Effects of Private Transportation Improvements on Economic Development

014771292012Final ReportPDFResearch PaperEconomic developmentPublic private partnershipsImprovementsInvestmentsIntelligent transportation systemsMobilityTransit oriented developmentEconomic developmentPublic-private sector cooperationTransit oriented developmentRegional planningResearch HubAdministration and ManagementAviationEconomicsHighwaysPublic TransportationGeorgiaUnited StatesGeorgia Institute of TechnologyBras, BertLeigh, Nancey GreenYang, JiawenGeorgia Institute of TechnologyUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationNTL-ECONOMICS AND FINANCE-ECONOMICS AND FINANCEUS Transportation CollectionIn this project, we explored opportunities and effects of public-private or private-private partnerships for mobility improvements (incl. alternative fueled shuttles and IT infrastructure) and assessed their effects on local and regional economic development (incl. low income workers/households). Our major focus was on South-Atlanta and the region around the City of Hapeville where closure of the Ford Hapeville assembly plant has negatively impacted the local economy. We partnered with Ford Motor Company and Jacoby Development to study the extended benefits of Jacoby Development\u2019s \u201cAerotropolis Atlanta\u201d development planned for the site of the former Ford assembly plant in the City of Hapeville, Georgia. We assessed the triple bottom line benefits of different mobility and transportation options for the site, surrounding neighborhoods, the adjacent Atlanta airport, and the regional transportation system, coupled with different energy generation and industrial co-location options. Increased understanding of such benefits will also impact developments at other former manufacturing sites. In recent years, transit oriented developments in previously developed urban areas have linked private investments and redevelopment activity that is residential and commercial/retail business based. The projected private investment for redevelopment explored here will help to retain and grow industrial business and job opportunities that can compensate for the loss of a major industrial employer. This, in turn, will help to reverse a trend of good jobs lost in urban areas that is gaining increasing national attention. Towards the end of this project, we expanded our research to explore the potential of implementing a broader aerotropolis concept that would encompass other communities in the airport\u2019s sphere of influence, serving to promote a logistics-based, clean tech development strategy. This concept is seen as a promising solution to addressing the uneven development pattern of the metro area in which the southern crescent portion that encompasses the airport has not benefitted from the mobility and transportation improvements and associated economic development of the northern half