How Atlanta’s Infrastructure is Rebuilding Equity and Climate Resilience
Jim Durrett is President and CEO of The Buckhead Coalition and Executive Director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District. He previously led the Livable Communities Coalition and ULI Atlanta. Jim also held leadership roles at the Metro Atlanta Chamber and The Georgia Conservancy. A former hydrogeologist, he serves on multiple boards, including MARTA, HUB404 Conservancy and ULI’s Responsible Property Investment Council.
Clyde Higgs is the President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc., leading a $5B redevelopment project connecting neighborhoods with parks, trails, and transit. With expertise in technology-led economic development, urbanization, real estate, and strategy, Clyde previously served as EVP for a major revitalization project in North Carolina. He is committed to equitable redevelopment and serves on the Boards of Trees Atlanta and the City’s Affordable Housing Commission.
As Chief Policy Officer for Mayor Andre Dickens, Courtney English’s policy portfolio includes housing, economic development and equity issues.
English was the youngest city-wide elected official, joining the Atlanta Board of Education at 24. He boosted teacher pay, raised graduation rates and expanded college access. Later, he helped develop thousands of affordable housing units and raised $11M to prevent evictions.
Amol Naik is a seasoned government affairs executive and attorney with 20 years of experience at the intersection of public policy, technology, and social impact. As Principal of Resurgens Strategies, he specializes in regulatory solutions that drive both profitability and societal change. A former Chief Resilience Officer for Atlanta, Amol has led key initiatives at Google, served in public and private sectors, and holds leadership roles on several boards.
In this dynamic session, Atlanta civic leaders Jim Durrett (Buckhead Coalition), Clyde Higgs (Atlanta BeltLine Inc), Courtney English (City of Atlanta) and Amol Naik (Resurgens Strategies) laid out a bold agenda for transforming infrastructure into a tool for healing. From freeway caps to trail networks, the conversation framed infrastructure as a lever not only for mobility and climate adaptation but for correcting decades of disinvestment and racial segregation. By reimagining public space, these leaders are helping Atlanta become a city built for everyone.
Infrastructure as a Path to Equity and Health
The session opened by emphasizing that the city’s approach to infrastructure is deeply rooted in racial and economic justice. With a 24-year life expectancy gap between neighborhoods only seven miles apart, the stakes are high. Addressing disparities in access to green space, clean air and economic opportunity is at the core of the city’s climate and development strategy. The speaker underscored the importance of designing communities where residents can thrive without relying on a car—pointing to walkable, transit-connected neighborhoods as essential to both climate resilience and human well-being.
For these leaders, climate adaptation is not just about weatherizing infrastructure. It means transforming the built environment to reduce pollution, improve public health and provide better access to jobs, schools and transit for historically underserved communities.
The BeltLine and Cap Projects: Healing Through Connection
One panelist highlighted the Atlanta BeltLine as a centerpiece of this movement. The 22-mile loop of multi-use trails and green space has already connected 45 neighborhoods and generated nearly 30,000 permanent jobs and more than 14,000 housing units. The speaker emphasized the BeltLine’s role in repairing the damage caused by past infrastructure decisions, particularly the highway systems that split Black and working-class communities. The BeltLine instead uses infrastructure to reconnect and strengthen neighborhoods while reducing car dependence and carbon emissions.
Another panelist expanded on this theme with Hub 404, a proposed nine-acre park that will cap Ga. 400 in Buckhead. By building green space atop a highway and linking it to trail networks like PATH400 and the BeltLine, Hub 404 aims to address multiple challenges at once—green space deficits, air pollution and fractured community ties. Similarly, the Stitch, a downtown freeway cap, will span a three-quarter-mile stretch of the Connector to reconnect parts of the city long divided by I-75/85. Both projects aim to be transit-accessible and climate responsive, creating inclusive spaces that prioritize people over cars.
Planning for Growth While Preventing Displacement
With the region expecting nearly 2 million new residents in the coming decades, panelists agreed that Atlanta cannot afford to expand in the ways it has in the past. One speaker emphasized that sustainable growth depends on density, transit investment and walkable design. Without serious shifts in how the city develops, traffic congestion and emissions will only worsen. The solution, they said, lies in creating a “spider web” of interconnected transit and trail systems, supported by zoning policies that encourage mixed-use development.
But with investment comes risk, especially for longtime residents. The panel did not shy away from the threat of displacement. Rather than avoiding investment in vulnerable neighborhoods, the speakers advocated for intentional frameworks to preserve affordability and community identity. Displacement, not gentrification, was identified as the true threat. Tools like land trusts, affordable housing mandates and workforce pipelines were all discussed as ways to ensure that those who have sustained Atlanta through difficult decades are not pushed out during its renewal.
Local Leadership Amid National Headwinds
Despite mounting political resistance to equity-focused climate investments at the federal level, the panel remained optimistic about Atlanta’s trajectory. One panelist noted proposed federal rollbacks on bicycle and pedestrian funding as real concerns but stressed the importance of strong local leadership and creative financing. By maximizing current federal opportunities and building local coalitions, Atlanta aims to keep moving forward even in uncertain policy environments.
The session concluded with a shared vision: climate, infrastructure and equity are inseparable. As one speaker put it, infrastructure must do more than move people—it must uplift communities and reflect their values. In Atlanta, that means using every mile of trail, every acre of green space and every policy lever to build a city that is livable, resilient and just.
No Comments