Recognizing that sprawl is probably the biggest local

Recognizing that sprawl is probably the biggest local environmental issue in northern Georgia, the Georgia Conservancy has become one of the first environmental groups to become actively involved in land use planning. Starting in the late 1990s, the organization sponsored lectures and produced publications on smart growth and livable communities that have helped to change the direction of government planning and private sector developers. With funding from major corporations, the Conservancy organized a series of workshops with local urbanists, called Blueprints for Successful Communities, to draw plans for livable communities in growth areas. A workshop, held in December, 1999, designed transit-oriented development in the Atlanta-Athens corridor. Another workshop, held in March, 1999, envisioned town centers, neighborhoods, and transit routes in Athens-Clark County. The site-specific, visual nature of the Blueprints series, published by the Conservancy, make them an effective public policy tool.