Posted on: Mar 08, 2016
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) board in February approved The Atlanta Region’s Plan, a long-range blueprint that details the investments that will be made in the region during the next 25 years to ensure future success and improve our quality of life.
The plan incorporates all of ARC’s program areas – transportation, community development, aging & health services, water resources and workforce development.
The ARC Board adopted a framework for the Atlanta Region’s Plan that focuses on a three-fold vision: providing world-class infrastructure; ensuring the region is comprised of healthy, livable communities; and building a competitive economy.
ARC engaged a diverse range of community members to get feedback, achieving more than 25,000 interactions including online surveys, a regional telephone poll and stakeholder interviews.
In addition, ARC took steps to better engage Millennials at the regional planning table through the creation of a Millennial Advisory Panel.
ARC forecasts the Atlanta region will add 2.5 million people by 2040. That’s the equivalent of all of today’s metro Charlotte moving to metro Atlanta.
The Atlanta Region’s Plan takes this growth into account, programming funding for new transportation options and encouraging the development of connected, mixed-use centers and corridors that provide easier access to jobs and services.
That sounds like a lot of money, but nearly two-thirds of the funds will be needed to maintain existing infrastructure – such as paving roads and repairing bridges.
That leaves $28 billion available for expansion projects. Key projects include:
Metro Atlanta’s population of older adults is expected to more than double by 2040 as Baby Boomers age and life spans increase. The Atlanta Region’s Plan includes programs and policies to meet this growing need.
As the federally-designated Area Agency on Aging in metro Atlanta, ARC provides comprehensive services, such as in-home support services, transportation and home-delivered meals, to older and disabled adults, such as in-home support services, transportation and home-delivered meals.
ARC’s Aging & Health Strategic Plan, Live Beyond Expectations, is designed to deliver increased support services and provide greater impact, despite a reduction in resources.
And ARC’s Lifelong Communities initiative helps guide efforts at the local level to create communities that enable people to remain in their communities as they age.
Across the region, residents of all ages and abilities are seeking more walkable communities, greater access to parks and greenspace and better connection to jobs and services. The Atlanta Region’s Plan includes a number of programs and investments to help make our communities better places to live, work and play:
A clean, abundant water supply is vital to the continued prosperity of the Atlanta region. The Atlanta Region’s Plan includes innovative approaches for managing the supply and quality of our water resources to support economic growth, while preserving the region’s natural resources.
Per capita water use in the Atlanta region has dropped by nearly a third since 2000, thanks in part to conservation measures such as incentives for homeowners to install high-efficiency toilets and tiered rate structures that encourage conservation.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, which is staffed by ARC, is integrating strategies for water supply and conservation, wastewater and stormwater to provide a holistic approach designed to provide sustainable, comprehensive solutions to our region’s water needs.
Atlanta Region’s Plan features programs and initiatives designed to ensure that metro Atlanta’s economy remains competitive into the future.
Aerotropolis Atlanta seeks to transform the airport area into a world-class economic hub that is attractive to international corporations, logistics companies and others that can benefit from proximity to the world’s busiest airport.
The Atlanta Regional Economic Competitiveness Strategy is working to ensure metro Atlanta’s prosperity through four volunteer-led committees: Educated Workforce, Prosperous Businesses, Innovative Economy and Livable Communities.
And the region’s federal Workforce Development programs provide services to ensure that the region’s workforce has the skills, tools and knowledge that employers need in today’s rapidly changing, technology-driven economy.
ARC’s Strategic Partners are committed to fostering collaborative regional approaches that improve quality of life in metro Atlanta. Their support elevates ARC leadership programs, research and events throughout the year. Learn more.
