GREC REnews, Vol. 3, Issue 4 (Apr. 2007)

Georgia Real Estate Commission

GREC RENEWS

Volume 3, Issue 4 April 2007

2007 Dates to Note
April 26 & 27, 2007 Georgia Instructor Training Workshop (GIT) Macon State College 478-471-2709
April 24, 2007 Trust Account Workshop Southwest Georgia Board (229) 377-4253
May 22, 2007 Fayette County Board (770) 461-2401
June 19, 2007 Trust Account Workshop Middle Georgia Association (478) 471-7336
GREC Disciplinary Sanctions

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Mixed Use Developments 1

Simple Stats

2

Focus on Terminology:
"Smart Growth"
Georgia Real Estate Commission Suite 1000, International Tower 229 Peachtree Street N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303-1605

Sprawl and Mixed Use Developments

Georgia and the metropolitan area of

Atlanta have experienced tremendous

growth and opportunity in real estate.

Various government programs and groups now

address growth issues, traffic issues, and environmental challenges. Although

Atlanta has been referred to as having a case of "sprawl," developers and

communities are designing projects and redeveloping areas to plan for growth

in population, cultural diversity, aging population, and other demographic

trends. Smart growth aimed at addressing these issues and others is evident

all over the state

Whether it is a Mixed-Use Development (MUD) with a combination of

residential, office, retail and other uses or another approach, the focus is on

convenience, close proximity to all aspects of Live-Work-Play and even a 24/7

lifestyle. Licensees who are aware of trends in demographics, development

styles and demand can better market listings as well as place buyers where

they want to be.

Zoning and Planning departments are rethinking comprehensive land

use plans for their communities and some communities are actually

incorporating themselves to control their own design for the future.

Even NASA is on board to study growth patterns and project trends.

NASA is using satellites to collect data on the effects on the environment of fast

growing cities. The data is also being used to create simulations to show city

planners what the future may hold.

continued on next page...

Public Information about Licensees

Did you Know that you or your Clients and Customers can find you on the Commission's website? Not only can they locate you by name or license number, but they can also see your license status and history.

Visit the GREC Website (www.grec.state.ga.us) or try the links below to see

what information is easily available to you and the public.

Find A Real Estate Agent

Find A Real Estate Company

License Number

License Status

Access to Disciplinary

Company Phone Number

Sanctions is also readily

Renewal Date

available on the site. GREC

Number of Agents

Disciplinary Sanctions

Broker's License Number

Broker's Email

1

Georgia Real Estate Commission
Suite 1000, International Tower 229 Peachtree Street N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303-1605
You can sign up to receive the GREC RENEWS electronic
newsletter each month by visiting
the GREC website or CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

Sprawl and Mixed Use
Developments
continued from previous page...
"The emerging space technology of the 1950s has grown along with our cities. As you read this today, dozens of high-tech satellites are circling our planet, gathering terabytes of scientific data about the environment. These data provide a unique "big picture" view of the effects of urban sprawl. Unfortunately, many city planners still don't have access to that big picture."
"One tool that the NAUTILUS researchers are using is like a computerized "crystal ball." It's a software package called CommunityViz (based on the commercial map-viewing program ArcView) that lets city planners envision a hypothetical future of their city, assuming that it grew according to current zoning patterns. They can view simple maps, color-coded for environmental impacts, or they can choose to "fly through" a photorealistic 3D map of their future city to get a more visceral sense of things to come. More importantly, it lets them make changes and view the likely outcome of different growth scenarios. Quoted Source: (Credit: "Urban Sprawl and the Big Picture," Author: Patrick L. Barry, Responsible NASA official: John M. Horack, www.science.nasa.gov).

Volume 3, Issue 4 April 2007
NASA Simulations Real estate professionals can get a view into the crystal ball of the future by utilizing numerous sources that are available from government organizations. Additional Resource Links: http://www.atlantadowntown.com/ http://www.georgia.org/ http://www.midtownalliance.org/ http://www.georgiafacts.net/ www.firstgov.gov http://www.census.gov/ http://www.usgs.gov/ http://www.thebuckheadalliance.org

RENews Newsletter Comments or Suggestions Click Here
GREC

Focus on Terminology: "Smart Growth"
Smart Growth describes a development that encourages efficient land use, promotes and protects open space and green space and revitalizes existing neighborhoods and communities.
"Smart growth supports the integration of mixed land uses into communities as a critical component of achieving better places to live. By putting uses in close proximity to one another, alternatives to driving, such as walking or biking, once again become viable. Mixed land uses also provide a more diverse and sizable population and commercial base for supporting viable public transit. It can enhance the vitality and perceived security of an area by increasing the number and attitude of people on the street. It helps streets, public spaces and pedestrian-oriented retail again become places where people meet, attracting pedestrians back onto the street and helping to revitalize community life." Source for quoted explanantion: http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/principles/principles.asp?prin=1. "This web site is a subset of http://www.sustainable.org, developed and maintained by the Sustainable Communities Network (SCN), and supported with funding from the US EPA."
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