Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth to Meet in Macon March 10th and 11th

The Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth is holding a two day conference to bring together officials in the public and private sectors to discuss how the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion can work to solve regional issues. The southeastern United States is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and cooperation is key to implementing efficient growth and transportation solutions for the regions future.

Federal funds have been allocated to build high-speed rail in Florida and North Carolina that, currently, will not be linked by Georgia and South Carolina. The Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth is meeting to discuss transportation, water, and energy as it impacts the megaregion. The organization consists of mayors, business and researchers from the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion, which includes all or parts of six southern states—Alabama, Florida, Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee—and serves as an economic corridor stretching from Birmingham to Raleigh. Megaregions are groupings of several urban areas linked by social, economic, demographic, environmental and cultural ties, joining together to make infrastructure and planning decisions.

Evolving from the previously established Mayors Megaregion Meetings headed by former mayors Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, GA and Pat McCrory of Charlotte, NC and conducted by CQGRD, the Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth (PAQG) was established in November 2009 during a meeting of the group's members in Greenville, SC. The organization will seek to build alliances to build intellectual and support infrastructure - especially related around water, transportation, and energy - to enable the region to compete in the global market.

Visit the Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth's website for more information.