Ryan Gravel

About the Author

Ryan Gravel is an urban planner, architect, and author whose innovative ideas have reshaped contemporary discussions on sustainable city design. With a background in landscape architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Gravel gained prominence for his visionary proposal to transform Atlanta's underutilized rail corridor into the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile loop of parks, trails, and transit that has become a model for urban revitalization worldwide. In his acclaimed book Where We Want to Live: Reclaiming Infrastructure for a New Generation of Cities, he explores how reimagining everyday infrastructure can foster equitable, vibrant communities. Gravel's work bridges theory and practice, advocating for cities that prioritize people over cars and integrate nature into the urban fabric, inspiring a new generation of planners and policymakers to rethink the spaces where we live, work, and play.