Often, the most transformative ideas are born out of necessity. This holds true for the Stitch, an innovative infrastructure project aimed at mending the physical divide in the heart of Atlanta. In the 1950s and 60s, our city center was intentionally severed by the Downtown Connector, leaving Atlantans disconnected from vital opportunities and each other. As Mayor Andre Dickens aptly put it, “Despite its name, the Connector cuts our city center in two. Now is the time for change.”
The Stitch is that change. Once complete, the ADID-led project will establish a 3⁄4-mile platform over the Connector, creating approximately 14 acres of new urban parks and public spaces, improvements to 11 connecting streets, and enhancements to the Civic Center MARTA station. This endeavor is designed to catalyze equitable redevelopment of the surrounding area, with a focus on affordable housing, low-cost transportation, job creation, and community resource accessibility.
In the past two years, local and federal partners have committed $42.3 million to the project, with $12.5 million sourced from federal grants. ADID and the City of Atlanta are currently in the master planning stage and are working with a consultant team led by WSP, Inc. and Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architects. As a part of this process, the Stitch team has already engaged with thousands of stakeholders and community members via in-person events and online engagement tools, fostering a collaborative process to shape the project’s future.
With master planning and early engineering fully funded and progressing on schedule, the team has transitioned to fundraising for the construction of the Stitch. In September 2023, CAP, the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and other partners applied for a $157 million discretionary grant via the United States Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program. If the application is successful, this grant would completely fund Phase 1 of the Stitch, which includes the creation of up to 4.5 acres of interstate cap and park, rehabilitation, and upgrades of the Civic Center MARTA station (funded by the MARTA station rehab program), and improvements to the safety, operations, and aesthetics of streets in the project vicinity.
As the Stitch progresses from concept to reality, ADID invites you to sign up for the project’s newsletter at TheStitchATL.com.