[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 14, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MAKING ATLANTA, GEORGIA A MORE LIVABLE COMMUNITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) 
is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, 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 
36\1/2\ 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. Hewlitt Packard decided not to expand its Atlanta 
facilities; and in fact, the city lost its 1997 top rank as the 
country's best real estate market and is now 15 among 18 cities that 
are monitored.
  There are even concerns about the health implications. Last fall, the 
Centers for Disease Control reported amongst the alarming national 
increase in obesity rates that the greatest percentage increase 
occurred in Georgia, over 100 percent in the last 10 years. Some of 
these experts were speculating that it may be related to the bad air 
that discourages exercise and the poor urban design that makes it hard 
to find places to walk, bike, and otherwise exercise.
  Asthma is the number one reason for childhood hospitalization in 
Atlanta, but there are very positive signs on the horizon. As I 
mentioned, the leadership of Governor Barnes, with the business 
community, was able to create the Georgia Regional Transportation 
Authority to coordinate and oversee for the first time metropolitan 
Atlanta's fight against pollution, traffic, and unplanned growth. There 
is an exciting 138-acre redevelopment in the old Atlantic Steel site 
that is combining residential, retail, office and entertainment space 
in a transit-oriented development on a brownfield site in mid-town 
Atlanta.
  Recently, we have seen another business, Bell South, decided to 
relocate from 75 different suburbans office areas to three centers for 
13,000 employees inside the perimeter and all adjacent to transit. In 
no small way, this has been the result of business leadership 
exemplified by Mr. Williams, head of Post Properties. In fact, he has 
been here on Capitol Hill meeting with senators and representatives 
talking about how, in fact, his business, which was built on the 
development of suburban luxury office, has discovered a significant 
opportunity to move this new housing into the increased demand closer 
in central cities, growing at more than 10 percent a year as opposed to 
2 percent in the suburbs. They have shifted their focus from 
development on existing farm lands and wood lots to more urban 
locations and expanding to make a profit in in-town housing, not just 
in projects in Atlanta but also the real estate markets in Texas, 
Florida, and Virginia.
  One of the reasons why the livable communities initiatives are being 
successful is not just because of political leadership but because 
business leaders, like Mr. Williams, the president of the chamber of 
commerce for metropolitan Atlanta, understand what is at stake and they 
have practiced their civic leadership in the broader sense of the 
community and with their personal business practices. This is a very 
positive sign for those of us who want more livable communities so that 
our families can be safe, healthy, and economically secure.

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