One of HKS’ many design fellowships, the Southeast Fellowship (SDF) is a design charrette that seeks to cultivate emerging talent, simulate innovative design approaches and provide service to nearby communities. Each year, the SDF rotates between the HKS Atlanta, Miami, and Orlando offices to offer regional design thinking for local design challenges. The SDF pairs HKS design professionals with university students selected from some of the region’s top design programs for architecture, interior design, urban design, and other related programs.

The 2024 Fellowship focused on the intersections of culture, mobility, and place along Buford Highway in Atlanta. HKS collaborated with the City of Brookhaven and local organizations to understand the places and people around Buford Highway, to develop a hypothetical design prompt for a cross-disciplinary response providing real IMPACT.

Background and Prompt

The city of Atlanta is well-known for its diversity. Residents and visitors alike can experience a blend of cultures and traditions that have developed in the city’s built environment, culinary destinations, and social interactions. The epitome of this cultural melting pot can be experienced along Buford Highway, a road extending northeast out from Atlanta that is specifically renowned for its ethnic diversity.

Although coined as the “Cultural Corridor” of the city, the street and its surrounding areas often lack elements that celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures defined in the area, not to mention issues regarding safety, accessibility, and connectivity. This year’s fellows were asked the following question: “How do you evolve a multi-cultural vehicle-centric corridor to better serve its community —to celebrate the community’s sense of place yet maintain and amplify its character?”

Design Challenge and Values

Five design teams addressed several design challenges during the 2024 Fellowship, formulating their proposals around design values of cultural celebration, wellness and universal access, placemaking and activation, environmental sustainability and uniqueness.

A Cohesive Community Hub

Team D-Fusion: Andrea Aristiguieta, Raj Kachalia, Angelina Brier

Team D-Fusion’s proposal aims to revitalize Northeast Plaza into a cohesive community hub that celebrates its cultural diversity while also enhancing and expanding its current programs without losing its character. The masterplan revolves around two key connection spines. The first is a lively pedestrian retail spine linking Briarwood Park to the Peachtree Creek Greenway, serving as a new gateway to the Northeast Plaza and integrating current food, retail, and health programs. The second spine focuses on neighborhood needs, incorporating essential everyday services like laundry, groceries, and local shops. A notable addition to the site is the Community & Resource Center and a Multi-Cultural Arts Center, which will act as a portal between the Plaza and the Peachtree Creek Greenway, connecting the Plaza and Greenway from both sides.

Time Along the Greenway

Team Microsofties: Iman Khan, Nicholas Nunnelley, German Castillo

Team Microsofties’ Time Along the Greenway proposal explores a gradual transition from urban to ecological, expanding the potential for Buford Highway’s Northeast Plaza to connect with the nearby Greenway. The project carefully considers existing programs and community needs, balancing the site’s rich cultural heritage with its proximity to natural spaces. An existing farmer’s market is expanded into a covered, open-air community market, which steps down — creating opportunities for pockets of communal space — toward Peachtree Creek, which runs alongside the Greenway. The Greenway is divided into sections based on the character of nearby programs: Urban, Natural, Public, Active, and Residential. Growth potentials for this framework along the entire Greenway are also considered, providing a clear basis for future development.

Re-envisioning Peachtree Creek Greenway

Team Urban Collective: Abigail Thompson, Salvatore Costanzo, Franklin Novo

Team Urban Collective’s proposaltakes the goals of the Peachtree Creek Greenway a step further through the design values of Wellness and Placemaking & Activation. The project aims to create a place for rest, a place for physical activity, and a place for community interaction. After studying what areas have intense sun exposure and what areas have harsh boundaries with residential communities, the team identified several moments of interest. This resulted in a greenway proposal divided into four different areas: the community area, the play area, the rest area, and the art walk. Proposed program elements include a farmers market area, a community garden, a rock-climbing hill, skateboard pump track, sculpture lookouts and basketball courts. Providing visitors with comfortable resting areas and smooth, eco-friendly surfaces ensure ease of movement for all users to engage with exciting new activities along the Peachtree Creek Greenway.

Project Gateway

Team Agora: Elena Passoni, Matthew Ngango, Robin Woo

Team Agora’s Project Gateway proposal aims to revitalize the Northeast Plaza and improve its connection to the intersection of Buford Highway and Briarwood Road. This area offers opportunities to link existing residential neighborhoods to the plaza and create engaging community spaces. The main objectives are to address the misaligned intersection and shift the focus from a car-centric environment to one accessible and welcoming to everyone while celebrating local culture and providing safe public spaces. The proposal realigns the intersection to enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety. This change will enable new architectural developments at the intersection’s corners and improve pedestrian pathways leading into the plaza and along Buford Highway. With a focus on serving the area’s large Hispanic community, the project introduces vibrant public spaces that replace a massive paved parking lot to foster community interaction and support local businesses.

Enhancing Community Well-being Through Integrated Urban Design

Team III: Armin Piriyaei, Neel Patel, Hao Zhang

Team III’s proposal explores strategies to enhance mental health, physical activity, and cultural engagement by reimagining public spaces in a diverse, multi-regional area. The project focuses on relocating the farmers market to a central position that connects the creek, greenway, and parking lot, while also linking three distinct regions. Additionally, staggered steps mitigate the area’s steep slope, enhancing accessibility and usability. The proposal introduces five levels of development, providing flexible spaces for retail, cultural events, sports, theaters, and student performances, particularly around the creek. The project aims to create a vibrant, inclusive community space that fosters health, cultural celebration, and safety, while strengthening connections across diverse neighborhoods. This holistic approach to urban design revitalizes public spaces and enhances the overall quality of life for all community members.

2024 Southeast Design Fellows

Organizers

Sponsors

Thank you to the SDF 2024 Sponsors: