the most contention. BeltLine progress has been vastly determined by referendums, the most recent of which failed to gain sufficient support. TSPLOST, which would have added a 1 percent sales tax to raise funds for portions of the project, was declined. Impeded but not deterred, leadership plows forward with the plan. Small victories, such as the recent Old Fourth Ward land acquisition, have kept the BeltLine vision alive. Earlier this year, Atlanta BeltLine Inc. purchased .76 acres of land from The Trust for Public Land. Though insubstantial in size, the space will make a huge impact on the BeltLine’s cohesion. The property will connect the new Eastside Trail with Historic Fourth Ward Park, allowing pedestrians a clear connection to Piedmont Park, Freedom Park Trail, and Jimmy Carter Presidential Library complex. Construction is slated for completion in 2014. Overtime, the Historic Old Fourth Ward property will connect with six existing parks. Researchers have realized that no single type of green space completes a snapshot of a healthier Atlanta, which is a secondary BeltLine goal. Walkability requires a combination of parks, urban gardens, playgrounds, woodlands, alternative transit routes and community plazas to develop an urban culture that is environmentally responsible and promotes residents’ physical and mental health. This spring, Atlanta BeltLine is collaborating with the City of Atlanta to replace the Edgewood Avenue bridge. Pedestrian walkways will be added to the new structure. By April 2014, the new Edgewood Avenue bridge will connect the Eastside Trail to Lake Avenue, DeKalb Avenue, and Irwin Street. This small link in the chain proves to be as important as any other, improving pedestrian access to multiple neighborhoods and their resources. To connect the various parks and residential corridors, a 33-mile network of multi-use trails is in the works. Fortunately for project planners, 22 miles of the trails were previously used for the railroad, thus offering relatively clear and maintained grounds upon which to build. Other portions...
Saving the Cities
The rewards of revitalization
Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Atlanta—these major U.S. cities top data lists as the slowest to recover from the recession. Their areas of weakness include high unemployment rates, failing businesses, job losses, crime, and strained budgets but a greater common theme unites them. The cities are too historic, too important, to fail. Restoring these iconic cities to their former glory—or better, propelling them towards an even brighter future—requires a significant amount of creativity. Community leaders are forming dynamic partnerships with local businesses and governments. The collaborations aim to revitalize America’s cities, breathing new life into them through arts education, community programming, and structural reimagining. Two programs in Atlanta are an excellent illustration of the sort of creative approaches that can make a notable difference. LaShawn Hoffman, CEO of Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association (PCIA) in Atlanta, has been a member of the Pittsburgh community for ten years. The neighborhood, first overlooked during the city’s 1996 Olympic revitalization efforts and then hit hard during the housing market downturn, had settled into a state of neglect. Abandoned homes and empty storefronts opened the gate to increased crime and a lack of community cohesion. Hoffman witnessed multiple break-ins and other crimes firsthand. He was determined to witness the neighborhood’s restoration firsthand as well. “This is my home,” he says. “I’m personally invested here and I’ve long been able to see its potential.” PCIA purchased 31 bank-owned homes in Pittsburgh using funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. After restoring the homes, additional local grants were used to give the properties eco-friendly updates. The renovated properties were then placed back on the market at affordable prices. Though it was an excellent start towards giving the neighborhood a face lift, Hoffman and his team knew that pretty houses would not address the root...
