The Collaborative Completes West End LCI Plan Update

The Collaborative provided planning consulting services to the City of Atlanta on behalf of its Department of City Planning for a major update to the West End Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative Program seeks to prepare and implement plans for the enhancement of existing centers and corridors consistent with regional development policies. The goals outlined in the LCI are to provide access to a variety of travel modes including transit, roadways, walking and biking, encourage mixed-income residential neighborhoods, employment, shopping and recreation options and develop an outreach process that promotes the involvement of all stakeholders.

The Collaborative led a team of consultants in the development of the West End LCI Update. Key areas of focus include the creation of safe roads, improved connectivity, affordable workforce housing, economic development, job creation, parks, public art, and historic preservation.

Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood is currently undergoing rapid growth and gentrification. A thorough public outreach process outlined the community’s desire for increased access to services and amenities, mixed-income housing and the preservation of existing residential and commercial areas. Improving streets and expanding existing multi-use trails in an already-dense urban environment required multi-disciplinary collaboration. The end product was the development of alternative options, which included section-elevations, GIS maps, and realistic renderings. The Collaborative organized four stakeholder meetings and four public meetings with the community. In addition, the firm organized bi-weekly conference call meetings with the client and Project Management Team.