South of I-20, Ft. McPherson Redevelopment is Finally Taking Shape

After more than a decade of back and forth between the U.S. Army Ft. McPherson (Ft. Mac) representative, GA Gov. Sonny Perdue’s input in 2005, community debate, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed bringing Tyler Perry to the table; the redevelopment of his 445 acre site is finally a reality.  Since officially closing in 2011, southwest Atlanta and East Point neighbors along with the Ft. Mac Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) are finally able to see their efforts materialize.  Though there were numerous disagreements and lawsuits along the way, project is moving forward.

Borrowed from the Ft. Mac LRA newsletter during the MLKing, Jr. week of activities, this is a short “must read”:

Celebrating Martin Luther King’s Vision of a “Beloved Community” at Fort Mac
There’s an old adage in Atlanta shared by the local real estate community – “don’t develop south of I-20.” This conventional wisdom, inculcated by race issues and still buttressed today by economic issues, has created a tale of two cities in Atlanta, one prosperous, and one left behind. This dichotomy is especially frustrating given Atlanta’s status as the birthplace of the American civil rights movement and the hometown of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, investment has begun to return to the area, but not yet at large scale. However, the time is now here for a bold, catalytic project in South Atlanta that will shape and define the City for the next 100 years by transforming underserved communities into the “Beloved Community” envisioned by Dr. King.

Here is information about the next public meeting:

Fort Mac LRA Community Engagement Subcommittee Meeting:

Wednesday, January 24, 2018
5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Fort Mac LRA Office
1794 Walker Street Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30310, United States

(Must have state ID or driver license to enter.)

 

For more on what is going on st Ft. Mac, how you stay abreast of the progress, or when you can attend their public meetings, visit:

https://app.robly.com/archive?id=bfd6fbf6358680109a6ef1badc08f839&v=true

Email:  info@fortmaclra.com

Call:  (404) 487-6767

Website:  www.fortmaclra.com

 

Are Smart Cities the Answer to Urban Woes?

 

Is it a smart move for governments around the world to continue to invest in smart cities?

By 2030, you will be 13 years older.  Think about it because it will be here before you know it.  And according to U.N. studies, “about 5 billion people will make a move from rural to urban areas. This will, in all probability, lead to a resource crunch and consequently affect the quality of life. Governments are investing in smart cities to better monitor the day-to-day activities and enhance the quality, performance, and interactivity of urban services.

So, what is a smart city?

A smart city heavily depends on technology to efficiently and securely manage a city’s assets, such as hospitals, power plants, water dams, universities, schools, and waste management, to name a few. Real-time monitoring systems, using sensors, are used to collect data from citizens, as well as public and private facilities, which give a detailed view of what is happening in the city. This allows city officials to interact with the community directly or indirectly. Use of IoT in these cities helps reduce costs and resource consumption. Besides, it helps governments give a real-time response to citizen concerns. A smart city analyzes the data collected from various sources for efficient use of civic amenities. This supports healthy economic and social development. It focuses on an e-governance model that encourages people to participate, leading to collective development of the city. Countries like Singapore are already adopting such features and budging towards becoming one of the first smart cities in the world.”

See the full article by Naveen Joshi:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-governments-around-world-investing-smart-cities-naveen-joshi

Are you sold on smart cities?

Do you believe for those who can, an escape to the suburbs is the way to go?  Why?

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