Technology company Apple is big right now, as it just became the highest-valued company in the world. The other “Big Apple,” New York City, is listed as the most innovative city in the United States, with enough jobs in the tech industry to make it comparable to Silicon Valley.
The Atlanta region itself is becoming a hub for innovation and technology, but we need to find other ways to become our own Big Apple in order to secure the long-term success of our region.
As a member of the technology community, I know firsthand the power of innovation and technology and how it can transform a region and the world. The iPhone transformed how we interacted with cellular communication and was a disruptive innovation. Atlanta is boosting one of the greatest startup scenes in the South, but it takes a lot more to generate innovation in the region. Businesses want to move to a place where there is an educated and smart workforce.
Education is one of the region’s greatest concerns. And it is an issue which can be greatly improved by investing in career preparation for the future, as 80 percent of the jobs in the next decade will require some type of technology skill. Empowering students to be innovative is a lifelong and transferable skill and will ensure that the region has the educated workforce it needs to transcend into a world-class region. After all, the innovative idea for the Atlanta Beltline came from a former Georgia Tech student.
Atlanta can also learn a lot from the Big Apple’s density. As a millennial, we are becoming more attracted to dense, walkable communities where we can live, work, and play. But it is impossible to imagine connected communities without an innovative transportation system. Whether the answer is high-speed rail, bikes, or more trails, how we get around and interact with our environment is key to attract and retain the ever-growing millennial population in metro Atlanta.
Our region already has all the ingredients to secure its long-term future — we just need to activate them. To be sure, metro Atlanta is in the Peach State and doesn’t need to trade in peaches for apples, but we can benefit by having both in our harvest.
If innovation and technology stay at the forefront of the region’s mindset, and areas such as transportation and education are improved, the Atlanta region will become like both Big Apples and will definitely win the future.
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