Regional Community Development News - August 2, 2006 [regions_work]



A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities
pursuing local and regional development. Published on line since
November 11, 2003.





1.
<http://www.dailyitem.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS/608
020311> SEDA-COG plans energy center - Sunbury Daily Item - Sunbury,
PA,USA

The <http://www.seda-cog.org/seda_cog/site/default.asp> SEDA-Council
of Governments is asking for a $50,000 contribution from each of the
11 counties it serves to aid in the construction of an energy resource
center.

Representatives of the multi-county development agency approached the
Snyder County commissioners Tuesday to discuss the proposed $3.2
million "green" building in East Buffalo Township.

"It's not just a building for SEDA-COG, it's an investment for the
region," executive director Dennis Robinson told the commissioners.

As the country faces an energy crisis, he said, the area's private and
public sectors will benefit from the facility designed to demonstrate
new energy-efficient technology, including new approaches to lighting,
heating and cooling, stormwater management and use of native plants
and locally available construction materials and furnishings.

Also, new programs are being developed to look into areas including
the bio-gas agriculture industry and renewable energy technologies.

The pitch to the Snyder County commissioners was the first on a tour
of 11 counties, which will include Union, Northumberland and Montour
counties.

Mr. Robinson said the agency is pursuing a low-interest loan and
grants for the remaining $2.7 million needed to build the
13,000-square-foot "living laboratory."

...



2. <http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=3194> Can Dane Co. and
Wisconsin learn from Denver? - WTN News - Madison, WI,USA

Madison, Wis. - Dane County political and economic development leaders
have received two good pieces of news. One, the fund-raising campaign
of the area Collaboration Council has surpassed the $1 million mark,
and two, there now is a booming area that once faced even greater
regional challenges than Dane County.

The latter message was delivered by Tom Clark, executive vice
president of the <http://www.metrodenver.org> Metro Denver Economic
Development Corp., who addressed a meeting of the Capitol Region
Economic Development Professionals in Madison. Clark visited both
Milwaukee and Madison to describe how the economic renaissance of
Colorado's largest metropolitan area came about, and much of what he
said sounded too good to be true.

Imagine a nine-county region with 3.3 million people where
municipalities adhere to a code of ethics that sometimes dictates
steering interested companies toward neighboring cities.

Call it a rising tide that lifts all boats, or call it metropolitan
Cumbaya, but political and business leaders in the Denver area now
swear by it. "It's really not a radical idea to get communities
working together on a regional basis," Clark said.

...

Note: Also see subscription story below. Ed.



3.
<http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/APC03
/607300537/1888/APCbusiness> Quality of life region's best magnet -
Oshkosh Northwestern - Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA

Business attraction and retention is a never-ending battle.

An assortment of factors come into play including, infrastructure,
cultural amenities, available housing, access to health care,
available local work force and quality of life.

Members of The Post-Crescent Business Advisory Panel recently shared
their ideas on business development.

What can be done better to attract people and new business from
outside the Fox Valley?

Chris Hanson: From my point of view as a small business owner the past
three years, I look at what the Fox Cities have to offer. I live in
Kaukauna and my taxes are among the highest in the Fox Cities. I hear
this is a deterrent, not only taxation on small businesses but
taxation on individuals. I understand in terms of real estate taxes,
our area is among the highest in the country.

Dick Kendall: There have been a couple of publications recently that
said Appleton is among the top favorable places to live in the nation.
If we want to make ourselves attractive to businesses, we have to
maintain the wholesomeness of the area.

The other thing we want to do is make sure we are not too restrictive
on businesses where they want to locate in other communities, where
regulations aren't as restrictive. Businesses should be able to get
operational quickly.

Dan O'Neill: One thing that kept the area from developing faster is
the idea that we are a conglomeration of independent communities.

There isn't a regional focus, not until New North started. This area
has been a well-kept secret.

When someone comes to this area, they see that is one large
metropolitan area, but few people here really feel it. Everyone here
thinks they live in their own place. Each community has it's own
identity.

I think we have to continue to encourage regional efforts like
<http://www.thenewnorth.com/q-a.html> New North.

...



RCs: <http://www.baylakerpc.org/> Bay-Lake Regional Planning
Commission; <http://www.eastcentralrpc.org/> East Central Regional
Planning Commission





4.
<http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/310704164248203.php>
Activists: Poll will help region - Youngstown Vindicator - Youngstown,
OH,USA

Residents across northeastern Ohio are being asked to participate in
an online survey that will help map the future of economic development
for the region.

Voices & Choices, a project set up by a group of philanthropic
organizations across a <http://www.voiceschoices.org/our_region>
16-county region, used public meetings and leadership conferences to
come up with a list of six specific challenges to the region's
economic future.

...

RCs: <http://www.eastgatecog.org/> Eastgate Regional Council of
Governments; <http://www.noaca.org/> Northeast Ohio Areawide
Coordinating Agency; <http://ci.akron.oh.us/AMATS/default.htm> Akron
Metropolitan Area Transportation Study





5. <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=211092> Asean
On Track To Realise Community Vision - Bernama - Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Under the shadow of pressing
regional and international issues, <http://www.aseansec.org/> Asean
foreign ministers today concluded their weeklong annual talks here
guided by the regional grouping's ultimate objective of becoming a
more central part of everyday life for all Southeast Asians.

They discussed and issued statements on attention-grabbing issues,
such as the Israeli offensive in Lebanon in its war against the
Hizbollah militants, North Korea's reluctance to join the six-party
talks to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and Myanmar's foot-dragging
over its progress to democracy.

At the same time, the ministers kept on track the 10-member regional
grouping's desire to realise the Asean Community by 2020, or even
earlier, efforts that would enable it to bring Asean to the people
and, the people, to Asean.

The annual talks comprised the 39th Asean Ministerial Meeting and
Post-Ministerial Conferences as well as the 13th Asean Regional Forum,
a security dialogue, all three bringing to the negotiating table 26
countries of the world.

"We have also seen a renewed interest among the dialogue partners to
further pursue dialogue cooperation with Asean and, in doing so,
contribute towards Asean's community-building effort," Foreign
Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said today at the close of the
meetings.

...



6. <http://securitysolutions.com/news/MegaShelterGuide/index.html>
Group establishes 'mega-shelter' guidelines

Access Control & Security Systems

In the storms of 2005, major facilities were integral in saving lives
and for sheltering thousands of displaced hurricane evacuees who lost
everything and who relied on fellow citizens for life-saving aid.
Facility managers and their staffs responded to the call for help, and
for the first time in American history, they were asked to operate
"mega-shelters."
Arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing arts theaters
became temporary homes and medical facilities for extended periods of
time. There was no precedent for such operations.
The <http://www.iaam.org/> International Association of Assembly
Managers (IAAM) has responded to the need for best practice guidelines
for mega-shelter operations. IAAM reached out to its industry
partners, the Department of Homeland Security and the American Red
Cross.

...


<http://www.iaam.org/members/Sec_pages/Mega-ShelterPlanning&Activation
.pdf> Mega-Shelter Planning and Activation PDF



7.
<http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=3819>
EMS & Its Midlife Crisis - EMS Magazine - College Park, MD,USA

...

Pressing Problems

The Crossroads report traces the development of EMS following
Accidental Death, chronicling its expansion, with ample federal
support, in the 1970s; the funding losses and fragmentation of the
1980s; and the wheel-spinning of the 1990s, when documents like the
Agenda for the Future laid out so many ambitious goals that have yet
to be realized.

It pays heed to the advances made over those decades, which are
indeed substantial: 9-1-1 accessibility to virtually all Americans,
rapid responses that facilitate lifesaving care, advanced equipment
that enables expanded services. But it also catalogs all the pressing
problems of today: the fragmentation and lack of coordination, the ED
overcrowding and diversions, the funding shortfalls, the high costs of
preparedness, the workforce issues, the paucity of data and evidence
bases, and so on.

Finally, it articulates a grand vision for the future: seamless
integration of dispatch, EMS, definitive medical, public safety and
public health efforts and interests. Appropriate care without delay.
Evidence-based interventions and rapid adoption and adaptation of
innovations. Rare diversions and ample standby capacities. System
monitoring and transparent performance for a public that's engaged in
its own well-being through bystander training and active prevention.

To get there, the authors make a series of recommendations across
several discrete areas.

Building a 21st-century emergency care system

The emphasis here is on coordination and communication. The
authors support greater regionalization-as is done with, for instance,
trauma care-as a way of matching patients with the definitive
resources most appropriate for them. As with trauma centers, providers
and systems would have their capabilities identified and categorized
under national standards. Patients would be routed to systems and
facilities best-suited to address their conditions.

"A lot of the report centers around this notion of
regionalization," says Sanddal. "What we're envisioning is better
integration and accountability of existing healthcare resources to
respond to the needs of a geographic area." ...



8. <http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/bm/local/347706.html> C
change for a sea change - Border Mail - Albury, New South Wales,
Australia

FIRST we had the sea change phenomenon; now there is a push to
encourage a C change.

The "C" stands for country, and to help entice people to move from
cities into the Riverina-Murray a C Change Bureau has been established
by the Riverina Regional Development Board.

The bureau was officially launched at a careers and employment expo in
Sydney yesterday.

NSW Tourism, Sport and Recreation Minister, Sandra Nori said it was
necessary to encourage people to relocate or return to regional areas.

She said C Change Bureau was an example of regional communities taking
a positive approach.

Ms Nori said it was clear that Sydney and Melbourne could not grow
indefinitely and that the best C change strategy was one where people
moved because they made that decision.

...



9.
<http://www.irontontribune.com/articles/2006/07/28/news/news288.txt>
Summit promotes regionalism - Ironton Tribune - Ironton, OH,USA

Where there are two or more gathered good things can happen.

That was the message Thursday night during the inaugural Regional
Summit Meeting, sponsored by the Southeast Lawrence County Kiwanis
Club. <http://advantagevalley.com/> Advantage Valley, an economic
development corporation working in 11 counties in Ohio, West Virginia
and Kentucky, also played a key part in the summit's conception.

Organizers say the idea of the event was to bring together people from
all backgrounds and professions to work toward one common goal:
regional economic success.

Gayle Vest, director of Advantage Valley, said her organization is
working hand in hand with other local agencies to share resources to
build a stronger region.




She theorized that many of the problems local economic development
groups have with recruiting business and industry are caused by the
lack of a spirit of regionalism. Individual communities in the three
states have relatively low populations and an even leaner work force,
Vest said.

The region has a combined population of about a half-million, she
said.

. ...



10. U.S. regional communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in
news articles. Highlighted words are Google search terms. In this and
the following section, links to websites of organizations are added to
the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been
found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in
the U.S. in a news story. In most cases, where a full name is present
a Google search will quickly get one to that organization.



a)
<http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2006/07/24/daily16.html>
Regional commission names interim director
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte, NC,USA

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission has appointed an interim
director after its executive director announced he will retire at the
end of the month. Michael Robinette announced last week he'll retire
effective Friday, and Donald Spang will assume the position of interim
executive director starting July 31. ...



b)
<http://www.mcall.com/news/local/lehighton/all-b1_1transportjul29,0,42
69516.story?coll=all-newslocallehighton-hed> Regional panel OKs
roadwork proposals
Allentown Morning Call - Allentown, PA,USA
A regional transportation planning group approved a plan on Friday
that allocates nearly $260 million in highway money ... by the
<http://www.nepa-alliance.org/rpo.htm> Northeastern Pennsylvania
Alliance Rural Transportation Organization, the plan allocates 2007-10
highway money. ...



c) <http://business.mainetoday.com/news/060730electric.shtml>
Rethinking the power structure
MaineToday.com - Portland, ME,USA

Should Maine pull the plug on its 35-year membership in New England's
electric power pool? ... How about forging stronger connections with
neighboring New Brunswick and swapping more power with Atlantic
Canada? ... Various legal and tariff issues would need to be ironed
out for a joint Maine-Canadian regional transmission organization ...



d)
<http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-cblacktourismjul30,0,3
219789.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines> Black visitors drawn to
region
Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale, FL,USA

... Broward County has attracted several black professional groups.
... national conventions in the past would have gone to Miami because
black organizations were not familiar with Fort Lauderdale ... "They
are coming here for several reasons," said Albert Tucker, who oversees
multicultural tourism for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Visitors and ...



e)
<http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkz
JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTY4OTczJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mg==>
Special interests mobilize for tax reform fight
NorthJersey.com - Hackensack, NJ,USA

... Consolidation among the patchwork of New Jersey's 566
municipalities and 611 school districts has long been promoted ...
Teachers, police officers, firefighters and other politically powerful
public employee groups fear it could lead to fewer jobs and promotions
as well as scaled-back health benefits, vacation packages and pensions
for public employees. ...



f)
<http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2006073
1/OPINION01/607310305> Charter needs airing
Poughkeepsie Journal - Poughkeepsie, NY,USA

... centerpiece of the charter changes, creating an elected county
executive position, is vital for a county that has suffered from a
lack of leader-ship and accountability. The executive will have
control over the day-to-day operations of county government. Ulster's
government is run by 33 legislators who pick a part-time chairman from
their ranks, and hire a county administrator to handle daily
oversight. As a result, voters don't have a direct say in picking who
leads their county. ...



g)
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle
/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189687031> 10 Halifax groups
awarded grants
Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond, VA,USA
Ten Halifax County organizations are the latest benefactors from a
series of grants issued Wednesday by the Community Foundation of the
Dan River Region. The grants, totaling $210,000, represent the last
installment from the foundation's Chastain Home Fund....

h) <http://www.roanoke.com/editorials%5Cwb/75473> Get on the
bus and ride a cultural shift
Roanoke Times - Roanoke, VA,USA
... The region's Smart Way Bus does not ferry revolutionary
nonconformity on the steep climb from Roanoke to Blacksburg. But, like
Kesey's motor coach, the Smart Way Bus can help grind out a cultural
shift. Want a tangible example of regional economic cooperation? Get
on the bus. ...

i)
<http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/07/27/firefighters_use_ne
w_tools_to_rescue_man> Firefighters use new tools to rescue man
Urbana/Champaign News-Gazette - Champaign/Urbana, IL,USA
... "This has been the first practical application of our regional
response team," said Fire Division Chief Tony Foster of the new system
put together about a ...



j)
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Hurricanes_Construction
_Workers.html> Gulf Coast group recruiting 20K workers
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA

Amid a desperate shortage of labor to rebuild the Gulf Coast following
hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a business group launched an effort
Friday to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction workers for
the region. The <http://www.businessroundtable.org/> Business
Roundtable, a Washington-based association of 160 chief executives of
major companies, said it plans to recruit ...

k)
<http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/15142003.htm>
Utility wrong to block regional water plan
Kentucky.com - Lexington, KY,USA
It's bad enough to steal the idea for a regional water plant and
torpedo the best cooperation the Bluegrass has ever seen. But Kentucky
American Water also wants to charge its customers extra for all this.
The Bluegrass Water Supply Commission's plan to build a publicly owned
regional treatment plant on the Kentucky River north of Frankfort
would solve water needs in Fayette and nine other counties. ...

l)
<http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/BIZ01/60
7290335/1076> Regional 'investment' sought
Cincinnati Enquirer - Cincinnati, OH,USA

Local young professionals think Cincinnati is making progress and want
to help. They call the arts and good neighborhoods the region's most
important assets. They're concerned about safety problems in
Over-the-Rhine, and ... Oh yeah, they also want casino gambling in
Ohio, light rail to the airport and a smoking ban in Cincinnati. ...



m)
<http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/07/28/letters/doc44ca4b0bc91
84509271572.txt> Local View: State must not lose control of Platte
Lincoln Journal Star - Lincoln, NE,USA

History has clearly shown that when it comes to multi-state compacts,
Nebraska's track record is dismal. The 1943 Republican River Compact
and Kansas lawsuit settlement agreement have now placed nearly all of
south central and southwest Nebraska in dire economic straits due to
severe restrictions being forced on irrigation there. ...



n) <http://www.acton.org/ppolicy/comment/article.php?id=185>
Perpetuating Poverty: Lotteries Prey on the Poor
Acton Institute - Grand Rapids, MI,USA
... 20, multi-state Mega Millions lottery, Michigan officials tempted
players with the promise of "$24,300 per day!" in a press release that
described winning ...



o)
<http://www2.townonline.com/brewster/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=5
46132> Cape Codder plans Cape Wind roundtable, online opinion poll
Cape Codder - Orleans, MA,USA

With the goal of advancing the wind farm/wind energy dialogue beyond
the spin stage, The Cape Codder is sponsoring a roundtable discussion
with key players in the Cape Wind debate and is conducting an on line
poll to gauge the opinions of Cape Codders. Cape Wind proposes to
develop a 130-turbine wind farm ...



p) <http://www.yorkdispatch.com/local/ci_4107783> Getting
together over a book
York Dispatch - York, PA,USA

... Public library workers from Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin,
Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties launched this year's One
Book, One Community: Our Region Reads annual reading campaign
Wednesday. This year's book, "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini, is
about a man's experience growing up in Afghanistan. ...



q) <http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_4114255> New Freedom out of
regional planning group
York Daily Record - York, PA,USA

Regional planners appear to place a "high priority" on matters that
are good for Shrewsbury Township while criticizing other member
municipalities for making decisions that in the commission's opinion
"are not considered to be consistent with regional ideals," ...
serving its own interests to the detriment of the residents and other
municipalities ...



r)
<http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0731biz-aaa0731.html> AAA
opens regional facility
Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ,USA

... handle between 30,000 and 32,000 calls a day from customers in
California and Arizona ... our focus is making sure we are looking out
for the safety, security and peace of mind of our members ... Though
it would be cheaper, outsourcing call-center jobs to places like India
and the Philippines would defy the company's corporate philosophy ...



s)
<http://www.siftingsherald.com/articles/2006/07/26/news/news1.txt>
Intergovernmental Council discusses possible use of proposed sales tax
Siftings Herald - Arkadelphia, AR,USA

... Clark County Intergovernmental Council agreed that a sales tax is
needed to raise funds for a new county jail and to promote economic
development in the county. However, the council, which is composed of
the mayors of the county's cities and the county judge, did not agree
on how much money local municipalities should receive. ...


t)
<http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-regforce0730.artjul31,0,5416638.
story?coll=hc-headlines-local> Emergency Responders Pass First Big
Test Of Regional Plan
Hartford Courant - United States
The Regional Emergency Deployment Plan... was the picture of success
in its first large-scale test, ... The Red Plan, as it's called, is
used for 20 different types of emergencies, ranging from public health
issues to massive power interruptions, situations involving planes,
trains, motor vehicles, buildings, hospitals, law enforcement, fires,
natural disasters and terrorist attacks. ...



u)
<http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2006/07/31/daily
13.html?jst=b_ln_hl> Greater Chamber working to unify regional agenda
San Antonio Business Journal - San Antonio, TX,USA

Leaders of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce will try to
build consensus on key regional issues on Tuesday, Aug. 2, when they
meet with the leaders of several South Texas border communities in
Laredo. The meeting is the third phase of a four-part series of
meetings intended to create a unified front prior to the 2007 Texas
Legislative session. ...



11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.



a)
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/5226722.stm
> Region gets Home Office mortuary
BBC News - UK

... forensic teams and police can use the facilities to investigate
suspicious deaths from across the region. University Hospitals of
Leicester's ... "The fact that our hospitals attracted £1.6m funding
from the Home Office to create an innovative forensic mortuary is
great news for Leicestershire as it helps to put the city on the map.
...



b) <http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3752238a11,00.html> Our
changing culture map
Stuff.co.nz - Wellington, New Zealand
... In 2001, 42 per cent of people in creative occupations lived in
the Auckland region, compared with 31 per cent of the total workforce.
...



c)
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/522420
8.stm> Lawyer to bring cities together

BBC News - UK

A corporate lawyer has been tasked with bringing traditional rivals
Glasgow and Edinburgh closer together. ... The collaboration project
aims to combine the strengths of both cities to help Scotland compete
internationally. The two-year £55,000 post, based in both cities, is
funded by the councils and hosted by Scottish Enterprise.

...



d)
<http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2006/08/02/oped/g.h..arinday.jr.
.sunfare.html> Arinday: Doing a dream on 'super regions' idea
Sun.Star - Philippines
... If we lag behind our neighbors like Vietnam, disastrously disabled
by the war, it is our lethargic attitude towards our plight, ... The
creation of "super-regions" is the starting of doing our dream on how
we can break the chain of the usual and seasonal "tiempo muerto" in
sugarlandia. ... Let's do our dream. Don't dream.



e)
<http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200608/fb342285-0200-413e-8459-162441
925535.htm> Lords 'should represent UK regions'
ePolitix - UK
Reform of the House of Lords could be based around greater
representation of the UK's regions to prevent it becoming
"London-centric", the Labour Party Chairman has said. ...



f) <http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/312203462922802.php>
Comment: Conference Board plays politics with cities
Ottawa Business Journal - Ontario, Canada
... As for Halifax being the hub for the entire Atlantic region, it's
safe to say ... isn't some sort of conspiracy to shut Ottawa out of
the metropolitan map of Canada ...



g) <http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/11550> Seven regions
on storm alert
Think Spain - Spain
The Civil Protection and Emergencies department has put seven regions
on severe storm alert and the Balearic Islands, where temperatures of
36ºC are forecast ...



h) <http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/2/2006-07-28/26387> Six
new fires start in region
Fort Frances Times - ON, Canada
With no end in sight to the dry conditions the region has been
experiencing of late, the Ministry of Natural Resources reported six
new fires in Northwestern Ontario in the past 24 hours....



i) <http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=18960> Armenia
Striding Confidently towards Eurointegration and Cooperation with NATO
PanARMENIAN.Net - Yerevan, Armenia

... NATO Liaison Officer for the South Caucasus Romualdas Razuks,
NATO's target in the South Caucasus is the unification of efforts by
international organizations for ensuring security and stability in the
region and development of economic ties. ... "Armenia has already
chosen the European path and we welcome her moves in this direction,"
...



j) <http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/518578.html>
Decision on amalgamation to come in October
ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
... plebiscite on whether the two governments should merge, 74 per
cent of town voters rejected the idea while 84 per cent of county
residents favoured amalgamation ...



k)
<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-07/uocp-ipp072606.php>
Invasive plants prefer disturbance in exotic regions than in home
regions
EurekAlert (press release) - Washington, DC,USA

... "If disturbance in non-native regions is no different than in
native regions, then clearly the management response is to limit
disturbance and thus to limit invasions. However, if disturbance in
invaded regions has a much stronger effect that in native regions,
then the management response must look beyond disturbance to control
or limit the invasion." ...



l)
<http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Kaufmann_Bill/2006/07/30/17101
89-sun.html> Sprawl systems go in million-man club
Calgary Sun - Canada

Calgary's love-hate relationship with growth was consummated again
this past week with the christening of its one-millionth resident....
Calgary still enjoys an advantage larger North American centres don't
have. Almost without exception, other centres are hemmed in by suburbs
-- ... much of Calgary is ringed by more farmland for the taking. ...



m)
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layou
t/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1154123417258&call_pageid=968256290204&c
ol=968350116795> How to cut commuting times in the GTA
Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada

... According to a recently released Statistics Canada report,
Canadians spend an average of 63 minutes per day commuting between
home and work - an increase of 9 minutes since 1992. In the GTA, the
city with the longest average commuting times in the country, the
average round-trip commute was 79 minutes - ...



n) <http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/7022> New map search on the
Web
eGov monitor - London, UK
Rotherham's Planning Service ... planning details on individual
properties more accessible to the public is the result of the Planning
Service having indexed over 77,000 records from the past 58 years. In
the majority of cases this means that the complete planning history of
a site, whether it be houses, shops or factories, is now available.
...



o)
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/californ
ia/northern_california/15173332.htm> Bill Clinton, global mayors form
alliance on climate change
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA

... partnership between Clinton and the Large Cities Climate
Leadership Group - an alliance of Rome, London, Mexico City, Los
Angeles and other big cities that have pledged to cut greenhouse gas
emissions ... The pact is similar to one signed Monday by California
and Britain, which will share information and technology to cut
pollutants linked to climate change. ...



p)
<http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060801-012716-8100r>
Google Earth impacts science
United Press International - USA

The world's scientists are increasingly using Google Earth's digital
globe, ... wasn't intended for scientific work -- merely as an
entertainment feature -- the Google search engine's extraordinary
globe has become useful for such widely differing functions as
tracking diminishing ice sheets, locating crime scenes and monitoring
volcanoes, ...

r) <http://www.space.com/news/060731_moon_plans.html>
Multi-Nation Moon Collaboration Backed
Space.com - USA
... space probes are being readied for a lob toward lunar orbit:
Japan's SELENE; China's Chang'E 1, India's Chandrayaan 1 and the U.S.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. .. European Space Agency's (ESA)
SMART-1, already in orbit around the Moon, ... Nearly 250 Moon
planners ... International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG).
...

s)
<http://www.greeknewsonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid
=5312> 1st World Congress of Epirotes Abroad:
Greek News - New York, USA
Greek expatriates from Epirus met for three days in Ioannina, ...
"Epirus is one of the regions where the approval of entrepreneurial
proposals has been given priority. The national, strategic reference
framework 2007-2013, the next Community Framework focuses on regional
development....





12. Sub-State Regions - Indiana - U.S. Census - Midwest Region; East
North Central Division, FIPS Code 18

Following is a selection of links relating to regional arrangements
in Indiana. This year each issue features a State with links to maps
of regions and regional related resources. The "Census Regions and
Divisions of the United States" map is being used going, region by
region from the Northeast to the South to the Midwest to the West.

Link: <http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf>
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf



a) <http://www.in.gov/irdc/county/irpd.html> IN Regional
Planning & Devel. Districts



b) <http://www.stats.indiana.edu/web/wipr.html> STATS Indiana -
(WIA) Regions



c) <http://www.hoosierdata.in.gov/> Indiana Economic Growth
Regions



d) <http://www.in.gov/mylocal/map.html> Indiana Interactive
County Map



e)
<http://www.in.gov/cji/drugfree/substance-abuse/regional-map.html> IN
Criminal Justice Institute - Regions



f) <http://indyhazmat.com/hazmat/FireMarshal/index.asp> IN
State Fire Marshal Task Force Regions



g) <http://www.iaaaa.org/members/aaalist.asp> Indiana Area
Agencies on Aging



h) <http://www.in.gov/igic/projects/indianamap/> IndianaMap -
Coordination of GIS



i) <http://www.narc.org/cogs/indiana.html> Indiana Regional
Councils NARC



13. Announcements and links.



a) <http://www.elynews.com/articles/2006/07/31/news/news09.txt>
Mining towns to meet in October at Leadville - Ely Daily Times - Ely,
NV,USA

LEADVILLE, Colo. -- The "boom and bust" cycle of a mining town can be
difficult for a community and, in some cases, can destroy a town's
economy.

Leadville, Colo., North America's highest incorporated city, is one
mining town that has experienced and endured the ups and downs of the
mining culture. It made its fortune in silver in the late 1800s, and
in molybdenum after World War I. Leadville has since experienced many
hardships since the Climax Mine closed in 1982, taking with it more
than 3,000 jobs and almost 80 percent of the community's assessed
valuation. But the resilient town has survived and renewed its economy
by capitalizing on their No. 1 economic strength: tourism.

This Oct. 3-5, Leadville will host the first National Summit of Mining
Communities, which organizers hope will become an annual event. ...

Early registration for the conference (before Aug. 15) is $295 per
person. Registration after that date is $350. The registration fee
includes track sessions, break refreshments, daily lunch and
hospitality events, including a walk through Leadville's historical
downtown area. For more information on the National Summit of Mining
Communities conference, or to register, go to
<http://www.2tough2die.com/> http://www.2tough2die.com/ or call Lori
Meurs at (719) 486-4217.

...



b) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-operation> Co-operation -
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Even if all members of a group would benefit if all cooperate,
individual self-interest may not favor cooperation. The prisoner's
dilemma codifies this ...



14. Density



a)
<http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/14281776p-15089845c.html
> Those incredible shrinking backyards
Sacramento Bee - CA, USA

... north of downtown Sacramento, especially has become rife with
large homes packed onto less than a 10th of an acre. ... "As funny as
it sounds, you can get a 3,000-square-foot home on a 4,000-square-foot
lot," ... Sacramento Area Council of Governments. "It fits one of the
key changes in the housing supply that 'Blueprint' is trying to
promote." ...



b)
<http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/BUSI
NESS/60726059/1122> Architect: Rethink city development
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC,USA
... Any thoughts on how you deal with that and why that might be? A:
Density is a relative term, and it'sa lightning-rod thing for a lot of
people. ...



c)
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/growth/orl-density31_106ju
l31,0,1731829.story?coll=orl-news-growth-headlines> How to cram 'em in
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, FL,USA

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned a community where each family
would live on at least an acre of land. He called it Broadacre City.
These days, the trend is just the opposite. ... "Most of the people
just don't like the idea of these town houses anymore,"





15. Subscription link story.



<http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=477994> City can learn
from Denver - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription) - Milwaukee,
WI,USA



Milwaukee has the tools to develop a more entrepreneurial economy, but
it isn't using them as well as it could.



That's the message in data comparing Milwaukee and Denver, prepared
for the Wisconsin Technology Council by Madison-based Fintel LLC.



"The two cities have comparable inputs, but Denver has done a much
better job of harnessing its resources," said Tom Still, president of
the Wisconsin Technology Council.



Still asked Fintel to prepare the data in preparation for a talk today
by Tom Clark, executive vice president of the
<http://www.metrodenver.org/> Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.



Milwaukee and Denver both rank relatively high compared with more than
300 other metropolitan areas in terms of research and development,
patents per 1,000 people, and the types of the high-tech orientation
of industry, according to Fintel's analysis.



For example, Milwaukee ranks in the 87th percentile and Denver in the
91st, in patents per 1,000 workers, the Fintel data shows.



But Denver does a much better job of starting and nurturing young
companies and entrepreneurial activities, as well as expanding upon
the wealth and jobs that ultimately flow from them, the data show.



For example, Milwaukee ranks in the 42nd percentile and Denver in the
94th on Fintel's entrepreneurial index.



Founded in 1999, Fintel has more than 900,000 companies in its
database, against which small and midsize companies can compare
themselves.



Clark will speak in Milwaukee today and in Madison Tuesday on how the
Denver region learned to foster economic development cooperatively
over the last 18 years. The Denver area suffered greatly in the 1980s
oil and real estate busts and is now considered a leading
technology-based region.



"They got away from the old model of Denver competing with Boulder,
which competed with Littleton, and they realized all they were doing
is driving companies to Phoenix and Dallas," said Still, who was part
of a 50-member delegation from Madison and Milwaukee that visited
Denver in February.



Clark has worked in various economic development jobs in Denver. He
was the creator and first president of the Metro Denver Network, a
predecessor to the current organization. The network in 1988 received
the Arthur D. Little Award for Excellence in Economic Development, the
nation's highest honor in economic development.



...



16. <http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn&q=> Google News for
Regional



Other menu sections available from this link include: Regional
Development; Regional Council; Regional Commission; Regional America;
Regional Asia; Regional Europe; Regional Competition; Regionalism;
Intergovernmental and other search terms. They can be sorted by date
or relevance. These are among the 50 search terms I use to produce
this newsletter.



My name is Tom Christoffel. I've worked in the field of
intergovernmental cooperation since 1973. As a consequence, "I see
regions." Regional Community Development News is published weekly
based on news reports as of Wednesday. Making visible analysis and
actions at multi-jurisdictional regional scales is its purpose. "Think
globally, act locally" was innovative in its time. Today the local
scale is often too small to address today's needs and opportunities.
"Think local planet, act regionally," is my candidate paradigm. (No
one said we're only allowed one paradigm.) We can see that "regional
communities" are organized locally and now act both to avoid tragedy
in the commons and gain benefits. An effective multi-jurisdictional
regional community has DNA: it is geographically Defined; has a common
Name and its Alignment is inclusive of smaller communities and
participatory in larger communities. So, by scanning this compilation,
reading articles and checking organizations - you too will be able to
see the regional communities that already exist. News references are
found using the Google News search service. Media article links are
"fair use" to transform globally scattered reports to make regional
approaches visible. Links go to the publisher and do not compete with
it. Such publishers are likely to have related stories and thus be
seen by new customers. "Regional" is an emerging news category. There
is no charge for this service and no profit is made from its use,
though any user can become more aware of the topic itself.

To read and search previous issues go to:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/messages>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/messages The term
"Development" was added to the name in January, 2006.

For a free subscription use this email link - no additional
information required: <mailto:regions_work-subscribe@yahoogroups.com>
regions_work-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Questions, comments or items to feature in Regional Community
Development News?

Please e-mail the editor: Tom.Christoffel@... or
regional@...

Thomas J. (Tom) Christoffel, AICP Making regions visible for Leaders
and Problem-solvers. <http://www.regionalintelligence.com/>
www.regionalintelligence.com or <http://www.regions.ws/>
www.regions.ws



© 2003-6 Redistribute freely with attribution.

<http://www.regions.ws/>