Most people only think of urban metropolitan areas such as New York City and LA as concrete jungles with a bunch of skyscrapers and not much else to see. Now, Atlanta may be comparable to these cities in many aspects, but this Georgia slice of heaven is less of a concrete jungle. In fact, Atlanta is called the Green City, owing to the lush greenery in and around the city.
You’re welcomed by the greenery just as you fly into the Atlanta airport. Surrounding the city is nothing but trees, especially when spring hits and everything turns green. Over half of the city is covered in a canopy.
Parks and Recreation in the city
There are 3000 Parkland acres throughout the entire city. Some of the well-known parks in Atlanta include Woodruff, Westside, and Freedom Park. My personal favorite is Piedmont Park, which is right next to Midtown. It’s got lots of trees, walking paths, places to one-wheel, and spaces for intramural activities. There's a running path and even a cool pond you can fish in.
There are a whopping 17 national parks in and around the metropolitan city of Atlanta. The abundance of trees and parks has made Atlanta an environmentally friendly city. In fact, the city of Atlanta was ranked third and the metropolitan area second in environmental friendliness. The ranking office analysis comes from a few different factors and articles.
Dining and real estate
This Green City is home to LEED-certified office spaces, which is a green building rating system used all over the world. Following the LEED standards improves indoor air quality, reduces pollution, and lowers energy consumption. A new city ordinance of Atlanta for construction must have at least a silver rating on the LEED certification table.
Atlanta is ranked eighth nationwide for green apartment living, with 21.5% of the city apartments green-certified. To be considered a green apartment, you need a non-smoking building, on-site recycling, energy-efficient appliances, better insulation, and better-insulated windows.
Another fantastic part of this green city is green restaurants. We've got a cool list of dining places, including Upbeat in West Midtown.
Major sustainability projects in the city
The Mercedes Benz Stadium was the first to get the platinum LEED certification, featuring 4000 solar panels. Then, we’ve got a stormwater management system that reduces water consumption by 47%. We also have the Grant Park Gateway Project in East Atlanta. This project took a large parking garage, blended it into the surrounding landscape, and put green landscaping on top to bring in the local community.
According to a representative from the city, Atlanta has made incredible strides to become a greener and more resilient city. They are committed to transitioning to a 100% clean city through the biggest solar program in the state to electrify the city's fleet of vehicles and by turning abandoned lots into community gardens.
Can we go any greener?
Atlanta is making major headway in sustainability, but there are a few things we could do better. Atlanta has been ranked considerably low in the areas of emissions and public transportation. These factors feed into each other. With Marta in the city of Atlanta for public transportation, we have limited train and bus systems. So, there is a higher need to own a vehicle, even though you’re in a metropolitan area.
Atlanta is a huge commuter city, leading to bad traffic. What comes along with bad traffic is excessive greenhouse emissions. So, our lack of public transportation coming to and from the suburbs has led to a higher emissions rating.
We have some places to improve on, but overall, Atlanta is progressing into a sustainable city where you can live your best life as you enjoy everything nature has to offer.
