About 1,500 metro Atlanta leaders gathered to take stock of metro Atlanta and explore key regional challenges at the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2023 State of the Region event.

In her State of the Region address, ARC Executive Director Anna Roach discussed the agency’s new vision, “One Great Region” and urged the region’s leaders to work together to move the region forward.

“We can only make a difference if we all act, if we all take steps to foster change,” she said. “If we work collectively to address our region’s greatest challenges, there is no limit to what our region can accomplish.”

Roach also highlighted several new regional initiatives, including the agency’s newly established Climate Change & Resilience program, which aims to seek federal grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in metro Atlanta, support the transition to a lower-carbon economy, and help the region become more resilient to extreme weather conditions.

The keynote address was delivered by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a senior advisor to President Biden who coordinates the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

In his speech, titled “Rebuilding Communities and Building Common Ground,” Landrieu discussed the transformative potential of the federal legislation for communities like metro Atlanta.