1. Seven cities, no boundaries for marketing directors - Virginian Pilot - Norfolk, VA,USA

 

It’s an unusual map of Hampton Roads. There are seven cities on it, but no boundaries.

 

This is how the folks wooing visitors to the area’s museums and other attractions define regionalism.

 

They represent about 27 organizations that focus on art and animals, sports and maritime history.

 

The marketing directors for these venues don’t think they need to compete for visitors. In fact, they think they need to team up if they want to win the biggest crowds.

 

“It makes economic sense for us to work together,” said Dan Cawley, director of marketing at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Portsmouth.

 

So they have formed what they call the Family Attractions Network of Hampton Roads.

...

RC: Hampton Road Planning District Commission

 

 2. The Internet is Becoming a Powerful Political Force - eMarketer, NY – Available online until January 7, 2006

 

According to the fifth installment of "Surveying the Digital Future," a report from the USC Annenberg School, for the first time, the number of users who say that the Internet can be used to gain political power has increased.

 

"We are seeing tangible evidence of the increasing role of the Internet in political decision-making," said Jeffrey Cole, director of the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. "The Internet's growing role in political decision-making cannot be underestimated."

 

In 2005, 39.8% of Internet users agreed that going online can give people more political power, up from 27.3% in the previous study. In addition, 61.7% of respondents, Internet users and non-users alike, say that going online has become important to political campaigns.

...

 

 3. a)  Chambers preview Heart of Triad at regional event - Triad Business Journal - Greensboro, NC,USA

 

Triad business and civic leaders were asked to make a choice at the second-annual State of the Triad event on Thursday evening. Did they want an accidental future or an intentional one?

 

The leaders of Chambers3, the presidents of the Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem chambers of commerce, and David Taylor, senior vice president of HDR Inc., gave attendees at the packed ballroom of the Marriott in downtown Winston-Salem a computer-generated preview of what the Heart of the Triad project could become.

 

"It's very rare when circumstances, opportunity, leadership and timing come together like they have here," Taylor said.

 

Chamber presidents also reviewed their achievements from working together in the past year, including their Triad legislative agenda, the statewide manufacturing summit held in Greensboro, the trip to Indianapolis to check out that city's FedEx hub and NCAA museum, their support of the International Home Furnishings Market and their biotech inventory study.

 

"Triadism is not just a word anymore," said Tom Dayvault, president of the High Point chamber. "We're making a statement that we believe we're better together."

 

Taylor's firm is beginning a land-use study for the Heart of the Triad project, a venture aimed at helping control development of the region between Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point. The steering committee for the project held its first meeting on Wednesday.

...

     b) Economic plan for Triad promoted - Winston-Salem Journal - Winston-Salem, NC,USA

 

The consultants hired to pump up the "Heart of the Triad" economic plan wasted little time yesterday getting business, civic and government leaders involved in their campaign.

 

The 425 officials attending the joint meeting of the Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point chambers of commerce were asked by HDR Engineering to cast votes on six issues regarding development of an area between the cities. The meeting was at the Marriott hotel in downtown Winston-Salem.

 

What the consultants found was overwhelming support for establishing a land-use and transportation master plan, rather than letting economic development happen by accident.

...

 

 4. Plan will measure arts' economic force - Detroit Free Press - United States

...

Deemed the "Cultural Economic Development Strategy for Michigan," the new plan comes at a time when arts and culture grants from the state have been cut by more than 60% in four years -- from $25.7 million in 2001 to $9.8 million this fiscal year -- because tough economic times have forced Michigan to close a gap of hundreds of millions of dollars in its budget.

 

If the cultural plan works, it will generate the hard data to show the economic impact and the necessity of the arts. In turn, those numbers could help cultural organizations shield themselves from further cuts and help them obtain more grant money.

...

 

 5. Editorial: Regional measures MSU's assessment may prove a valuable asset - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - Tupelo, MS,USA

 

Mississippi State University's analysis of duplication in economic development efforts should prove a valuable resource for Northeast Mississippi, where many organizations work separately but seek a common goal: jobs and prosperity.

 

The study, of course, won't cause any organization to close its doors, but it should help precisely identify where the resources are and how those assets can best be used together for the region.

 

The Wellspring Project, a product of the PUL Alliance (Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties) is a benchmark in intercounty cooperation statewide. The MSU research by the Stennis Institute of Government should provide facts and commentary suggesting how partnerships and alliances can become more efficient and productive.

 

The Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi funded the study as part of its regional initiative.

 

Marty Wiseman, director of the institute, will meet with the commission, which will evaluate the information.

 

We believe MSU's independent assessment can be valuable in every county and community in terms of knowing what's in operation, how much money is at work and how many people are on task.

 

RCs: Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District  &  Three Rivers Planning and Development District

 

 6. CENTRAL ASIA: NEW UN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT ASKS, 'WHAT IF?' - EurasiaNet - New York, NY,USA

 

It took more than a year and a half to compile and involved the work of more than 70 experts from around the world. But the UN’s new report, "Regional Cooperation for Human Development and Human Security in Central Asia," is finally here.

 

It is the first time the UN has brought together in one report the many interconnected challenges facing Central Asia, including poverty, governance, human security, trade, the environment, and politics. And while the report brings to many diverse strands of analysis, its main message is that greater regional cooperation would significantly improve lives in a region where nearly half of the people live in poverty.

 

"Definitely, there are three countries now which are ready to cooperate: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. And there two other countries, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which are not thinking seriously about regional cooperation,"

...

 

 7. Asian, Western: Same, same? - Asia Times Online - Kowloon, Hong Kong

...

Old-style nationalism, like the national flag, has probably made a comeback in the past few years because the alternative form of nationalism based on industrial products no longer functions.

...

The cultures of this earth have always formed a network and not several parallel lines.

...

To free oneself of the concept of national culture one could focus on regions. "We don't want German literature anymore, we only want Bavarian literature." Most people would not find this statement creative or interesting. Why then do the same people find it attractive to hear that a "traditional" theater company from one of the so-called minorities in the so-called Third World is performing?
...
Oddly, I encountered more regionalism than globalism in the US. With that I don't mean minorities like the Amish people who have remained "genuinely" European, but rather ordinary students at provincial universities.
...

 

 8. Vision acclaimed as driving force in city's regeneration - ic Liverpool - Southport, England, UK

 

LIVERPOOL Vision, one of the UK's first urban regeneration companies, is today hailed for fast-tracking the transformation of Liverpool city centre.

 

The billion-pound makeover would have been slower and more fragmented without the influence of Liverpool Vision, a government-backed report reveals.

...

Vision brought an independent and "can-do" approach to design and developments, and was able to operate as a "no axe to grind" agency, says the report.

 

But it now wants Vision to revisit its strategic mission plan to take Liverpool and the wider city region forward beyond 2008 when the city will be European Capital of Culture.

...

 

 9. All for one - Birmingham News - Birmingham, AL,USA

 

Recent years have seen a flurry of interest in regionally based thinking in the Birmingham area.

 

A couple of years ago, officials in Shelby County signed a compact that, while largely symbolic, aimed to explore regional solutions to land-use issues. The past few weeks saw both modest and more radical examples of regional thinking. On the modest side, Vestavia Hills Mayor Scotty McCallum championed sharing certain local government services among municipalities to save money. A far more radical example of regional thinking is state Rep. John Rogers' legislative proposal to consolidate local governments under Jefferson County's government.

 

So what is going on here? Is this just the latest trend in the parade of fashionable government solutions, or is there a recognition that fragmented metropolitan governments and governance may not be all they're been cracked up to be?

 

Well, let's start by bursting bubbles. ...

 

RC: Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham

 

10. Appalachia has less, pays more for water, sewer systems - Daily Press - Newport News, VA,USA

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Appalachian residents have less access to public water and sewer systems and spend more for it than other Americans, according to an Appalachian Regional Commission report presented to a West Virginia infrastructure council on Wednesday.

 

Straight-piping--where sewage goes directly into a stream--is still a problem in remote areas, and some towns that have treatment systems can't afford to operate them up to standards, said researcher Jeff Hughes.

 

Because headwaters of the Eastern United States' major rivers are all in Appalachia, "whatever happens to Appalachian waters has major consequences for the nation as a whole," said the report by the University of North Carolina Environmental Science Center. ...

 

11. The Free Market Versus Regional Integration - Global Politician - Brooklyn, NY,USA

 

The difficulties regional integration faces come from distortions caused by the free market—asymmetries, inequalities, and contradictions—that are virtually insurmountable.

 

Free trade policies prevent regional integration that would benefit Latin America and permit the implementation of policies to overcome poverty and the systematic degradation of the continent's quality of life and environment. Instead, these policies generate severe regional inequalities—both between countries and within them—and polarization between islands of strong growth with cutting-edge technology and pockets of poverty and environmental plunder. Serious imbalances have led to power relationships that hurt the weakest and contribute to the concentration of wealth among the most powerful.

 

The contradictions that have emerged between Brazil and Argentina and between Paraguay and Brazil, which have paralyzed Mercosur and threaten to drown the recently formed South American Community of Nations (SACN), 1 are not rooted in some intrinsic animosity between the leaders nor in the inability of the nations to establish stronger ties. ...

 

12. Straight from Google. Bold type words are search terms.  

 

      a) The Truth About FEMA: Analysis and Proposals
Heritage.org - Washington, DC,USA
... Require that the regional organization's first pri­ority must be to support the flow of informa­tion and to coordinate training, exercises, and ...

 

      b) Organization of European Confrontation
Kommersant - Moscow, Russia
... within OSCE: GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldavia) promised in the nearest time to become a full-fledged regional organization with its ...

 

      c) WTO falling out of favour with the Caribbean
Caribbean Net News - Georgetown, Cayman Islands
... s smallest, most vulnerable countries, the Region is in ... future, courtesy of the World Trade Organization (WTO ... feel that the international community has turned ...

 

      d) Chávez advocates new regional development model
El Universal - Venezuela
President Hugo Chávez, amid a visit to Uruguay, Thursday advocated for a new regional development model, as the north-imposed model is not adequate for ...

 

      e) Slow but steady pace for regional co-operation
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
... next decade or so will be to cope with the economic and political power of China - and also India in due course - by engaging her within a regional organisation ...

 

      f) Japan to help develop EAS into framework
Xinhua - China
... The areas are "open regionalism", "respect for universal values such as democracy and human rights as well as observation of global rules such as those of the ...

 

      g) REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE: East Asia Summit: one Asia or withering Asia ...
Nation Multimedia - Bangkok, Thailand
... views. Regional history has been marked by cycles of hatred and divisiveness. Lasting unity has been difficult to achieve. Badawi ...

 

      h) Letter From Australia: Bringing down the barriers
New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
... The challenge was in cultivating a greater sense of Asean regionalism as distinct from the calls of nationalism of yesteryear, when many of Asean's member ...

 

      i) New group for 'Asian century' shuns US
International Herald Tribune - France
... He added: "The key question is not whether East Asia will integrate. It is how quickly and the form East Asian regionalism will assume.". ...

 

      j) Political power plays cloud East Asian economic community vision
The Japan Times - Japan
... East Asia has achieved a substantial degree of economic integration through market forces, successful creation of an institutional framework for a regional economic community depends on political will and the leadership of governments,...

 

      k)  Coalition of law enforcement right way to hit gangs
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Ontario, CA,USA
... city problem. The upsurge in violence is being felt in surrounding communities across the region, and deserves a regional response. ...

 

      l) Regional Income Tax Agency speaks to Fostoria council
Tiffin Advertiser Tribune - Tiffin, OH,USA
... from the Regional Income Tax Agency spoke to members of Fostoria City Council Wednesday afternoon about the service the organization could provide. ...

 

13. U.S. regional communities in news articles.

 

      a) Commuter rail idea gathers steam
The State - Columbia, SC,USA
... the Midlands. And the Central Midlands Council of Governments  has started a study on more passenger rail service. Commuter rail ...

 

      b) Community volunteers; kids programming celebrated
Arkansas City Traveler - Arkansas City, KS,USA
... Legacy, a Regional Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the impact of philanthropy in the region. ...

 

RC: South Central Kansas Economic Development District

 

      c)   New Sub-Region Could Be Established For San Fernando Valley
NBC4.TV - Los Angeles, CA,USA
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles City Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to ask the Southern California Association of Governments to establish a new sub ...

 

      d) Medicare decisions
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - Tupelo, MS,USA
... Board of supervisors in eight counties have partnered with the Three Rivers Regional Planning and Development District in a "Medicare Blitz" offering individual ...

 

      e) Metro roads increasingly choked
Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson, MS,USA
... It's those "bumper-to-bumper" problems that prompted the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District to conduct a computer analysis of expected ...

 

      f) It´s Official, Regional SWAT Team Will Split
WDTN - Dayton, OH,USA
As 2News first reported, The Dayton police department is withdrawing from the county's regional SWAT team. The move brings an end to a two-year experiment. ...

RC: Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission

 

      g) Regional airport idea gets off ground again
Myrtle Beach Sun News - Myrtle Beach, SC,USA
FLORENCE - Officials are hoping more companies show interest in studying the need for a new regional airport, and they will begin a second round of bidding for ...

RCs: Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments  Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments

 

      h) Agency approves nearly $8 million for protecting area wildlife ...
Lodi News-Sentinel - Lodi, CA,USA
The San Joaquin Council of Governments, through its subsidiary SJCOG Inc., agreed to purchase conservation easements, which limit the ability of landowners to ...

 

      i) DeSoto commissioner compliments water authority boss Charlotte rips water authority boss
Charlotte Sun-Herald - Charlotte, FL,USA
... Charlotte County Commissioner Adam Cummings gave Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority Executive Director Pat Lehman a "zero" rating for job performance. ...

 

      j) Cleaning sites to be forum focus
Record-Journal - Meriden, CT,USA
SOUTHINGTON -- The town, and developers in it, can benefit from a pilot project of the Valley Council of Governments to clean up abandoned industrial sites ...

 

      k) New Town Council gets right to work
Newington Town Crier - Newington, CT,USA
... Police officer Ciara McDermott's funeral, the councilors proceeded to amend their agreement with the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) concerning ...

 

      l) Does development pay? Debate over costs, benefits of growth still unresolved - Roundtable quotes
Charlotte Sun-Herald - Charlotte, FL,USA
... road funding goes. "Roads aren't our issue -- money is," Gumula said at a Sun Roundtable on growth ... Weikel, who now serves on the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council ... suggested the state might have to reexamine and tweak the state's "Save Our Homes" cap on increases on residential property values.

 

      m) Shorter Copy to augment earlier story
Springdale Morning News - Springdale, AR,USA
For the past few years local politicians, officials with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the regular guy on the street have complained ...

 

      n) COG Has Plans But Where Are the Road Cones?
Hollister Free Lance - Hollister, CA,USA

 

Editor,

 

Regarding the Your View editorial "COG Has Priorities," from Council of Governments Executive Director Tom Quigley, you'd think with all of this diligent planning, prioritization and approving that Mr. Quigley points out that there would be some orange cones out there somewhere.

 

If you subscribe to the notion that plan to action takes at least three years, where then is the project that was planned two years and 11 months ago? Where are the cones?

 

Oh sure, we've got RTP and RTIP; STIP and COG; VTA, ITIP and gateway studies. But where, I ask you, are the cones?

 

After "extensive additional study," I have determined that we can save the energy expended to come up with clever acronyms and abbreviations and just Send In The Cones (SITC).

 

RC: San Benito County Council of Governments

 

14. Other in the news:

 

     a) Google ETA? 300 years to index the world's info - CNET News.com

 

PHOENIX--It could take 300 years to index all the world's information and make it searchable, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt predicted on Saturday at the Association of National Advertisers annual conference here.

 

"We did a math exercise and the answer was 300 years," Schmidt said in response to an audience question asking for a projection of how long the company's mission will take. "The answer is it's going to be a very long time."

 

Of the approximately 5 million terabytes of information out in the world, only about 170 terabytes have been indexed, he said earlier during his speech.

...

 

      b) World's largest Sukuk receiving excellent response - AME Info - United Arab Emirates

 

The USD2.8 billion Sukuk issue for Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) lead-managed by Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) and Barclays Capital (BC) has received an excellent response from investors, and is likely to be oversubscribed by at least 50 per cent to 75 per cent, with an expected book size of between US$4 billion to US$5 billion. 

 

The issue is part of a large financing package being arranged for PCFC's expansion projects.

Dr. Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, UAE Minister of State for Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), said: 'DIB will break its own previously held record of lead managing the world's largest Sukuk. It is a clear reflection of the lead position DIB currently enjoys amongst the world's financial institutions.'

'The majority of the orders and expressions of interest received so far are from international institutional investors in addition to local and regional institutions and high net worth investors....

 

      c) Department of Natural Resources Clarifies Missouri-Iowa Border - Kansas City infoZine - Kansas City, MO,USA

 

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Geology and Land Survey (DGLS) delivered a number of significant maps and land surveys to Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.

 

These included official state boundaries between Missouri and Iowa, portions of Missouri and Arkansas, and the Tri-State intersection of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. Boundaries between the Missouri counties of Platte and Buchanan, and St. Francis and Ste. Genevieve, were also included.

...

Land survey records have played an important role in the economic growth of Missouri, though many are unfamiliar with their history or significance. "Missouri's boundaries were partially created prior to statehood and were modified and re-surveyed during the early history of our state. The location of both the river and land boundaries define land ownership and political subdivisions such as cities or counties," according to State Land Surveyor Mike Flowers. "These maps and surveys provide for the permanent marking and delineation of those common boundaries between our neighboring states and counties."

 

The Land Survey Program develops and provides information required for the accurate and economical location of property boundaries throughout Missouri. Maintaining consistent and dependable land boundary information avoids boundary disputes and errors in land transfers. This often involves the reestablishment of old markers, referred to as monuments, originally established for the U.S. Public Land Survey System (USPLSS). These monuments locate the boundaries of land surveys dating as far back as the early 1800s.

 

The USPLSS in Missouri, is an extension of the system adopted by Congress in 1785. Between 1816 and 1855, Missouri was surveyed into one mile squares called sections. Thirty-six sections in a block of land measuring six miles on each side is called a township. These surveys created the basis for the transfer of land from the U.S. government to private owners and are the basis for all land transfers and ownership in the state today. Technology, through the global positioning system (GPS), has enhanced the ability to locate and remark these monuments, thereby assuring their accuracy and permanence.

...

 

15. Announcements

 

     a)  RURAL PLANNING SURVEY SEEKS INPUT ON LAND USE & TRANSPORTATION - Online survey accessible through January 15, 2006
 
Representatives of rural communities, and those who serve or study them, are invited to participate in a landmark study of issues and best practices in rural land use and transportation planning by completing the online survey posted at:  www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=49661336287
 
Funded by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, “Best Practices to Enhance the Transportation-Land Use Connection in Rural America” (NCHRP Project 08-52) will highlight transportation investments that support successful communities, and land use strategies that maximize transportation capacity. 
 
In addition, the project examines how the goals of rural communities and transportation agencies may conflict and how they can support one another.  The study will be published as a guidebook for rural planners, scheduled for distribution in the fall of 2006.
 
For more information, visit the project website at www.icma.org/ruraltransportation, email us at ruraltransportation@..., or call the principal investigators at the numbers below:
 
Hannah Twaddell, Renaissance Planning Group (434-296-3025)
Dan Emerine, International City/County Management Association (202-962-3607)

 

     b)  Water and the West - Meeting Supply Challenges Today and Beyond – January 12-13, 2006 - Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Panel discussions include: Taking Stock of Current Needs and Challenges; How to Fund the Growing Demand for Water Related Infrastructure; Meeting the Needs of an Urban West While Protecting Historic Rights; The Role of Desalination in Meeting Western Water Needs; Sustaining Economic Growth . The Relationship and Linkage of Water Supply and Electrical Generation; The Role of the Private Sector in Meeting Western Water Needs

 

 

      c) Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Europe - European Environment Agency

 

Abstract: The report shows that in Europe mountain regions, coastal zones, wetlands and the Mediterranean region are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Although there could be some positive effects, many impacts are likely to be adverse. Existing adaptive measures are concentrated in flood defence, so there is considerable scope for adaptation planning and implementation in other areas, such as public health, water resources and management of ecosystems.