Transportation For America » Livability in small towns #7: Meridian, Mississippi

Livability in small towns #7: Meridian, Mississippi

September 3, 2010
By Sean Barry

This collection of 12 case studies helps put to rest the idea that livability is an exclusively “urban” idea. Small cities, towns and rural regions across the country are transforming themselves into more livable communities. While some of these communities face formidable threats – from job losses and shrinking populations to disappearing farmland and strained resources – their leaders have forged collaborations and created plans that are growing economies, benefiting people and protecting the land and lifestyles treasured by residents and non-residents alike.

Check back each day for a new post and read the full series of livability case studies as they’re posted. The intro can be found here.

Meridian, Mississippi

“Some may think ‘livable communities’ is a phrase that refers only to urban areas. I assure you, it is not. A safe, strong and efficient transportation system in our small towns and rural areas, in addition to our larger cities, is necessary if we are to continue to grow our economy and provide access to the American dream.”

Mayor John Robert Smith, Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian revitalized its downtown and became a transit hub for rural Mississippi and the southern U.S., improving quality of life for residents and visitors.

Meridian, Mississippi is a small city of 40,000 near the Alabama border. Under the leadership of former Mayor John Robert Smith, Meridian reversed the decline of its city center and historic buildings through investment in downtown and in the creation of a transportation hub.

Today, Meridian’s Union Station hosts 250events and services 300,000 passengers annually and has spurred revitalization in the area, with retail, restaurants and residential projects. A companion effort is currently underway to build new moderate-to-low income units on single-family lots.

The transit hub has turned Meridian into a destination and improved connectivity to rural Mississippi and the entire country. Investment in intercity transportation networks enabled leaders in Meridian to link public transit, passenger rail, high-speed rail, commercial air service and intercity buses. This greatly expanded the mobility of this largely rural pocket of the U.S.

Mayor Smith, who declined a bid for a fifth term to join Transportation for America in Washington D.C., says the kind of livability elements embraced by President Obama are welcomed in rural America.

“Some may think ‘livable communities’ is a phrase that refers only to urban areas,” Smith said. “I assure you, it is not. A safe, strong and efficient transportation system in our small towns and rural areas, in addition to our larger cities, is necessary if we are to continue to grow our economy and provide access to the American dream.”

Source: Transportation for America.