Chattahoochee RiverLands

In the backyard of Atlanta, the Chattahoochee River is an overlooked resource of extraordinary historic, economic, cultural, and ecological value. The Chattahoochee RiverLands is a vision to reunite the River with the Metro Atlanta Region and link suburban, urban, and rural communities into a continuous public realm that centers the River as a regional resource.

At its core, the RiverLands proposes a 125-mile uninterrupted multimodal trail that extends from Buford Dam to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. The RiverLands is more than a trail—it’s a linear network of greenways, blueways, parks, and the destinations they create. The vision aims to bring people to the water’s edge, promote continued stewardship and conservation, and reveal the subtle magic of the Chattahoochee to all. Altogether, the project encompasses a user base of 1 million residents living within 3 miles of the trail system. Beyond its physical footprint, the RiverLands vision builds on a decades-long legacy of social and environmental planning and activism.

Over two years, SCAPE has led a large, multi-disciplinary team of experts and local partners to develop this vision, holding community and stakeholder engagement sessions with nearly 290 groups over seven counties through public forums, design charrettes, “river ramble” outings, and focus groups to solicit aspirations and experiences of the Chattahoochee.

The Chattahoochee River Greenway Study was commissioned by a joint Project Management Team consisting of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the Trust for Public Land, Cobb County, and the City of Atlanta.

To track the project as it moves forward:

• Visit the Chattahoochee RiverLands website.

Learn more:

• Listen to Kate Orff and Dr. Na’Taki Osborne Jelks on What’s Next ATL, ARC’s podcast on Metro Atlanta (August 2021).
• Read ‘Reveal the River,’ Jonathan Lerner’s cover story on the RiverLands for Landscape Architecture Magazine (January 2021).
• Read ‘Improving River Recreation Without Gentrification in Atlanta’ by Adina Solomon for Next City (September 2020).
• Listen to WABE’s (NPR) story about the RiverLands (July 2020).

Read the Chattahoochee RiverLands Legacy Document and purchase a copy via Blurb above.