Public Involvement

Public involvement is an integral component of the Atlanta Regional Commission's (ARC) planning functions, including comprehensive planning, functions supporting comprehensive regional planning; and programs and services resulting from comprehensive regional planning.

ARC's broad public involvement goals are:

1. Provide opportunities for citizens to help shape the region's future through an active engagement process that is early, open, accessible to decision-makers and acknowledges their insights.
2. Work with community groups to create opportunities for all segments of the public to learn and become informed about issues and proposals under consideration in the planning process.
3. Integrate and coordinate ARC's citizen involvement activities with state and local governments' public involvement processes to increase efficiency and to broaden the base of outreach.
4. Look for opportunities to seek the advice and guidance of low-income and ethnic communities that do not consistently participate in the regional planning process

The scope of public involvement activities summarized below illustrates the breadth and scope of ARC's outreach to the general public, local governments, special population groups, agencies/organizations and ARC staff.

The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District - develops regional and watershed specific plans for stormwater management, wastewater management and water supply and conservation in an 16-county area - Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale and Walton.

Livable Centers Initiative - provides seed money to communities that are working to enhance livability and mobility for their residents.

Research and Data - ARC collects data on population, employment and housing to use for its regional planning responsibilities. These planning data, along with land use analyses, Census data, forecasts and other resources, are available to the public through ARC's Information Center.

ACTION - ARC's bi-monthly publication highlighting current activities, planning initiatives and upcoming meetings and events.

Regional Planning Briefs - an e-mail bulletin designed to keep the public updated on regional issues.

Regional Snapshot - a regular series that gives a quick look at important regional issues.

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) - allocates federal funds for use in construction of the highest priority transportation projects during the next three fiscal years.

Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) - a long-range plan which includes a balanced mix of projects such as bridges, bicycle paths, sidewalks, transit services, new and upgraded roadways, safety improvements, transportation demand management initiatives and emission reduction strategies.

Congestion Management System - an on-going process that provides a forum for the identification of congested locations, as well as the problems and causes that make these locations congested. The process also identifies appropriate congestion mitigation strategies that focus on improving transportation system efficiency, and providing modal choice alternatives to single-occupant vehicles.

Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan - A strategic plan, identifying possible strategies and design guidelines to improve future bike/ped planning.

Area Plan on Aging - carried out through contracts with 10 county-based aging programs, to provide a continuum of home and community-based services. Older citizens and their families are offered many options, including information and referral services, case management, transportation, home-delivered meals, senior centers, legal services and more through this network of care.

Aging Atlanta - a community partnership designed to increase awareness of aging issues, to address gaps in the long-term care system and to promote the creation of more flexible and affordable services for aolder adults.

Platforms for Progress - provides the region with a map of where we want to go and how well we are doing in getting there.

Community Planning Academy - provides targeted training to citizen planners and local government staff and officials on significant regional and local issues specific to the region.

Community Choices - provides the region's communities with new tools and resources to meet these challenges head-on.

Global Atlanta Community Conversations - small group community discussions throughout the region to leverage understanding of ethnic and immigrant populations, their issues, and collaborative opportunities.  

Global Atlanta Snapshots - a publication series designed to help community stakeholders, elected officials, business leaders and other interested individuals become more familiar with the increasingly diverse population living and working in the Atlanta region.  Each Snapshot is easily downloadable from the web and contains information on a featured community’s (e.g. Mexican) culture, language and customs, population data and map, economic contributions, challenges, opportunities and resources.

Ethnic Advisory Council (Hispanic and Asian Councils) - assists ARC in facilitating the involvement of the Hispanic and Asian-American communities in ARC's planning processes, programs, projects and activities throughout the region. The Council is helping ARC to connect with these communities and create opportunities for new partnerships. The Council is composed of key leaders from the Hispanic and Asian American communities.

Environmental Justice Planning Advisory Committee - considers the needs of the traditionally underserved population in the Atlanta region in the development of the Regional Transportation Plan and other planning activities, projects and initiatives.. The team is composed of representatives from grassroots/community-based organizations, federal agencies, local and state government, environmental organizations, educational institutions and the faith community.

Legislative Liaison - provides our state legislators and our congressional delegation with timely information both on the work of ARC and needed informational tools about our citizens in order to assist them in making policy decisions.

Last modified Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:07