The Case for a National Infrastructure Policy: The Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion in the Global Economy

Timeframe: March 23, 2009

Sponsor/Client: CQGRD, America2050, Georgia Transportation Institute, Atlanta Regional Commission, Metro Atlanta Chamber, Livable Communities Coalition, the Medici Center, and the North Georgia Regional Development Center

Partners: CQGRD, America2050, Georgia Transportation Institute, Atlanta Regional Commission, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Livable Communities Coalition, the Medici Center, and the North Georgia Regional Development Center

As globalization transforms economies around the world and more people move into urbanized areas, economic and population growth is increasingly converging. Between now and 2050, more than half the population growth and as much as two-thirds of the economic growth in the United States is projected to occur in interconnected areas known as megaregions. At least eight such megaregions have been identified in the United States. One of these is the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion (PAM), encompassing six states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee - and including metropolitan areas from Raleigh to Birmingham.

In conjunction with other organizations, America 2050 - an initiative anchored by the Regional Plan Association - is preparing to recommended a plan to meet infrastructure needs in our nation in the coming century. To assist in this effort, forums are being conducted in the identified megaregions around the nation.

The schedule of events for the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion in the Global Economy Forum is provided below. Featuring speakers at the forefront of these issues, the Forum will discuss a national agenda for infrastructure investment that could shape the domestic policy of the Obama administration and Congress. The forum will also address how an infrastructure plan can help America address key challenges, such as competing in the global economy, achieving energy independence, combating climate change, and positioning the nation for economic recovery and long-term prosperity.

Sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration

Atlanta (June 20, 2008) — Megaregions are networks of metropolitan centers and their surrounding areas that have existing environmental, economic and infrastructure relationships. These metropolitan agglomerations currently host a significant portion of the country’s population, economic activity and global connections. As a result, they also struggle with intense traffic congestion and a challenging environment, both physically and financially, in which to respond to new transportation needs. 

How should America respond to continuous and geographically focused population growth, spreading traffic congestion, natural resource depletion and the loss of economic competitiveness in the global economy? More explicitly, how should we structure transportation and infrastructure investment and an appropriate policy framework to be more responsive to these challenges and opportunities? 

To begin addressing these questions, the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at Georgia Tech hosted an invitation only Megaregions and Transportation Symposium on Friday, June 20, 2008, in Atlanta, GA. The Symposium is part of the Center’s research on megaregions funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. 

A diverse mix of experts in the field of planning and transportation were asked to participate. Dean Allen of the Georgia Tech College of Architecture started the day by welcoming the group. Featured speakers included: Emil Frankel, Director of Transportation Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy of the U.S. Department of Transportation; Professor Chang-Chun Feng, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Peking University, Beijing, China; Professor Michael Meyer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech; Petra Todorovich, Director, America 2050, Regional Plan Association; and Catherine L. Ross, Ph.D., Harry West Professor and Director of the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD). After several presentations, speakers and participants worked in break-out groups for in-depth discussions of the process of megaregion planning, challenges to megaregion planning, and how to define megaregions. 

The information gathered will ultimately help outline a strategy for exploring the potential of the megaregion as a value-added structure that will guide national transportation policy and investment, while explicitly addressing the relationships among demographic change, land resources, infrastructure investment and economic development. This outline will examine mechanisms to plan for, finance and supply infrastructure that reinforces the competitiveness of current leading economic regions, while simultaneously linking to rural areas and under-performing regions that often experience only the negative externalities of economic growth.

The results of this project will have implications for the practice, policy and study of transportation planning and will be particularly useful to elected officials as they prepare to outline a national strategy for transportation reauthorization in 2009.

Related Links

CQGRD Megaregions

CQGRD Home

Additional information may be obtained from theconference website

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Category: General
Posted by: Colleen Jordan

 The event, which was co-sponsored by the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI) housed at Georgia Tech, shared updates and clarified new guidance and regulations in the transportation area. Several topics were presented at the conference including transportation planning, civil rights, grant making and grant management, oversight, safety and security, and a variety of transit programs. 

Featured speakers included FTA Deputy Administrator Sherry E. Little, FTA Region IV Regional Administrator Dr. Yvette Taylor, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Dr. Gena Abraham, MARTA CEO and General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott, Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chair and Atlanta Regional Commission Chair Sam Olens, and Dr. Michael Meyer, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and director of GTI.  In addition to the speakers, five concurrent breakout sessions were offered in the areas of:  i) National Environmental Policy Act and Planning, ii) Grants, Programs, and Oversight, iii) Procurement and Partnerships, iv) Best Practices & Innovation, and v) Executive Track.

A demonstration of emergency preparedness as well as a technical tour of MARTA were included as part of the conference program.  In addition, annual awards were presented to recognize the accomplishments of Transit Partners across the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dr. Laurie Garrow, assistant professor in CEE, who helped co-organize the conference states “working together with the FTA to host this conference has been a wonderful opportunity, and we are delighted to have been part of an event which brought together more than 280 transit professionals from throughout the southeastern United States.  Clearly, the opportunity for our students to interact with this community had a tremendous impact on shaping many of their future career goals – five of our students are currently interning with MARTA this summer, and many other of our gradate students are working with transit agencies throughout the U.S.  We look forward to continuing this relationship and co-hosting future conferences together with FTA.”

For further information about the conference including a detailed program visit Route to Success.  Also, see the MARTA website for a press release about the conference issued by MARTA.

The FTA Region IV Office is located in Atlanta, Georgia.  It manages over 1,000 active grants, which provide Federal funding amounting to over $4.0 billion.  For detailed information about FTA Region IV, visit theirwebsite.

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Atlanta (January 26, 2009) — On September 22-23, 2008, the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute (SCL) partnered with Schneider National Inc. to organize their fourth co-hosted Transportation Productivity Summit. The purpose of the summit was to respond to the volatility in fuel prices and the need to conserve.

The two-day summit brought together shippers, carriers, suppliers, and regulators in an open dialog to discuss ways to conserve fuel, improve efficiencies and build more sustainable supply chains. 

"This Symposium brought together some of the best thought leaders to discuss a strategically important issue for our country and for the supply chain business community - fuel conservation and management," said SCL Managing Director Harvey Donaldson. "I was impressed with the amount of innovation and resources that both carriers and shippers are devoting to reducing the size and weight of shipments, eliminating miles from their transportation networks and reducing fuel consumption through more efficient engines and more aerodynamic vehicles."

Industry partnerships such as this one are an important element to SCL's and the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering's missions – to serve as a center for new knowledge and innovation in supply chain engineering and management.

Chelsea C. White III, Stewart School Chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Schneider National Chair of Transportation and Logistics at Georgia Tech, moderated a panel on shippers' view of current crisis and expectations of transportation provide

"The Symposium helps our faculty and students keep up-to-date with real world issues and the challenges in the industry," said Chelsea C. White III, Stewart School Chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Schneider National Chair of Transportation and Logistics at Georgia Tech. "As a result, we are better informed about the needs, forces, and trends in the freight transportation and logistics industry and are better able to identify high impact research and development topics. We are very proud of our association with Schneider and are delighted to co-host this important thought provoking event with them."

Since 2003, the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute has partnered with Schneider National Inc. to organize four annual Summits. Previous topics have included hours of service, port congestion, fuel conservation, and sustainability. Schneider National held two additional summits in China to focus on the important role that China plays in global supply chains. The summits are led by Christopher "Chris" B. Lofgren, President and CEO of Schneider National and Chelsea C. White II, H. Milton Stewart and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair and Schneider National Chair of Transportation and Logistics.

For more information contact:
Barbara Christopher, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Contact Barbara Christopher
404.385.3102

ON November 9, 2005, the Georgia Transportation Institute (GTI) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) hosted the first GTI/GDOT Research Symposium at the Global Learning Conference Center at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The purpose of the symposium was to convene engineers and researchers to identify research related needs for GDOT and collaboratively develop research needs statements to investigate and address these issues. The event brought together over 50 delegates from GDOT, several GTI Universities and private firms. GTI Universities represented included Georgia Institute of Technology, Southern Polytechnic State University, Georgia
State University and Clark Atlanta University. In his opening remarks, Dr. Michael Meyer, Director of the Georgia Transportation Institute stressed that the symposium was an opportunity for collaboration on research, understanding research capabilities, positioning Georgia for national research and technology development opportunities in transportation, and meeting the professional development needs of GDOT. Ms. Georgene Geary, State Materials and Research Engineer, welcomed another opportunity for GDOT to work closely and collaboratively with GTI institutions. She stressed the importance of the event to capture the broad range of resources available through the various GTI institutions. The Symposium provided an excellent forum for interaction among academics, government officials and private practitioners. The event generated several research needs statements to address both existing and future needs and opportunities at GDOT.

The research needs statements are expected to be developed into full fledged research projects to address both short and long term needs at GDOT.