The Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts that the 20-county Atlanta region will grow to 8.3 million residents by 2040 from a base of 5.5 million in 2010. Atlanta is similar to many urban areas around the world as populations move to cities for employment and “enhanced” quality of life.

Urbanization can bring benefits – accelerating innovation, collaboration and the wider distribution of economic development and the prosperity that follows. But if managed poorly, urbanization could lead to declining quality of life, greater environmental degradation, accelerating greenhouse gas emissions, and social stresses.  In addition, the shift to urban living will intensify demand for resources including water, food and energy. Globally, Shell Energy estimates that 66 percent of energy was consumed in urban environments in 2010 and by 2040 around 80 percent of energy will be consumed in cities.  (For reference, see New Lenses on Future Cities, Shell Energy, 2014)

Panelists include:

• Jane Hayse, Director, Center for Livable Communities, Atlanta Regional Commission — Jane leads and coordinates efforts among four divisions of metro Atlanta’s regional planning agency: Community Development, Natural Resources, Research & Analytics and Transportation Accessibility & Mobility.
• Ann Xu,  research engineer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Tech —  Ann’s research focuses on emissions and energy analysis and policy evaluation. Her research cuts across a broad range of transportation engineering, from travel behavior, emissions, to safety, with an explicit emphasis on sustainability.

About the series:

Participants can attend for free in person at the Centergy Building on Georgia Tech's campus or via webinar. For more information and to register for this program, visit www.secleanenergy.gatech.edu.