Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway

Our Story

Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway (MDG) is a group of volunteer community, nonprofit and business leaders who actively work to expand, improve and activate the Memorial Drive Greenway. Founded in 2015 to revive and re-vision a more than 40-year-old greenspace proposal, Friends of Memorial Drive Greenway is part of the Friends of the Park program of Park Pride, the only nonprofit organization working with communities all over Atlanta to improve their parks through programs, funding, and leadership.

The Memorial Drive Greenway consists of 12-acres of proposed linear park greenspace along the Memorial Drive corridor to downtown Atlanta, connecting the Georgia State Capitol to Historic Oakland Cemetery. The City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation currently owns and manages nearly one-third of the land parcels within the proposed Greenway, which are presently designated as park space. Funds from the Eastside Tax Allocation District (TAD) would enable future acquisitions of proposed park parcels.

The Memorial Drive Greenway is also one of many projects and proposals aiming to heal the gash created by the I-85/I-75 interstate north/south through Atlanta’s Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead neighborhoods. The residential and business communities’ desire to reconnect the city to itself is evidenced by the completed 5th Street Midtown Bridge project, as well as proposals for “The Stitch” Downtown Cap, the Memorial Drive Greenway Downtown Cap, and the Path 400 Buckhead Cap.

Parcels and improvements for the Memorial Drive Greenway are outlined in the community vision for the park, as presented in the 2017 Final Conceptual Plan, developed by Park Pride through its Park Visioning Program.

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