Georgia city leaders including one mayor will travel to Copenhagen in August on a Knight Foundation program to learn from the Danish capital’s approach to enhancing livability.
While their cities weren’t among the five elected to send larger teams, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson and Sam Wellborn, the Georgia Department of Transportation’s representative, were selected to attend from Columbus as individuals.
Macon will be represented by Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon Bibb County Urban Development Authority, who was chosen after judges saw Macon’s plans to include walking and biking paths in its downtown revitalization. Copenhagen is often seen as the poster child for walkable, bike-friendly urban areas. The visit will include meetings with city officials and a class at the Copenhagen studio of Gehl Architects.
Leaders will also visit Malmo, Sweden, to explore its transformation from a shipbuilding economy to a base for knowledge and innovation, as covered by Global Atlanta during a trip there in 2009.
Denmark’s honorary consul in Georgia, Christopher Smith, is based in Macon and said the appointments are an honor for Georgia, which accounts for two of the eight cities that had individuals selected for the trip. The five cities chosen to send larger teams include Detroit; St. Paul, Minn.; Charlotte, N.C.; San Jose, Calif. and Lexington, Ky.
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