Fourth Ward Park Selected as a “Frontline Park” by City Parks Alliance

September 24,2013

Each month, City Parks Alliance recognizes a “Frontline Park” to promote and highlight inspiring examples of urban park excellence, innovation, and stewardship across the country. The program also seeks to highlight examples of the challenges facing our cities’ parks as a result of shrinking municipal budgets, land use pressures, and urban neighborhood decay.

“We selected Historic Fourth Ward Park for recognition because it exemplifies the power of partnerships to create and maintain urban parks that build community and make our cities sustainable and vibrant,” said Catherine Nagel, Executive Director, City Parks Alliance. “We hope that, by shining the spotlight on this park, we can raise awareness about both the necessity and the promise of these kinds of partnerships to spur investment in our nation’s urban parks.”

Atlanta’s Historic Fourth Ward Park has quickly become a symbol of the city’s changing Downtown, and is now a major amenity as part of the Atlanta BeltLine. Formerly a flood-prone brownfield dotted with abandoned warehouses and parking lots, this 17-acre park serves as a storm water retention facility, event space, and community greenspace for the surrounding neighborhoods that includes two playgrounds and the City’s first public skate park.