Fresh off the last year’s raves its work on Manhattan’s High Line linear park on an abandoned elevated railroad, New York’s James Corner Field Operations has been hired to design Atlanta’s Beltline.

Beltline officials announced today that James Corner will join with the Atlanta office of Perkins + Will, which happens to employ Beltline visionary Ryan Gravel, as the winning team for the $9.5 million design contract.

“The selection of this world-class team to design the Beltline corridor is a great step forward for one of the most significant projects in our city’s history,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement.

Creative Loafing‘s Thomas Wheatley, as usual, has the story:

That means they’ll oversee everything from the placement of utilities and multi-use trails. They’ll lead a team of 19 other design firms on tasks including: civil and structural engineering, transit, stations, bridges, tunnels, historic preservation, public art locations, and signage. (Basically, the nuts and bolts of the project.) Their work will determine all future Beltline design and construction.

Project officials say the firms’ work will help make the endeavor more competitive for federal funding — which many say is vital should the Beltline become a reality much sooner than 2032, as Reed has said he’d like to see.

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3. Beltline finds it easier to sell bonds
4. One more Beltline walk pic — an important one
5. Trying to ignore the High Line, but failing