Aaron Fortner’s Fall 2023 studios focus on the Midtown and Thomasville Heights neighborhoods of Atlanta.

Midtown Studio

"One of the challenges facing Midtown Atlanta is the need for improved public realm spaces and thriving streets that can successfully attract the growing number of Midtown residents, employees, and visitors," Fortner said. "Much of the newer development in Midtown has provided high-quality interior experiences for residents, employees and visitors – but the external public realm of Midtown often times is somewhat inferior and lacks a compelling draw to getting people to engage in the outside spaces of the district."
 
"The Georgia Tech Urban Design Studio will work with the Midtown Alliance to develop strategies for improving the Midtown public realm in clearly defined areas and to identify ways in which Midtown can continue to thrive as one of Atlanta’s most successful urban districts."

Thomasville Heights Studio

"Many of Atlanta’s BeltLine neighborhoods have seen a drastic increase in speculative development and resulting gentrification over the past 20 years," Fortner said. "Certain BeltLine neighborhoods, including Thomasville Heights, are working to ensure that there are strategies in place to preserve housing affordability while there is still an opportunity to do so. Thomasville Heights has recently completed a Land Use Plan and is working with development partners including private developers, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and the City of Atlanta to secure land for the types of affordable housing developments that will be needed to preserve affordability long-term in the neighborhood."
 
"The Georgia Tech Urban Design Studio will work with a Thomasville Heights developer to develop a plan for providing housing affordability on a specific parcel within the neighborhood. This plan will utilize the recently completed Land Use plan to propose a new urban design plan for the site. This plan will include recommendations for connectivity, mobility, open space, mix of uses, and detailed building and unit types for affordable residential uses."

Jairo Garcia’s Fall 2023 studio focuses on the Georgia Tech Climate Action Plan. "At the beginning of the fall, Georgia Tech's Office of Sustainability reached out to us and requested assistance in finalizing the Georgia Tech Climate Action Plan and in crafting a climate vulnerability assessment for the institution," Garcia said.

"Since this is the Alma Mater of our students, we accepted this request. Students in the Fall Studio are reaching out to a variety of stakeholders in the institution, including personnel working on our facilities; researchers; faculty; administrators; and student clubs, collecting data and developing a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of climate change in the institution and the region as a whole. This will include involving the student community with a Climate Action Plan Student Engagement Workshop."

"This climate vulnerability assessment is unique for academic institutions in the Southeast and will serve as a model for other organizations to follow, including the City of Atlanta."