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Amy Danner, Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development
Contact Amy Danner
404-385-5125
Megaregion leaders agree on rail, bridge
Charlotte, NC (August 13, 2009) — Bruce Henderson, Charlotte Observer
Local public officials and academic figures from the Piedmont Atlanta Region (PAM) gathered in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, August 12th to discuss the future of the region. PAM includes major metropolitan cities spanning from Raleigh, NC to Birmingham, AL, and is delineated by interstates 20 & 85. PAM is one of eight megaregions nationwide that are defined by population growth and economic activity.
Dr. Catherine Ross, transportation expert, director of the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at Georgia Tech, and editor of “Megaregions: Planning for Global Competitiveness", emphasized on the need to plan on a regional scale; as PAM is interrelated in terms of water, transportation and energy. These topics were the main focus of the meeting. The meeting also discussed high-speed rail as a joint planning effort. Academic institutions such as Georgia Tech would provide the research base needed to disseminate and resolve issues pertaining to the region. The next meeting was scheduled for October, where a long-range plan would be hatched.
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The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation's premier research universities. Ranked seventh among U.S. News & World Report's top public universities, Georgia Tech's more than 19,000 students are enrolled in its Colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Management and Sciences. Tech is among the nation's top producers of women and African-American engineers. The Institute offers research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students and is home to more than 100 interdisciplinary units plus the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
