News and Information
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322

Release date: Sept. 2, 1999
Contact: Nancy Seideman, Director, 404-727-0640, or nseidem@emory.edu

Emory Recognized For "Smart Growth" at U.S. Senate Task Force Forum; Sen. Max Cleland, Gov. Roy Barnes Are Featured Speakers

Difficult decisions lie ahead, but what city planners advocating smart growth are proposing "isn't rocket science." That was the message more than 200 people carried away from the Emory Conference Center Aug. 25, when the university hosted a field tour of the U.S. Senate Smart Growth Task Force.

"I want to make something clear: I am not here to stop growth," said Gov. Roy Barnes, who created the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) this year to deal with regional traffic congestion and air quality issues. "But what sells houses, what brings growth, is quality of life."

U.S. Senator Max Cleland (D-Ga.), a 1968 Emory graduate and a native of Lithonia, is on the task force and said the problem is one facing all of Georgia, not just metro Atlanta. "We have to tackle this problem as one state; we can't afford two Georgias," Cleland said. "Since this is my home, [whenever] I begin thinking about retirement I would like to look back and say we did some smart things."

Emory has already begun doing smart things, which is why it received the honor of hosting the event. The university's campus master plan and push toward alternative transportation are the kinds of comprehensive efforts toward which smart growth strives.

"We don't think our particular planning has the answers for all of Atlanta, but uncontrolled, thoughtless growth will poison our communities and the communities we leave for our descendants," said President Bill Chace.

Intelligent planning must be done collaboratively, he said, with government, business and communities working together "because there are no real boundaries between organizations and communities."

For the full story, see the Aug. 30 issue of Emory Report at www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/er.html.

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