We’re all at the table, so let’s talk

Martha Farnsworth Riche, former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, spoke to more than 150 participants at “The Changing Faces of the Future” Fifty Forward forum, held Sept. 10 at the Morehouse Leadership Center.

Following Riche’s address, two local experts, Jane Smith, executive director of the Spelman College Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, and Tisha Tallman, President and CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, joined Riche onstage for a Q&A session with members of the audience.

Most of the discussion centered around situations where the benefits of embracing diversity had not yet been realized.

When answering one audience member’s question about maximizing the benefits of diversity in the workforce, Riche said:

 “Atlanta is incredibly positioned to embrace diversity as a positive force, perhaps the leading city in the country in this regard. Anybody in the world can come to Atlanta and be at home. That is a strength that few cities have.”

We’ll have more updates on the forum later, but for now …

 Do you agree with Riche? Is metro Atlanta as welcoming as many of us think it is?

Your Growth is My Sprawl and Vice Versa

Since the mid-1990s, the Atlanta region has had a tsunami of growth – almost a million new residents as well as a huge accompaniment of businesses, visitors and public and private investments – which has swept aside capacities, plans and resources needed to meet the demand.

A series of three Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable sessions will bring in a number of respected thought-leaders to discuss the impact of Atlanta’s historic growth and what can be done to ensure a more livable future.

Guests include:

Michael Dobbins, Professor, Georgia Tech College of Architecture

Kay B. Lee, Director, Center for Community Preservation and Planning, Newton County

Randy Roark, Professor Emeritus, Georgia Tech College of Architecture

Scott Bernstein, Founder and President, Center for Neighborhood Technology

Leon S. Eplan, Principal, Eplan Consulting

Dan Reuter, Chief of Land Use Planning, Atlanta Regional Commission

While we’re on the subject of rising to the massive challenge of growth management, be sure to read the candid article below.

A Time To Review Georgia’s Growth Policy

By Dan Reuter

There are many good examples of Georgia cities and counties that are permitting new walkable and mixed use developments, upgrading aging infrastructure and building sidewalks or multi-use paths, such as Athens, Savannah, Morrow Woodstock, Suwannee, Cobb County Gwinnett County and others. 

But we also have cities and counties that are still stuck in the last century of promoting growth and economic development that may have a short lifespan of success. We understand that we are living in a global economy with competition for oil, resources and investments. 

But are we ready to make decisions that can allow Georgia to compete? 

Will the state of Georgia and local governments work together to make new investments in our economic future? 

Full article