Reclaim, Restore, Repurpose Uptown's River Project

Once Georgia’s second-largest city’s bustling heart, Uptown Columbus thrived for over a century along the Chattahoochee River. Powering the booming textile industry, titans of the time-built dams in 1828 and 1868; however, fast forward over 100 years, and the industry had moved overseas, leaving the river a lifeless industrial waterway. The aging, leaking dams presented a daunting challenge, both economic and environmental.

Uptown devised a seemingly “crazy” plan: Transform the industrial river into a whitewater rafting and outdoor recreation paradise. Determined, Uptown Columbus raised $26.3 million, secured the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval, hired engineers to design the course and brought in an experienced outfitter to run the whitewater operations. A decade of work culminated in the dramatic removal of the dams in 2013. Rafting started to rave reviews.

Capitalizing on the project’s success, they built ziplines connecting Georgia and Alabama, followed by a playground, splashpad and expanded bike paths. As a capstone of its first decade, the International Canoe Federation’s selected the Uptown to host the freestyle kayak world championships. This Olympic-level event, featuring 211 athletes and officials, thrust Columbus’ waterway onto the international stage.

Uptown’s river project changed the entire trajectory of downtown and the city.