Atlanta Beltline Kiosk Initiative Aims to Bridge Digital Divide Atlanta Beltline Kiosk Initiative Aims to Bridge Digital Divide

There's the Atlanta Beltline you can see—trails, parks, greenspaces, and local businesses—and the infrastructure you can't. Beneath the trail runs nearly 16 miles of a fiber-optic conduit network, the backbone of a new "Smart Corridor" designed to expand digital access for everyone who calls these neighborhoods home.

Wayfinding and Free Public Wi-Fi Access

The first visible sign of that investment: new digital kiosks, now live at Freedom Parkway, Irwin, Glenwood Park, and Pittsburgh Yards®. Each kiosk features an interactive wayfinding touchscreen to help users navigate the trail, discover nearby businesses and points of interest, and stay up to date on Beltline programs, events, and art installations. In all, 22 locations have been identified across the corridor for this first phase of work with the majority of them being installed through the end of 2026. During the first phase of the program, public Wi-Fi access will generally extend in an approximately 300-foot radius around each kiosk location. These initial Wi-Fi zones are intended to establish the foundation for potential future expansion of public connectivity along the corridor over time. Supported by Google, these sites will also include public benches where needed, to create community and gathering spaces.

One step closer to our broader mission

The kiosks are one piece of the Beltline's Smart Corridor initiative, which focuses on leveraging our conduit infrastructure to address the digital divide, enhance the Beltline user experience, and bring alternative revenue streams to make the Beltline project more sustainable. Community members participated in focus groups and workshops to help the Beltline develop its strategy for deploying technology solutions on the Beltline. These solutions seek to address community issues such as access to information, public safety, food and health access, among others. The first phase of work also brings together local DBEs with Fortune 500 partnerships to help close the digital divide in Atlanta's underserved neighborhoods. Accompanying the first phase of digital wayfinding kiosks, additional technologies will be piloted near the Marketplace locations, including smart trash cans, camera visualization AI technology, and EV Charging somewhat adjacent to the sites. Additionally, Freedom Parkway and Pittsburgh Yards® Marketplace locations the Nourish + Bloom autonomous grocery container concept.

“Our work with the Smart Cites & Digital Access Initiative will ensure that residents and business owners benefit from its technology-driven sustainable offerings, promoting digital equity for future generations with free public Wi-Fi, wayfinding, public safety alerts and other technology-centric applications,” said Clyde Higgs, President and CEO at Atlanta Beltline.

According to 2024 Census data, 17% of households in the Neighborhood Stabilization Areas do not have internet access, compared to 6% in the Beltline Planning Area and 8% across the City of Atlanta. As the Beltline continues to invest in infrastructure to expand access to education, food, and healthcare, these new smart hubs are designed to provide helpful tools for trail users, residents, businesses, and visitors.

The Beltline is leveraging the 2026 FIFA World Cup games to begin making investments that deliver community benefits long past the games. By providing free public Wi-Fi zones on the Beltline to residents, visitors, and local businesses, we are actively leveling the digital playing field, empowering communities historically left on the wrong side of the connectivity gap. At the intersection of technology, infrastructure, and social responsibility, the Beltline is bringing vital digital access, economic support, and housing stability to communities that have long been overlooked in Atlanta’s rapid growth. We want to showcase how technology, when deployed with intentionality, can become a powerful tool for transformation.