May 2013
| Business World Magazine | 161
stations with a same-day
turnaround. The City has
also produced an EVRead-
iness Manual to help prop-
erty owners, residents, and
other municipalities un-
derstand challenges and
opportunities
involving
the growing popularity of
electric vehicles. To sup-
port the electric vehicle in-
frastructure development,
the City has partnered
with the EV Project (run
by ECOtality), which of-
fers free Blink Chargers to
EV drivers and commer-
cial host sites in Atlanta.
Because of the significant
strides Atlanta has made in
this area, the office was re-
cently invited to theWhite
House to participate in a
forum focusing on how to build stakeholder
collaboration and effectively develop infra-
structure crucial to the needs arising from
electronic vehicles.
Another major undertaking involves
mass transportation, and in this case, Atlanta
is preparing infrastructure that will not only
improve air quality by lowering fuel emis-
sions, but also reduce dependence on fuel for
those who take advantage of a new street car
system. The City only recently began laying
track for this endeavor which, at present, is
planned to run between the Martin Luther
King Jr. National Historic Site and the Cen-
tennial Olympic Park. This project cost $93
million, which includes cost of the streetcar
and needed corridor improvements, but half
of the costs are covered by a federal stimu-
lus grant. Other funding is provided by the
Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
which is a self-taxing business district. City
officials are determined to create a more sub-
stantial streetcar system which, if all goes
as planned, may expand throughout all of
downtown and midtown Atlanta one day.
While that connectivity poses benefits
for shoppers, students, workers and resi-
dents alike, City officials believe it will also
prompt business development along traveled
corridors, but more importantly, help reduce
the emissions which would otherwise under-
mine Atlanta’s air quality. As Quarles says,
“We all breathe the air, and improving air
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