Business Insider

By Dennis

July 7, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this

First The AJC and its Editors must acknowledge that the area inside I-285 is not the destination of every, or even 20%, commuter.

Then: 1.Create a mega-region water system, whereby, each area within the mega-region gives water according to it ability and each area receives water according to its needs.

By Road Scholar

July 7, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this

The states, counties, and cities need to communicate and plan. They must reach a consensus on issues such as water, transportation, clean air and renewable infrastructure. The biggest isssue right now is clean air, in the long term. There must be a shared vision for all governments to implement. to do this there must be a plan with guidelines for sustainable growth.

By newkid

July 7, 2008 11:53 AM | Link to this

Maria, you’ll recall that I’ve alluded to the importance of this phenomenon in several previous contacts with you. It is clearly one of the more signicant national and international ‘on the ground’ economic developments in the first decade of the 21st century. We here in the southeast (okay, let’s call it PAM) must handle it with the utmost care. So, rather than starting with listing what we can do to make PAM competitive, let’s begin at the beginning.

If we’re to be successful in developing and implementing PAM-wide solutions to regional challenges to our future commercial success, there must first be a mutual understanding and agreement (among the 6 states) that our mega-region is indeed a real phenomenon and not just an exercise in the latest academic thinking. We cannot afford this being viewed by one or more of the states as anything but an open and honest effort to effectively resolve REGIONAL 21st century challenges in manners that are most beneficial for the entire PAM-region and its resources. Coming to this mutual agreement will be no small task as there are many historical issues and behaviors that divide us; and in some instances these divisions are quite deep.

This decision, as it were, to join hands across state boundaries to address regional challenges, will necessarily be a political decision; it MUST be. However, the fact that politicians are notoriously silo-ed in their thoughts and actions will likely be a huge drag on progress at the outset. They’ll need catalysts, and these catalysts will need to be persistent, convincing (in multiple ways), and representative of multi-state interests.

If we collectively can make reasonable progress in the months ahead in taking this first step, then we’re able to begin meaningful conversations about the particulars of the challenges. Let’s make the first step first.

By Dr. Craig Spinks

July 7, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this

The Southern Regional Education Board(SREB) should take the lead in establishing a world-class regional educational consortium dedicated to developing a cafeteria of research- and data-based curricula and methodologies from which NC, SC, GA and ALA as well as any other states might choose to insure that their respective public school student bodies compete effectively in the 21st Century world economy.

By newkid

July 7, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

Dr. Spinks, it certainly sounds as if the SREB could be one of those catalysts. Thank you.

By Joeventures

July 9, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this

It would be useful to see this issue in light of what’s going on with the multitude of governments in the region, and how chopping the region up into a bunch of bureaucracies hurts the entire region.

I’m not as concerned about the movement toward creating new cities as much as I’m concerned with the movement toward splitting up Fulton County. Georgia’s counties are small because they were determined by the distance a horse could travel in a day. Outside the practical concerns over having so many governments, it should strike anyone as offensive that our local governments should still be determined by horses.

It made sense back then that everyone in a county had to work out their problems together. A county back then was like what a region is today. Shouldn’t we work toward restructuring our governance so that when our region has a problem, the region has no choice but to work itself out? Imagine if — just as a start — Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties were merged. There would be a lot of fighting for sure. However, everyone would come to the realization that they’re stuck in a room together and must work things out.

It happens all too often that arbitrary lines designed by horses serve as an excuse for our political leaders to remain in a stalemate, and drag the whole region’s economy down with it.