Atlanta's Freedom Park Getting a Facelift

SWA Group was selected by the Freedom Park Conservancy to create a new master plan and reimagine the park with its legacy in mind.

1 minute read

July 26, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By Lee Flannery @leecflannery


Atlanta, Georgia

Bradley Huchteman / Shutterstock

The Freedom Park Conservancy has chosen SWA Group, a leading landscape architecture and urban design firm, to re-envision Atlanta's 200-acre Freedom Park with a new master plan. An important aspect of the project will be addressing the remnants of a deserted east-side freeway project that destroyed hundreds of homes in the 1970s, displacing residents. Matt Hickman describes the legacy of the park and the significance of the project: 

While the Georgia Department of Transportation’s freeway project never came to fruition, a victory for the local activists and community leaders who rallied against it, it did leave behind large swaths of overgrown, blighted land—a variable kudzu jungle—that long sat empty and unused. That is until the creation of what is today a well-maintained and topographically varied park popular with joggers, walkers, cyclists, and out-of-town sightseers looking to take in the city from a decidedly less tourist-clogged vantage point. 

SWA Group will work to transform the park to better connect downtown Atlanta with adjacent neighborhoods and integrate the park's unique artistic and historical character.

Thursday, July 16, 2020 in The Architect's Newspaper

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

View of rotating restaurant tower in downtown San Antonio, Texas through older brick high-rise buildings.

San Antonio Remains Affordable as City Grows

The city’s active efforts to keep housing costs down through housing reforms and coordinated efforts among city agencies and developers have kept it one of the most affordable in the nation despite its rapid population growth.

15 minutes ago - Governing

Close-up on U.S. Forest Service plaque.

What Forest Service Cuts Mean for Cities

U.S. Forest Service employees work on projects that have impacts far beyond remote, rural wilderness areas.

1 hour ago - Greater Greater Washington

Two yellow and white Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail streetcars at station in Dallas, Texas.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region

At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.

2 hours ago - KERA News