Fresh Loaf

Percentage of Georgia adults who qualify as obese: 28

Percentage of Georgia children age 10-17 who qualify as obese: 37

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for adult obesity: 14

Georgia’s national rank among the 50 states for childhood obesity: 3

Number of the top 10 most obese states that are in the South: 8

Percentage of national health care costs associated with chronic disease, much of which can be traced to obesity: 70

Percentage by which a metro Atlantan is less likely to become obese if that person lives in a walkable neighborhood: 7

Extra number pounds of pounds the average person packs on when he or she lives in a pedestrian-unfriendly city: 6

Atlanta’s rank, out of 40, on a recent list of pedestrian-friendly cities: 22

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Tech, Heartland Institute, Smart Growth America, Trust for America’s Health, WalkScore.com

Bookmark It

Georgia roadbuilders — well, Marietta, Ga.-based C.W. Matthews, in particular — had something to smile about yesterday. Gov. Sonny Perdue, flanked by newly elected Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith and U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, made the smoggy skies rain with Obamabucks on Tuesday as he kicked off the Peach State’s first foray into stimulus spending.

On Tuesday state and federal transportation officials gathered in Hapeville to celebrate the first stimulus-funded road project to go under construction in metro Atlanta, a repaving expected to pump $940,841 into the Georgia economy.

The project is to pave 4.2 miles of Ga. Hwy. 3, a commercial corridor in Clayton and Fulton counties near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Contractors said work is scheduled to begin Monday night.

C.W. Matthews scored the project because it is God.

Now, you can argue about the stimulus all day long. Hard truth though is that it’s here, so you best spend it wisely. And a new study by self-explanatory think tank Smart Growth America and its partners says, whoa, Georgia’s made some good choices in how it spends the cash.

The rest of the country? Meh.

(more…)

Bookmark It

Mother Jones has posted an interesting chat with David Goldberg, communications director of Smart Growth America. Goldberg, a Decatur resident and former AJC editorial board member, talks with assistant editor Jen Phillips about the challenges — and opportunities — communities face as they try to become more walkable and less car-centric. He also gives a long summary on what Atlanta’s doing right after decades of doing wrong.

From the interview:

There’s some really disturbing trends here: We’re having a difficult time revitalizing places that are being abandoned, while we go out to these greenfields and build these new places, wasting a lot of money on extending infrastructure all over the place, and we’re consigning people to life in a car and now high gas prices.

So what do we do about that?

It’s worth the time to give the discussion a look if you want to know the answer. Or if you wanted a comprehensive and easy-to-read background on how smart growth concepts work.

Bookmark It

Washington, D.C.-based Smart Growth America and the Urban Land Institute released a report today saying that a vital component of alleviating climate change is rather simple: Live closer to work. Transportation, the study reports, accounts for a full third of CO2 emissions in the United States, and even with the development of more fuel-efficient vehicles and lower-carbon fuels — such as biodiesel — any benefits the changes provide may be negated by the fact that people are driving more and farther distances when doing so.

While many talk of disincentives to discourage the growing surge of commutes — such as increased tolls, no-drive zones or days, etc. — the study urges “compact development.” From the report:

Rather than building single-use subdivisions or office parks, communities can plan mixed-use developments that put housing within reach of these other destinations. The street network can be designed to interconnect, rather than end in culs-de-sac and funnel traffic onto overused arterial roads. Individual streets can be designed to be “complete,” with safe and convenient places to walk, bicycle, and wait for the bus. Finally, by building more homes as condominiums, townhouses, or detached houses on smaller lots, and by building offices, stores and other destinations “up” rather than “out,” communities can shorten distances between destinations. This makes neighborhood stores more economically viable, allows more frequent and convenient transit service, and helps shorten car trips.

It’s an interesting study and speaks to one of Atlanta’s transportation woes, one often offered by Atlanta’s Asphalt Army of Road Supporters — “But will people use this public transit of which you speak?” If they live close enough to it, why not? I’m still waiting to hear the new-urbanism-is-a-plot-to-take-away-our-God-given-rights canard as a reason against this study.

Both the Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times have written pieces on the report. Print out the report and the articles. If you’re caught in traffic on your way home, maybe you can flip through them.

Bookmark It