
Media Contact
Jennifer Ellen French
Public Relations Manager
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
[email protected]
ATLANTA—Georgia State University’s Urban Studies Institute will host an all-day online symposium featuring presentations by a panel of Georgia mayors, researchers and practitioners in the fields of economic development, public health, infrastructure, education and regional governance on Tuesday, November 16. “Georgia’s Rural-Urban Disparities Symposium” is free and open to the public.
What are effective responses to the deep and widening disparities between urban and rural areas across Georgia and the U.S., those that pose major, growing challenges in equity, well-being, social and political cohesion, and governance? The symposium is designed for those in search of an answer.
“We will hear from experts who will direct attention to Georgia’s rural challenges in light of urban dominance, and to the interdependence of urban and rural areas,” said organizer Sam Williams, assistant director of external relations for the Urban Studies Institute in Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and former president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “Our speakers will concentrate on economic drivers and trends and the ways they are related to demographics, infrastructure, education, public health and more.”
Morning speakers will include Charles Hayslett, a demographer and author of the popular blog, “Trouble in God’s Country”; economic development expert Jennifer Zeller, manager of the Strategic Solutions Team at Georgia Power; Debra Lam, founding executive director of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation and managing director of Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation at Georgia Tech; and Dominic Mack, M.D., a professor of family medicine and director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine.
Afternoon sessions include a presentation by Professor David Bridges, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; a “Placemaking and Policy Challenges in Georgia” panel with Georgia mayors Hardie Davis (Augusta), Matt Seale (Ocilla), Andrea Gibby (Young Harris) and Van Johnson (Savannah), moderated by Larry Hanson, executive director of the Georgia Municipal Association; and a keynote by Douglas Hooker, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Introductions will be offered by Georgia State President Brian Blake, Dean Sally Wallace of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and Director Jan Nijman of the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State. There will also be opportunities for public Q&A with the speakers. Direct questions to [email protected] prior to or during the event.
Go to https://urbaninstitute.gsu.edu/georgias-rural-urban-disparities-symposium/ for more information and to register for the “Georgia’s Rural-Urban Disparities” online symposium.