Maria’s Metro

Greater Houston may be bigger than the Atlanta region; but is it better?

HOUSTON — As the delegation of 110 metro Atlanta leaders got off the AirTran charter plane in Houston on the morning of May 15, one of the flight attendants parting words were: “Everything is bigger in Houston.”

That line became a metaphor for the 17th annual LINK trip — an opportunity for regional leaders to view how other cities address their urban challenges to see how metro Atlanta can benefit from the experiences of others. LINK stands for “Leadership, Involvement, Networking, Knowledge.”

This column will focus primarily on three areas — the Texas Medical Center, Houston’s recent advances in public transportation and its dominant role in the shipping and logistics industry.

In each of those areas, there are lessons for metro Atlanta and Georgia — valuable comparisons of how we compare, compete and contrast.
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Guest Columns

Georgia companies finding benefits in setting up teleworking programs

tedra cheatham edit photo

By Guest Columnist TEDRA CHEATHAM, executive director of the Clean Air Campaign

The recent decisions by Yahoo! and Best Buy to end their telework programs have kick-started discussions in workplaces across the country about whether flexible work arrangements are a viable business strategy.  Is telework on the way out?

The truth is that the companies at the center of this debate have made isolated decisions about what they feel is best for their particular situations. Their position is that a lack of proximity hurts the natural collaboration of employees at the office and inhibits innovation and the bottom line.

There’s also an underlying concern about the work ethic of teleworkers. This old-school mentality asks: “If employees are working and no one is around to see it, did they actually do the job?”
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Chris Schroder – Moments

Marine later found herself jobless and homeless – until Nobis Works put her back on productive path

Tracey Jackson was a Marine with dreams of a career in medicine until she had an anaphylactic reaction that left her disabled, unable to work, and ultimately homeless. Tracey’s Moment with Atlanta nonprofit Nobis Works not only got her off the streets, it set her life on a new path of success.

Prior to her Moment, Tracey served in the United States Marine Corps, was scheduled to serve in the Gulf War and received a series of medical injections in preparation. Ultimately, she did not get shipped overseas, so she planned to go to medical school and, in anticipation of that, began studying nursing.

During her rigorous nursing classes, Tracey experienced an anaphylactic reaction that sent her into seizures. The unanticipated and severe reaction changed the rest of her life. Continue reading →

Saba Long

Peachtree Street becomes car-free zone during Atlanta Streets Alive

There is something liberating about casually strolling down the middle of Peachtree Street as out-of-towners standing on the sidewalk gesture with an air of perplexity.

Rain aside, hundreds of Atlantans joined together this past Sunday to celebrate another Atlanta Streets Alive, the first on our city’s signature street – Peachtree.

From downtown to Midtown, families and friends walked, cycled and skateboarded up and down the street sans cars. Along the nearly three-mile route were food trucks, outdoor games and plenty of familiar faces greeting each other and sharing in the communal spirit of Atlanta Streets Alive.
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ABC Articles

Column: Community groups ULI-Atlanta and LCC will combine

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, May 17, 2013

ULI Atlanta and the Livable Communities Coalition have agreed to join forces — creating the ULI Atlanta Livable Communities Council.

The Council will be part of the Urban Land Institute’s Atlanta district and will assume the mission of the Livable Communities Coalition (LCC), the nonprofit metro Atlanta advocacy group formed in 2005 to promote smart urban growth.

David Allman, who has served as LCC’s board chair and is the incoming board chair of ULI Atlanta, said combining both entities makes “perfect sense going forward.” Allman, founder of developer Regent Partners, said the two entities have common goals — walkable communities and transit-oriented development (TOD). Continue reading →