Earl Blumenauer: “One indication of how the momentum for the efforts across the country to promote livability has been gaining speed is…”

“One indication of how the momentum for the efforts across the country to promote livability has been gaining speed is the comments from governors who are talking about smart growth and livability in their State of the State addresses. One State deserves special attention and that is Georgia, where we have been watching a renaissance in our cities and inner suburbs taking place. Atlanta, which some have sort of dismissed as the poster child of sprawl, is making significant progress under the leadership of Governor Barnes and with the assistance of business leaders like John Williams, who was recently profiled in the New York Times. Atlanta has been characterized by some as the area of the most rapid growth in the history of human settlement. A more than 25 percent increase in population since 1990, the city in that time frame has grown from north to south from 65 miles to 110 miles, and the results have been devastating, frankly. The average Atlanta commuter drives 36½ miles daily, the average, the longest work trip commute in the world. This has had serious problems in terms of their air quality to the point that Federal transportation officials have withheld resources because it is not meeting air quality standards. Over 60 percent of the State's rivers and streams do not meet water quality standards, almost twice the national average. It is losing business. In 1998, Atlanta lost a bid for the Harley Davidson plant.”