Bureau of Watershed Protection
Greenspace Protection

Protecting sensitive lands from development is an important component in protecting the overall health of a watershed. The City of Atlanta has several projects directed at permanently protecting greenspace.

Greenway Acquisition Project*
The City of Atlanta Greenway Acquisition Project is a $25 million program to acquire and protect properties adjacent to selected rivers and creeks within the Metro Atlanta area. Once acquired, these properties (Greenway Properties) will forever be maintained in a natural, undisturbed state.

Greenway Maintenance
Once acquired, it is the responsibility of the City of Atlanta (as mandated by the Consent Decree*), to maintain properties acquired under the Greenway Acquisition Project (Greenway Properties) in perpetuity. The City must maintain Greenway Properties in a natural, undisturbed state to protect water quality, animal and plant habitats, and wetlands along Metro Atlanta rivers and creeks, from erosion, flood damage, and clear-cutting.

For complete information on the City of Atlanta’s Greenway Acquisition and Maintenance Project click here.

Parks and Greenspace Acquisition
The Department of Planning works in coordination with the Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs and the Atlanta Development Authority to identify and acquire property to expand and enhance the City’s parks system.

The City has approximately 3,200 acres of parkland. Atlanta parkland comprises a wide variety of natural resource areas and environmental functions. Eighty-five percent of City parks are located along streams in floodplain and wetland areas, in areas with steep and rocky topography, or in other environmentally sensitive areas.

Learn more about Atlanta’s efforts to protect parks and greenspace:

• Atlanta’s Project Greenspace
• Atlanta BeltLine
• Parks & Greenspace Acquisition


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