The newly formed Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance bears a striking resemblance to Partnership Gwinnett, a public-private initiative that has created a strong record of economic development in Gwinnett County.
Each entity was formed to attract jobs and investments to their respective areas. One distinguishing point is that the aerotropolis alliance was convened by the Atlanta Regional Commission, whereas Partnership Gwinnett is based at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
The purpose of the new alliance is to make it easier for companies to locate ...more
Teams from Dallas and Baltimore took home top honors, but in a sense Emory University and metro Atlanta were the real winners in this weekend’s Emory Global Health Case Competition.
The event drew to Emory’s campus more than 140 top students and scholars from the U.S. and countries including Australia, Canada and Sweden. For these students, Emory was the venue to propose and debate 21st century strategies for the World Health Organization.
These strategies are extremely important. The question about the future ...more
The proposal to demolish a building owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District is advancing even as the city expects to enact in May a set of new zoning regulations for the entire historic district.
The AHA-owned building is located along Auburn Avenue in the heart of the proposed commercial and institutional section of the historic district. Fulton County property tax records list the owner as Westside Revitalizations Acquisitions, LLC. AHA’s report to HUD ...more
When MARTA on Wednesday begins its latest effort to improve customer service, it will be renewing a program that grew out of a federal court order issued in 2002 to protect disabled riders.
MARTA is soliciting proposals for a mystery rider program. A central issue is MARTA’s compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The program goes by the sort of fun-sounding name of, “MARTA’s Mystery Customer Program.” The name harkens to the mystery customers who check on retail clerks to ...more
A new plan due for initial adoption Wednesday by the ARC board shows the extent to which $7-plus billion can go toward improving metro Atlanta’s transportation network.
Planners talk up the can-do projects contained in this five-year spending proposal, rather than lofty visions in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s long-range transportation plan. The ARC’s 2040 plan is up for adoption, as well.
This strategy of focusing on the five-year plan addresses some realpolitiks: Regional traffic is building after the recession, while transportation funding ...more
The vagaries of the global shipping trade are again poised to affect Atlanta’s second major trade port, the seaport in Savannah.
Last month, the concern was construction delays at the Panama Canal. This month, it’s the question of how the Savannah port will factor into a proposed alliance of shipping companies that would control up to 40 percent of the world’s major oceanic transport.
All these events are routine business ventures compared to the state’s decision on how to proceed with the ...more
Atlanta is one of six cities chosen as finalists for a federal Choice Neighborhood grant that would provide Atlanta with up to $30 million to improve three impoverished neighborhoods.
Atlanta would target the money on three neighborhoods west of the future Falcons stadium. The potential federal grant is separate from the $30 million already promised to the area by Atlanta and the Blank Family Foundation.
The Choice Neighborhood grant focuses on Vine City; the Atlanta University Center; and Ashview Heights, which is ...more
A definite Georgia flavor surrounded Janet Yellen’s first policy meeting in Washington Wednesday as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve.
As Yellen was preparing to talk with reporters, a retired vice president of the Atlanta Fed and a UGA economics professor were speaking at a separate panel discussion, hosted by the Heritage Foundation, on what good the Fed has done in its 100-year history.
Despite the different venues, the conversations shared an interest in the Fed’s role in unemployed and underemployed Americans.
Incidentally, Yellen ...more
A nascent movement in the sustainability arena flexed its young wings in Atlanta last week.
The movement involves the merging of issues including renewable energy, green buildings, and consumer products free of toxic chemicals. Apple CEO Tim Cook epitomizes the new concept for one advocate who spoke at a panel discussion sponsored by Southeast Green.
Cook drew headlines for his Feb. 28 remark to shareholders who criticized Apple’s green investment strategy: “If you want me to do things only for ROI ...more
Atlanta plans to condemn property to build an Atlanta BeltLine trail so the project doesn’t lose federal funding.
The Southwest Corridor Trail is to be built with an $18 million TIGER V grant. Atlanta has until June 30 to acquire rights of way and complete other pre-construction activities, according to terms of the grant.
The Atlanta City Council, at its Monday meeting, is slated to authorize Mayor Kasim Reed to acquire land needed for the southwest trail. The legislation provides for purchase ...more
