Representatives from Georgia's medium-sized metropolitan statistical areas had many opportunities to learn about common opportunities and challenges and to network with each other during the first Urban Congress and Summit, sponsored by the Vinson Institute in December 2003 and held in Athens. More

As today’s Georgia communities experience all types of growth and change, citizens rely on their elected officials and community leaders to provide guidance and action plans on behalf of the entire community. Vinson Institute community development specialists are able to bring together all relevant parties in a process that empowers them with the knowledge they need to formulate their own community and economic development strategies in the local, regional, state, national, and international arenas.

For example, interested citizens in Hall County and the cities of Gainesville, Oakwood, and Flowery Branch participated in the first planning and development training workshop designed especially for them. The event, organized by the Vinson Institute and the regional office of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, focused on helping citizens understand how they can become more effective during the local government planning and development processes.

The Riverway South Initiative involves three states, 45 counties, nine regional councils, and numerous colleges and universities located within the Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola river basin. An Institute faculty member began working with officials, community leaders, business professionals, and environmental organizations to develop the potential for heritage tourism in this large region that has traditionally suffered economically.

Institute faculty performed various instructional and technical assistance activities for the Southeast Regional Development Institute, a nationally recognized 10-state consortium of regional council directors. The 2003 annual conference, coordinated by the Institute, included a special training program for new directors focusing on issues common to regional councils.

During the year, a faculty member of the Institute's International Center for Democratic Governance helped implement a visit to Georgia by faculty members of the University of Zagreb, Croatia. They were here to learn about economic development, heritage tourism, cultural preservation, and university-based public service and outreach. The group visited model sites and attended meetings around Athens and throughout the state.

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