The Activity Score.
The Activity Score was a community engagement exercise designed for the Turner Field Stadium Neighborhoods LCI. It focused on the core area (the parking lots surrounding the stadium).
As part of a three-step exercise, participants examined examples of local neighborhoods representing a range of density conditions.
Community members were asked to select the level of activity they felt was most appropriate for the core area using four reference types: Regional Center, Active Urban District, Urban Village, and Quiet Neighborhood. Prior to the exercise, the planning team analyzed demographic data, including residents, jobs, and visitors within a one mile radius, to establish activity scores for each category.
Each option corresponded to the level of services it could realistically support. For example, an Active Urban District could sustain amenities such as a grocery store, while a Quiet Neighborhood could not.
Approximately one hundred participants across eight tables took part in the exercise. After selecting a preferred activity level, each group used scaled building blocks representing development types ranging from single family homes to mixed use multifamily and office towers to shape the core area on a large three dimensional site model. Parks and street types were also incorporated into the build out.
After completing their models, a member of the planning team recorded the number of building blocks used at each table with a digital tool to calculate the resulting activity score. In most cases, participants found that additional development was needed to reach the density associated with their preferred activity level.
The planning team then reviewed results from all eight tables to identify key design insights. This included preferred locations for higher density, trade offs between a single large open space and several smaller ones, and other priorities that emerged during the exercise.
The team translated these key elements into design parameters grouped into the six categories shown below. The design parameters served as the primary basis for the three proposed concept plans.
