Metro Atlanta Leaders Jetting Off to the Big Apple for Landmark 2024 LINK Trip
Heads up, y’all! A group of big-shot leaders from the Atlanta region are hitting the road, or rather, taking to the skies, heading for New York City for the 27th LINK trip. LINK, standing for Leadership, Innovation, Networking, Knowledge, is all about learning from others and bringing back the best bits to our hometown.
Why New York City?
You might say, “Hold on now, NYC’s much bigger and denser than Atlanta, what’s the connection?” While it’s true that New York City is pretty vast with about 8.6 million folks living in its five boroughs compared to Atlanta’s high of 532,000, there’s plenty that these two cities can learn from each other. Despite their differences in size, there are a lot of common issues both regions face. This is why the Atlanta Regional Commission thought it would be a good idea for leaders from our city to take a trip up north and see what’s happening in the Big Apple.
What’s the Main Event?
Our Atlanta folks, about 145 of them, will be in NYC from August 14 to 17. They’ll get to mingle and exchange ideas with leaders from NYC’s public, private, and non-profit sectors. They’ll also look into major regional matters such as transit, climate and the green scene, housing, and redevelopment. That’s a big list, sure, but there’s a lot to learn from a place like NYC.
Room to Roam
One thing to note is NYC’s change from a car-dominated city to a more pedestrian-friendly environment. If you want, you can cycle safely around Manhattan. Mike Alexander, Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) chief operating officer, pointed out that the transformation from congested roads to a more people-oriented city has implications for economic development.
Urban Design and Development
One big highlight of this trip will be learning about how NYC is making huge investments in improving its transit infrastructure and the redevelopment and conversion of office spaces into residential areas. The plan includes major station renovations like Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. To put it in perspective, NYC is remaking Grand Central, an $11.2 billion pivot, while our metro’s transit system, MARTA, is planning a $230 million renovation of its main hub – quite the difference.
From Rails to Trails
It’s not all boardrooms and formal chats. There’ll be some real-world explorations too. One of the trip’s highlights will be a chat between Clyde Higgs, pragmatist-in-chief of Atlanta Beltline, and Alan van Capelle, boss of High Line Park Trust, both projects that turned former rail lines into fabulous spaces for pedestrians. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that Atlanta loves a good adaptive reuse project.
Home Sweet Home
Atlanta’s Mayor Andre Dickens, who sits on ARC’s Board, is bringing affordable housing to the forefront. Our gang’s going to hear about NYC’s approach to converting office buildings into other uses like housing and hotels. Meliss Roberts, ARC’s Director of LINK, explained these insights will be key when dealing with the surplus of empty office buildings we have due to COVID-19. Learning about housing finance and development will also be on the cards.
Greening Up and Tech Ties
The crew will surely not miss out on learning about NYC’s approach to climate and sustainability, the green economy, and workforce development in clean technology. They will also be looking at how the New York Stock Exchange, owned by Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange, operates. To top it all off, the LINK delegation will be part of the NYSE’s closing bell ceremony on Aug. 16. Now that’s something to write home about!
Forming Friendships
The goal of the LINK trip is not only to learn from other cities, but it’s also about bonding and building connections between leaders from public, business, and civil sectors. The LINK trip will offer a chance for leaders to collaborate and shape the future of our city together, learning from the best practices in New York.
