Hotlanta? How about Greenlanta? The city leads the southeast in LEED-registered buildings—over 140 projects are currently seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It also has a “no net loss” policy for its trees. One challenge to Atlanta: urban sprawl. Five hundred thousand Atlantans live in the city proper, while five million people are sprawled into the eight-county metro area. To remedy that, city planners are working on dense, transit-oriented development along Atlanta’s BeltLine, a 22-mile-long old railroad track that runs the perimeter of the city. Next on the agenda? Diversifying its energy portfolio.
Atlantans enjoying the sun at the city's Dogwood Festival. (Photo by Daniel Mayer)
Ken O. says:
Here's some perspective on why the Peach State's capitol is leading on Green Building... they passed a "cool roofing" amendment to the state code in the mid-90s.
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2004/02/09/focus3.html
http://www.epa.gov/hiri/strategies/coolroofs.html