Describe a city in the state of Georgia that has DECLINED in population. Make sure you name the city, describe it location in the state, and explain why its population has declined.Cite your references in MLA or APA format.
Now examine Atlanta whose population continues to grow and presents problems environmentally based upon its growth. Present a solution for the traffic congestion in Atlanta. Critique the solution presented byat least TWOof your peers with whom you DISAGREE! and explain why to disagree with them in their post.

Compare and contrast the 2 cities (the one in which population is declining to Atlanta). Specifically address how areas in the same state (and probably not that far from one another) can be so dramatically different, as well as what primarily contributes to these differences.
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Student replies1)

The city of Macon Ga, which began as a thriving riverside community near the geographical center of Georgia, is now one of Georgia’s fastest declining cities, having lost 7,877 of its residents over the past 7 years. There are many factors in this major decline, but some of the most prominent include declining job opportunities, increased vacant housing, and increased crime. Many citizens of more rurally located cities such as Macon are choosing to move to more metropolitan areas like Atlanta.
Atlanta, Ga is the fastest growing city in the state, and its surrounding area comprises 45% of the state’s population. However, this exponential growth is not proving to be fully sustainable, as construction continues to rapidly expand outward and traffic becomes more and more congested. In order to face these issues, many of the world’s other big cities have incorporated a well-maintained and expansive public transportation system that is reliable and can support the high traffic of the area. MARTA is not this. If the city of Atlanta either makes vast improvements to MARTA or incorporates a new effective system of public transportation, the city’s highways and downtown traffic would become much less congested.
While the city of Macon is only a little over an hour away from Atlanta, the vast and ever-increasing amount of occupational and recreational opportunities in Atlanta are alluring to a younger generation in search of new opportunities not present in their rural communities. This attraction to Atlanta’s constant advancement is drawing this younger population away from their rural hometowns, such as Macon, Ga.
“A Decline In Population In Macon Leads To An Increase In Blight.”Georgia Public Broadcasting, 2 Nov. 2015, http://www.gpb.org/news/2014/09/24/decline-population-macon-leads-increase-blight.
“People Are Abandoning These Three Georgia Cities, Report Claims.”WXIA, 19 Sept. 2018, https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/people-are-abandoning-these-three-georgia-cities-report-claims/85-596204523.
Shapiro, and Complete Spine Solutions. “Atlanta Surges in Growth as Metro Area Exceeds 45% of Georgia’s Population.”SustainAtlanta, 15 Oct. 2018, https://sustainatlanta.com/2018/06/08/atlanta-surges-in-growth-as-metro-area-exceeds-45-of-georgias-population/.

Student replies2)

After doing some research, I found out that Albany, Ga has seen over a 6% change in population since 2010. Albany is a town in southwest Georgia that is located on the Flint River. Over the past decade, Albany has been subject to many natural disasters that have displaced residents.
I believe that one way to decrease the traffic congestion in Atlanta is to create a public subway or transportation system that is more appealing and convenient than the bus. By adding additional means of low-cost transportation, residents are more likely to not take their personal vehicle everywhere they go.
Bibliography:
“Albany, Georgia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_Georgia.
Kueppers, Courtney. “As Atlanta Grows, Some Georgia Cities Continue to Shrink, Data Shows.” Ajc, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 21 Oct. 2019, www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-grows-some-georgia-cities-continue-shrink-data-shows/DXXFoNCk4pKSZ26Wqiz67M/.
Sotra, Maria. “7 Smart City Solutions to Reduce Traffic Congestion.” Geotab Blog, 14 June 2019, www.geotab.com/blog/reduce-traffic-congestion/.