Ryan Gravel is known mostly for one idea he had in grad school. A one of a kind idea that somehow captured the attention of a city that typically doesn't embrace bold, homegrown ideas. Atlanta prefers well tested ideas, especially if they are imported from some recognized center of international thinkiness. But Ryan Gravel has more ideas than just the Atlanta Beltline, and his new practice Sixpitch, "casts a wide net" to incorporate abroad range of tools and modes of operation in order to bring those ideas to life in as many places as possible.
Ryan sat down with Nathan Koskovich, AIA talk about how cities become what they are. How we impact them and how they in turn impact us.
Ryan Gravel, AICP, LEED AP, is an urban planner, designer,
and author working on site design, infrastructure, concept development, and
public policy as the founding principal at Sixpitch. His master’s thesis in
1999 was the original vision for the Atlanta Beltline, a 22-mile transit
greenway that after fifteen years of work and collaboration is changing both
the physical form of his city and the decisions people make about living there.
Alongside other projects at Sixpitch and research on similar “catalyst
infrastructure” projects around the world, Ryan’s forthcoming book, “Where We
Want to Live,” (St Martin’s Press; March, 2016), investigates this cultural
side of infrastructure, describing how its intimate relationship with our way
of life can illuminate a brighter path forward for cities.
The Links
