Atlanta: Reining In Sprawl - urban growth has negative environmental impact

American Forests, Autumn, 1999

American Forests recently spoke to Joel Cowan, chairman of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), about the issues facing Atlanta as it grows and develops. Cowan, an Atlanta business and civic leader, co-founded Peachtree City and serves on the executive committee of the Georgia Conservancy.

(Q) What are some of the most environmentally important issues facing Atlanta and GRTA as the region continues to urbanize and develop?

(A) The growth of the Atlanta region has had a significant effect on the environment, primarily in three areas: loss of green space, air quality, and water quality.

According to some estimates, we are losing 50 acres of tree cover every day in the region, and a report by the Sierra Club last year said we're losing 500 acres of forest and farmland a week to development. The Sierra Club report noted that while Atlanta's population had increased by about 13 percent during the '90s, the area of land under development increased by 50 percent - four times as fast as the population growth.

Our air quality problems are well-documented, and cars play a big role in that. Vehicles are responsible for more than half the emissions in a 13-county area that can't attain federal Clean Air standards.

Our growth has affected water quality as well. A lot of development has occurred in outlying counties that don't have sewerage infrastructure in place, with whole subdivisions being built on septic tanks. Those jurisdictions with sewerage have been overwhelmed. The city of Atlanta has a problem with combined sewer overflows, which is now being remedied at great cost. Finally, the loss of green space, and the increased amount of pavement, has contributed to nonpoint source pollution in the streams that feed the Chattahoochee and other major rivers.

(Q) What tools and partners do you see GRTA using as it seeks to reduce Georgia's traffic and pollution challenges? What impact did AMERICAS FORESTS' satellite analysis and heat-island studies of tree loss in the greater Atlanta area have on you and the Atlanta community?

(A) The satellite analysis was very helpful. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution used it as the basis for several articles about the loss of tree cover in the region, and it confirmed scientifically what many people already sensed: We're losing the wonderful trees that make Atlanta such a desirable place to live.

GRTA will have many partners as we try to find a way to continue economic growth without damaging our environment or our communities. We will work with local governments, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the state Department of Transportation, and other agencies.

We have a variety of tools, which we like to call a "carrot and stick" approach. With a $2 billion line of credit, we can offer financing to communities that want to clean up sources of pollution or start local bus systems, for example. But we also have veto power over major roads and curb cuts, which will allow us to keep a handle on development along roads that are built. And we can stop Developments of Regional Impact unless a local government votes by a three-fourths majority to override our veto. Finally, any local jurisdiction that refuses to cooperate with us could face a cutoff of state and federal road money.

(Q) Thirteen Georgia counties have lost road-building funds because they fail to meet Clean Air Act standards. What steps do you see GRTA taking to reverse this trend, and can other states learn from your actions?

(A) Our overriding mission is to protect the quality of life that people have been enjoying in this region. To do that, we have to deal with an immediate crisis in air quality and traffic congestion, but we also have to keep an eye on the long-term in terms of land use.

Our first job will be to approve the 25-year Regional Transportation Plan proposed by the Atlanta Regional Commission. This plan must bring us into compliance with federal air quality standards, and we can't use federal transportation money on new projects until it is approved.

Beyond that, we need to think about ways to provide alternative transportation and to encourage people to use modes that already are available, such as car pools. We will never eliminate traffic congestion, but we want to make it optional by giving people other choices. The good news is, traffic jams can be a great motivator to get people out of their cars if they have another choice. And if they get out of their cars, whatever the reasoning, it has the effect of cleaning up the air.

Many other states are watching to see if our approach, and the extraordinary powers we have been granted, will work. But we're also looking at what other areas are doing. Many others face these issues right now, and we are trying to learn from each other's experience.

(Q) Development has a huge impact on the way our landscape is shaped. What are a few approaches a developer can take during the design phase of a project to ensure that forest canopy cover and natural systems are retained and the negative impacts of development mitigated?