In a gathering of prominent local leaders and federal officials, the annual "State of the Region" breakfast gala, hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), highlighted the critical need for Atlanta to capitalize on a significant influx of federal funding aimed at connecting the sprawling metro area and preparing for a hotter future. Amidst the excitement surrounding the event, Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to President Joe Biden and the White House's infrastructure coordinator, emphasized that Atlanta has a unique chance to shape a "New South" with the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by the Biden administration's sweeping infrastructure legislation.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2021, allocates substantial resources to the repair of the nation's roads, bridges, and highways while promoting public transit and the creation of electric vehicle charging stations. As of September, Georgia has already received $6.7 billion from this law, with a portion of the funds going towards crucial projects in the Metro Atlanta area, such as the Atlanta Beltline and "The Stitch" - a proposed 14-acre greenspace constructed over portions of the Downtown Connector.

The ARC, as the region's planning agency, has successfully secured a share of the federal funding. Having established a climate and resilience program, the commission is now focused on obtaining additional resources to support its initiatives. To date, the ARC has acquired $3 million in climate-related funding, including $1 million specifically dedicated to developing a climate plan designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the 29-county region. Anna Roach, the ARC's executive director and CEO, revealed that the agency has additional funding requests totaling $17 million in the pipeline.

The recent release of the Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey further underscored the importance of climate change in the minds of Atlantans. The survey, which polled nearly 5,000 residents in 11 counties, identified crime and the economy as the top concerns, but also highlighted that nearly half of the respondents believed climate change would pose a threat to the region within the next decade.

The urgency to prepare for the future is evident, as the city experienced a September deluge which flooded parts of downtown Atlanta, while facing more frequent and intense heatwaves. Both Roach and Landrieu emphasized that now is the time for the region to take action to ensure resiliency against climate change and extreme weather events.

Roach expressed the importance of large-scale projects that have the potential to transform the entire region and accelerate its resilience effort. With federal funding already flowing into Atlanta and additional requests on the horizon, Atlanta is well-positioned to capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a sustainable and thriving future for the city and the greater Metro Atlanta area.