Which of the following issues do you find most urgent? (A) Preserving
the rural and agricultural character of a region? (B) Maximizing
greenspace protection? (C) Managing development along a new
bypass? A, B, C, or all of the above?
Welcome to Smart Growth University, a training initiative of
the Alliance for Quality Growth. This UGA-based umbrella organization
works to increase understanding about the wide variety of planning
and growth management tools available to promote sustainable
land use and natural resource development, according to Danny
Bivins, staff member with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s
Community and Regional Development Division (CRD) who serves
as the group’s administrative coordinator.
“The most important characteristic of the Alliance is
that it is a collaborative effort with members from the university’s
public service and outreach units and academic departments,
as well as the private sector and state government,” notes
Bivins. “This range of expertise and the high level of
cooperation enable us to take on many complex projects,”
he adds.
The traveling campus of Smart Growth University recently brought
customized instruction to individual communities, city officials
attending the Georgia Municipal Association convention, and
Region 4 supervisors of the federal Environmental Protection
Agency. The typical morning “class” begins with
an instructor like CRD faculty member Steve Dempsey leading
participants through a questionnaire to help them determine
relevant growth issues. Presenters, including Liz Kramer of
the Institute of Ecology and Jeff Dorfman from the Department
of Agricultural and Applied Economics, then discuss land conservation
as a tool for growth planning and the economic forces directing
patterns of growth.
"The local government officials who attend our training
sessions are confronted with growth management issues on almost
a daily basis,” said Dorfman. “They are very interested
in learning about tools and approaches their city or county
can use to achieve its community vision. The officials feel
we give them lots of helpful information and tools to take home
and put to work improving their communities."
In the afternoon, Pratt Cassity with the College of Environment
and Design leads participants through a hands-on exercise that
helps them consider the placement of new growth as it relates
to their existing natural and historic resources and how each
new wave of growth relates to the previous one.
“The Alliance for Quality Growth is about outreach and
relationship building,” emphasizes Bivins. “Through
the workshops, we are able to share some of the expertise in
growth management that exists here at the university and elsewhere.
This not only increases knowledge about smart growth but also
strengthens the network of everyone committed to managing growth.”
Competing
in a Global Economy
The University of Georgia is at the forefront of the globalization
movement in higher education with a wealth of opportunities
for international experiences. Our students are flocking to
study-abroad programs, thriving on the challenges inherent
in confronting a new cultural environment. More and more,
students on campus are also making choices that reflect an
understanding of the importance of global awareness—from
living in a residence hall-based language community to starting
a radio program in another language to minoring in a foreign
language. These experiences, whether at home or abroad, influence
how our students perceive the world and their place in it.
We’re producing graduates prepared to be world citizens—well
informed, culturally sensitive and technologically sophisticated.
They’re ready to take on the challenges of our global
society, and they’ll be equally at home whether in the
Peach State or the Republic of Georgia.
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Local
officials from communities of all sizes learn about sustainable land
use and natural resource development at a workshop coordinated by
UGA's Alliance for Quality Growth
