Does Greater Atlanta becoming a megacity concern any of you? (Dallas: fit in, 2015)

[Trafalgar Law]

Just gauging public opinion from locals on the prospect of Greater Atlanta (CSA) becoming a megacity in a few decades (a metropolis of 10 million or more people).

Well, Atlanta will become a megacity, there is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The only way it wouldn't happen is if it began stalling out like right now in a manner that resembles some Midwestern or Northeastern cities with extremely small and slow growth annually and decennially. I don't think that will be happening to Atlanta, at least not before it crosses 10 million.

Either way, just wanted to ask if people that live in Atlanta right now would embrace the megacity challenges that come with that kind of size? I know that in several aspects, in particular with the city's profile elevating and more retail, service, hotel, airline, or other brands/companies setting up shop in the city would be a tremendous benefit. There truly is nothing quite like a big city with the amenities and offerings of a big city, even if that sometimes comes with the increased strain on infrastructure, the congestion, the sprawl, and the traffic.

Just my opinion. I'd like to hear all of your opinions. I'm making a thread in the local forums of each city in North America where the possibility of it becoming a megacity exists in the next couple of decades. I'm curious and interested in hearing from the locals' point of view.

[fourthwarden]

I think you're missing an important option: No, if we can get our infrastructure in shape to handle the people.

Also, here's the Piedmont Atlantic mega-region (Charlanta or Atlantotte):

[Trafalgar Law]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

I think you're missing an important option: No, if we can get our infrastructure in shape to handle the people.

The "other" option on the poll should be sufficient enough for alternate options. Only if people post to specify though.

[waronxmas]

When I was born, Metro Atlanta had around 2 million residents. Now it has 6 million. While there have been negatives (no amount change is positive only), it has been mostly for the positive. We've gone from a small time provincial after thought to a major international city. The Metro hitting 10 million+ will just solidify our current state.

[ElleKaye]

As far as I'm concerned, Atlanta is a mega city right now. Please list some cities that you consider megacities right now so I will know what I'm comparing and contrasting. I'll spot you NYC since I know it will be on the list, so where else?

I question whether Rochester was ever on the list of potentials; Kodak, a university, and good medical facilities do not a megacity make, Rochester feels more like Mobile, AL than any place I.have ever visited. Even the airports feel about the same size.

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

As far as I'm concerned, Atlanta is a mega city right now. Please list some cities that you consider megacities right now so I will know what I'm comparing and contrasting. I'll spot you NYC since I know it will be on the list, so where else?

Megacity is a generally accepted term that refers to a metropolitan area that has 10 million or more residents. So in terms of U.S. metro areas the megacity moniker is limited to just New York City and Los Angeles at the moment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacity

[Atlwarrior]

Nope not enough large metropolitan areas over 2 million to make that possible.

[Trafalgar Law]

I have lived in several American metropolises; Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Greater Detroit (through Ann Arbor for 3-4 months), Houston, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, and Washington DC.

I mentioned this in another post of mine in another local forum, an example with one of those cities would be as follows. (So I will just copy and paste that here).

I graduated from high school in 2009 and at the time the Houston MSA had a population of 5.8 million and the CSA had a population of 5.9 million (same MSA and CSA definition as it is right now).

As of 2015, the Houston MSA has a population exceeding 6.65 million people (over 6.8 million people by now in 2016); and the Houston CSA has 6.85 million people (probably over 7 million people by now in 2016).

Since I last lived in Houston, it's grown so much and it is not like it has been such a dramatically long time. I remember when I first moved to Houston, it was so much smaller than what it is now. Intercontinental airport only has like 9 foreign flag carriers at the time; several retail brands didn't have a presence in the city; there was no NFL or MLS; the diversity was significantly far behind compared to now and the ethnic enclaves were all smaller and less developed. Hillcroft and Harwin weren't even designated as the Mahatma Gandhi District back then, although they had a large concentration of offerings even back then; though nothing compared to today. Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard was tiny.

In just my 25 years of life I've seen Houston grow into a big city from a little tiny baby of a city.

Much of the same can be said of my impression of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well. Present day, the area is significantly larger than when I used to live there. Areas that were fields are now cities with over 100,000 people in them. Significant amount of brands and companies are there now that didn't exist there when I lived there. The major airport in the area, I actually remember a time when the options were far more limited and the time slots to fly were more conservative (instead of flights every 30 minutes to some cities like right now, it used to be an hour or two hours or longer).

I saw Washington DC and Miami/Fort Lauderdale develop immensely when I was in each one as well.

In the DMV, I've seen immense infill in the central city, everywhere from Downtown to Northwest, to Southwest, and increasingly more of Northeast as well. Not to mention much of the infill in suburban DMV, in the Virginia side especially with Fairfax County and the Roslyn-Ballston Corridor in Arlington County. I've seen ethnic enclaves develop more, I've seen new companies, brands, retail options, and services set up shop. I've seen increased infrastructural improvements and extensions. I've seen the area just build up in my time there.

Miami, I've personally seen the high rise boom because it was in the area that I lived in. The incredible infill, to see surface lots and 1-3 story buildings get torn down for mixed use projects and cranes dotting every portion of the cityscape. Each city with a downtown along the waterfront is building up dramatically. It isn't just exclusive to cities along Biscayne Bay or the Atlantic in Miami-Dade but also in Broward and Palm Beach counties too. At practically every level its building up.

Austin, self explanatory. I've never lived in a faster growing place than this one. When I started college there, it only had 1.6 million people, today it has 2 million people. So essentially 1 out of every 5 people that live there now weren't living there when I started to go to college there several years back. This city, perhaps more than all of the others, has seen a massive and explosive addition to its cityscape and the brands, services, companies, and all of that stuff that didn't exist there before setting up shop there in the recent years for the first time.

Today, the core of Detroit is building up near downtown but everything else remains stagnant and the same as it has always been. Greater Detroit, obviously, will not become a megacity in our lifetime but will remain over 5 million people as it is right now. More than likely. Either way, I only lived in Ann Arbor (on the periphery inside of Greater Detroit) for 3-4 months.

[sedimenjerry]

I like Atlanta the size it is right now. I don't see too much benefit in becoming a mega city vs where we are now. But I do appreciate the growth from an economy standpoint. I certainly don't want to turn into Philly in that regard.

[arjay57]

I am basically okay with it as long we preserve elbow room and have enough water.