BROAD STREET BOARDWALK

ABOUT THE SPACE

The Broad Street Pedestrian Plaza, an ongoing collaboration between public and private partners, has transformed a city block in Downtown Atlanta into a vibrant, pedestrian-only space beloved by residents and visitors. The built design is a “boardwalk” plaza that creates a flush condition with the sidewalk on both sides of Luckie Street to Poplar Street, for a single block. Created in 2018, the plaza is in its final condition after getting redesigned and reconstructed following its first iteration, a long-term pilot, which was to test the use of the space and to inform a future scope and permanent design. It also tested new materials and methods in an urban street condition. After several years of evaluating the space and its successes, partners engaged in a redesign process with public input. The redesign was constructed in 2022 and reused many of the original materials. Improvements were made to the structural system below the decking, and included new overhead and foot lighting, and additional integrated seating.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Ownership is essential: Public spaces are places where everyone is welcome. However, for all users to feel comfortable and safe, it’s crucial to empower our residents to take ownership of the space.
Design and construction is only the beginning: Creating great public spaces is only half of the story. The ability, funding, and logistics to maintain and operate these spaces is equally important.
Public spaces should be active throughout the day: With our partners, we have developed a better way to create all-day activation to support the success of the plaza. For more information on how you can have an event in this space, please visit Atlanta Downtown (ADID).

WHAT WE LIKE

Even surface: The decking system mitigates the steep grade changes along the sidewalk, providing a flat, comfortable place for chairs, tables, and benches accessible to all visitors.
Flexible seating: Movable tables and chairs allow for users to customize their experience, whether it’s sitting in a warm sunny spot in the center of the plaza or a cool, shaded area under the tree canopy.
Cooling breeze: Broad Street is a particularly breezy spot in Atlanta. This means that even on a hot summer day, the plaza is an enjoyable outdoor living room.

Broad Street in 2015

In 2015, Broad Street was closed to vehicular traffic at the intersection of Luckie Street. The goal was to encourage pedestrian activity and the growth and development of the storefront along the street. For a time, the initial strategy combined with active programming in the first block from Poplar Street to Luckie Street was a success. However, failure to close the Poplar Street intersection and the return of on-street parking on this block eventually restored vehicular priority. By 2017, the City of Atlanta and its partners – particularly Central Atlanta Progress/Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (CAP/ADID) and Flatiron City – were ready to make a substantial improvement to Broad Street to further support the goal of creating a space for pedestrians.

Plaza design

he plaza base is a pedestal decking system with 24”x24” wood decking panels. The adjustable pedals negotiate the substantial site topography and street grade to create a consistent plaza surface that is fully ADA accessible. Existing utilities, including stormwater facilities, remain unaffected and accessible. Ipe wood decking panels withstand the heavy pedestrian traffic and exposure to the elements with minimal maintenance. The flexibility of the decking system allowed most of the construction to be completed in about two weeks. It can easily be deconstructed and re-used when the pilot period concludes.

Redesign

Reconstruction

Reopening

—Photo credit: Ari Edlin

broad street exhibit

Broad Street Project Engagement