Editing Atlanta (section)

==Parks and recreation==
{{Main|Parks in Atlanta}}
[[File:Fountains Centennial Olympic Park.jpg|thumb|left|Fountains at [[Centennial Olympic Park]]]]

Atlanta's 343 parks, nature preserves, and gardens cover {{convert|3622|acre|km2}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=258 |title=List of parks, alphabetical |work=City of Atlanta Online |date=November 27, 2011 |access-date=May 17, 2012 |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512114248/http://atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=258 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which amounts to only 5.6% of the city's total acreage, compared to the national average of just over 10%.<ref>{{cite news|last=McWilliams |first=Jeremiah |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlanta-parks-system-ranks-below-average/TqRKj06QfRxVm0s2i7s1zK/ |title=Atlanta parks system ranks below average |newspaper=ajc.com |date=May 28, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="alive1">{{cite web |url=http://oldfourthward.11alive.com/news/news/124252-atlanta-parks-get-low-marks-national-survey |title=Atlanta parks get low marks in national survey |work=Old Fourth Ward News |date=July 6, 2012 |access-date=July 16, 2012 |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116020037/http://oldfourthward.11alive.com/news/news/124252-atlanta-parks-get-low-marks-national-survey |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, 77% of Atlantans live within a 10-minute walk of a park, a percentage slightly better than the national average of 76%.<ref name="atlanta.urbanize.city">{{cite web | url=https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/parkscore-ranking-atl-slips-parks-national-trust-public-land#:~:text=The%20City%20in%20a%20Forest,Kansas%20City%20and%20Baltimore%2C%20respectively | title=Despite park additions, Atlanta slips in national ParkScore ranking | date=May 30, 2023 }}</ref> In its 2023 ParkScore ranking, [[The Trust for Public Land]] reported that among the park systems of the 100 most populous U.S. cities, Atlanta's park system received a ranking of 28.<ref name="atlanta.urbanize.city"/> [[Piedmont Park]], in [[Midtown Atlanta|Midtown]], is Atlanta's most iconic green space.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kahn |first=Michael |url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2016/5/4/11585312/parks-in-atlanta-past-present |title=Atlanta's Parks: Then and Now – Curbed Atlanta |publisher=Atlanta.curbed.com |date=May 4, 2016 |access-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://piedmontpark.org/things-to-do/tours-and-guides/ |title=Tours, Attractions and Sightseeing in Atlanta's Piedmont Park |publisher=Piedmontpark.org |date=February 16, 2022 |access-date=May 18, 2022}}</ref> The park, which underwent a major renovation and expansion in recent years, attracts visitors from across the region and hosts cultural events throughout the year. [[Westside Park|Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry]], a 280-acre green space and reservoir, opened in 2021 and is the city's largest park. Other notable city parks include [[Centennial Olympic Park]], a legacy of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] that forms the centerpiece of the city's tourist district; [[Woodruff Park]], which anchors the campus of [[Georgia State University]]; [[Grant Park (Atlanta)|Grant Park]], home to [[Zoo Atlanta]]; and [[Chastain Park]], which houses an amphitheater used for live music concerts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.atlantaareaparks.com/parks/westside-reservoir-park/ | title=Westside Reservoir Park, Fulton }}</ref> The [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]], in the northwestern corner of the city, preserves a {{convert|48|mi|abbr=on}} stretch of the river for public recreation opportunities.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nps.gov/chat/planyourvisit/index.htm | title=Plan Your Visit – Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) }}</ref>

The [[Atlanta Botanical Garden]], adjacent to Piedmont Park, contains formal gardens, including a Japanese garden and a rose garden, woodland areas, and a conservatory that includes indoor exhibits of plants from [[tropical rainforest]]s and [[desert]]s. The [[BeltLine]], a former rail corridor that forms a {{convert|22|mi|abbr=on}} loop around Atlanta's core, has been transformed into a series of [[city park|parks]], connected by a multi-use trail, increasing Atlanta's park space by 40%.<ref>{{cite web|first=Kaid|last=Benfield|url=http://grist.org/cities/2011-07-26-the-countrys-most-ambitious-smart-growth-project/ |title=The Atlanta BeltLine: The country's most ambitious smart growth project |publisher=Grist |date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=July 16, 2012}}</ref>

Atlanta offers resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. Golf and tennis are popular in Atlanta, and the city contains six public golf courses and 182 tennis courts. Facilities along the [[Chattahoochee River]] cater to watersports enthusiasts, providing the opportunity for kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating, or tubing. The city's only skate park, a {{convert|15000|sqft|m2}} facility that offers bowls, curbs, and smooth-rolling concrete mounds, is at [[Historic Fourth Ward Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlanta.net/things-to-do/old-fourth-ward-skate-park/|title=Old Fourth Ward Skate Park |access-date=February 14, 2017}}</ref>

=== Tree canopy ===
{{Main|Atlanta tree canopy}}
{{quote box
| width = 25%
| align = right
| quote = For a sprawling city with the nation's ninth-largest metro area, Atlanta is surprisingly lush with trees—[[magnolia]]s, [[Cornus (genus)|dogwoods]], [[Pine|Southern pines]], and magnificent [[oak]]s.
| source = —''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' magazine, in naming Atlanta a "Place of a Lifetime"<ref name=inside-access>{{cite web|first=Jamie|last=Gumbrecht |url=http://blogs.ajc.com/inside-access/2009/09/17/atlanta-a-national-geographic-traveler-place-of-a-lifetime/ |title=Atlanta a National Geographic Traveler 'Place of a Lifetime' |publisher=Inside Access |date=September 17, 2009 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230102913/http://blogs.ajc.com/inside-access/2009/09/17/atlanta-a-national-geographic-traveler-place-of-a-lifetime/ |archive-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref>
}}

Atlanta has a reputation as a "city in a forest" due to an abundance of trees that is rare among major cities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Robbie |date=July 21, 2011 |title=Atlanta Finds Its Identity as Tree Haven Is Threatened |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/22trees.html |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/us/22trees.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="publicbroadcasting.net">{{cite web |last=Bonner |first=Jeanne |date=March 4, 2010 |title=WABE: Atlanta's tree canopy at risk (March 4, 2010) |url=http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/0/6/1619579/Science/Atlanta%27s.tree.canopy.at.risk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623132657/http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/0/6/1619579/Science/Atlanta%27s.tree.canopy.at.risk |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |publisher=[[WABE (FM)|WABE]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Warhop |first=Bill |title=City Observed: Power Plants |url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=207 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607192757/http://www.atlantamagazine.com/article.php?id=207 |archive-date=June 7, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2007 |work=Atlanta}}</ref> The city's [[Peachtree Street|main street]] is named after a [[Peach|tree]], and beyond the Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead business districts, the skyline gives way to a dense canopy of woods that spreads into the suburbs. The city is home to the [[Atlanta Dogwood Festival]], an annual arts and crafts festival held one weekend during early April, when the native [[Cornus (genus)|dogwoods]] are in bloom. The nickname is factually accurate, as vegetation covers 47.9% of the city as of 2017,<ref>{{cite web |last=Saporta |first=Maria |date=May 7, 2017 |title=Atlanta's urban tree canopy leads the nation; but most trees are not protected |url=https://saportareport.com/atlantas-urban-tree-canopy-leads-nation-trees-not-protected/ |access-date=September 28, 2018 |publisher=Saporta Report}}</ref> the highest among all major American cities, and well above the national average of 27%.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 25, 2010 |title=Tree Cover % – How Does Your City Measure Up? |url=http://www.deeproot.com/blog/blog-entries/tree-cover-how-does-your-city-measure-up |access-date=June 27, 2011 |publisher=DeepRoot Blog}}</ref> Atlanta's tree coverage does not go unnoticed—it was the main reason cited by ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' in naming Atlanta a "Place of a Lifetime".<ref name="inside-access" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Atlanta, Georgia – National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides |url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/city-guides/atlanta-georgia/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725081657/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/city-guides/atlanta-georgia/ |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |publisher=National Geographic Society}}</ref>

The city's lush tree canopy, which filters out pollutants and cools sidewalks and buildings, has increasingly been under assault from man and nature due to heavy rains, drought, aged forests, new pests, and urban construction. A 2001 study found Atlanta's heavy tree cover declined from 48% in 1974 to 38% in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 30, 2008 |title=Changes in Atlanta's Tree Canopy |url=http://www.treenextdoor.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148&Itemid=179 |access-date=June 27, 2011 |publisher=Treenextdoor.org}}</ref> Community organizations and the city government are addressing the problem. Trees Atlanta, a non-profit organization founded in 1985, has planted and distributed over 113,000 [[shade tree]]s in the city,<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.treesatlanta.org/aboutus.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922033545/http://www.treesatlanta.org/aboutus.html |archive-date=September 22, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2007 |publisher=Trees Atlanta}}</ref> and Atlanta's government has awarded $130,000 in grants to neighborhood groups to plant trees.<ref name="publicbroadcasting.net" /> Fees are additionally imposed on developers that remove trees on their property per a citywide ordinance, active since 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Matt |date=May 16, 2018 |title=Atlanta's Building Boom Is Destroying Its Famous Forests |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/atlantas-building-boom-is-destroying-its-famous-forests |access-date=September 28, 2018 |work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref>