Georgia Mayor's Training Program
Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi,
is primarily rural with many small towns. Like
their big city cousins; however, these towns
feel the importance of quality of life issues.
AIA Georgia created an annual Mayors’
Training Program to provide basic information
and resources to assist mayors and city managers
in dealing with the challenges arising from
growth, retail exodus from downtowns, inner
core redevelopment, and other community-related
design issues.
This training program has brought AIA Georgia
members in Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Albany,
Tifton, Valdosta, the historical societies
of each county, and elected officials together
to discuss quality of life issues. The AIA
2030 Sustainability Tool Kit is a primary
resource for framing these valuable discussions.
The celebratory component of these efforts
included proclamations from the Governor and
Mayors during National Architecture Week,
April 9-14.
As an integral part of this effort, AIA Georgia
exhibited at the Georgia Municipal Association
(GMA) 2007 Annual Conference held June 23-26
in Savannah, Georgia. The GMA’s membership
consists of more than 502 municipal governments,
accounting for more than 99% of the state’s
municipal population. The organization’s
purpose is to anticipate and influence the
forces shaping Georgia’s communities
and to provide leadership, tools and services
that assist local governments in becoming
more active, effective and responsive. The
theme of the GMA Annual Conference was “Soaring
to New Heights.” The AIA Georgia Exhibit
focused on the 10 Principles of Livable Communities
and the 2030 Initiative. Available at the
exhibit were registration materials for the
2007 AIA Georgia Convention, “Leap into
Livability,” and brochures on QBS Georgia,
the Qualification Based Selection Committee’s
efforts to educate federal agencies on the
qualifications-based selection process.
In support of the Mayors’ Community
Design Training program, the message of creating
more livable communities will continue to
be a topic of conversation this year with
AIA Georgia’s advocacy efforts and in
planning for the AIA Georgia’s annual
conference in October, 2008, in Atlanta. This
year’s conference theme brings AIA Georgia’s
AIA 150 Initiative full circle, as education
will be focused on sustainability and initiating
change. Invitations will be extended to local
mayors to participate in the conference during
panel discussions so we can continue to exchange
ideas on how we can have a positive influence
on the built environment.
Links to other relevant sites: www.aia.org;
www.gmanet.com
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