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Regional Community Development News – January 31 & February 7, 2007  [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.

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Note: This edition covers two weeks and has more stories to scan. The format is slightly different so that I can build an edition while on the road or when a PC dies, as has been the recent situation for both desktop and laptop. In tests of this use of gmail for the news group, links from stories worked. We do know links get broken; fonts and colors change in transit. The good news is that the number of regional related news stories is increasing rapidly. To handle more I'm working on del.icio.us tags for regions and regional topics to build an on-line repository in addition to the archive newsletters. This will enable others to add to the base. The tags are a 2.0 version from MyWeb codes in the past year. They aren't ready for prime time yet. As always, feedback welcome. Ed.     

 

  1. Toyota Plant is NFL Franchise for Memphis Area… so why aren't local leaders and organizations stepping up? - Memphis Flyer - Memphis , TN, USA

Remember the name: Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce. Regional as in regionalism.

Regionalism was the strategy adopted by the chamber when it changed its name from the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce.

And regionalism is the reason the chamber and Memphis city and county officials and business leaders should be going all out, hold-nothing-back, to help nearby Marion Arkansas, 10 miles from Memphis, get Toyota's latest auto plant.

A Toyota plant is the business equivalent of an NFL franchise. For Memphis to politely remain quiet and step aside while Governor Phil Bredesen and the powers that be in Nashville and Chattanooga try to steer Toyota to Chattanooga — 300 miles from Memphis — is simply ridiculous.

Memphis has been getting whipsawed by Mississippi and Arkansas for years. Regionalism was the strategy adopted by the chamber when it changed its name from the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce. And regionalism is the reason the ...

  2. Local water planners unhappy with state - News Journal - Longview, TX, USA

Northeast Texas water advocates waged a war of words Wednesday, voicing their frustrations over less-than-hoped-for funding proposals from the state water development board.

"Disappointed would be the mildest word that I can come up with in respect to the water board's proposal," said Jim Thompson, chairman of the Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group.

The group oversees water planning for Region D, one of 16 such groups throughout Texas. The groups have been charged by the Legislature to collect and analyze electronic data for Texas Water Development Board staff.

Each region is asking for a piece of $6.6 million that the Legislature appropriated for water planning. The 16 regions made a combined initial request of $11.4 million.

Region D asked for nearly $1.04 million to fund 10 tasks. The state board's staff has given tentative approval to fund three of those tasks for a total of $310,365.

…

While all 16 regions were created to help craft a 50-year water plan for the state,  Region D officials have engaged in a long-standing feud over Region C's ...

 

  3. Officials get together,  talk cooperation - Flint Journal - Flint , MI, USA

Is regional cooperation what's best for Genesee County ?

Prominent businessmen and politicians gathered Tuesday night at Mott Community College and considered the question as part of the Flint Area Public Affairs Debates series, co-sponsored by The Flint Journal.

…

"The willingness to partner with people who you normally don't see as having something in common with is important," said Bradshaw.

Dismond spoke of how, as a public hospital, Hurley must treat every patient.

"Are we better as together? Yes," said Dismond. "The hospital treats members of the community who are the most vulnerable. It's for the benefit of all of us in the community that we have this asset."

But regionalism "isn't an extremely sexy topic," said Soper. "There's some residents who say, 'Why are you helping them out? Why are you doing that?' And there's mistrust and old feuds between cities and municipalities."

…

 

  4. Group exploring avenues for road funds - Denver Post - Denver, CO,USA

With estimated $25 billion shortfall around the corner, regional task force mulls different taxes as fixes

Local government officials discussed "pothole politics" on Friday, assessing the appetite of Colorado voters for billions of dollars in new taxes for highway maintenance and construction.

For months, a task force of the Denver Regional Council of Governments has been exploring possible fixes for the shortfall in transportation dollars in the region and around the state.

DRCOG estimates that its nine-county region will be short $25 billion in needed money for roads and transit over the next two decades.

Gov. Bill Ritter soon is expected to appoint his own committee to look at options for raising billions of dollars in new money for transportation statewide.

That group is expected to review work already done by the DRCOG panel.

The regional government group estimates that increasing the current state gasoline tax of 22 cents a gallon by one penny, and tying other future increases to inflation, would raise about $24 million a year.
…

  5. Those who want rail must pay,  lawmakers urge - Henry Herald - McDonough, GA, USA

Two state representatives from the Southern Crescent have put together a "taxpayer protection bill" they hope will kill the proposed 26-mile Atlanta-to-Lovejoy commuter rail.

Henry County Rep. Steve Davis (R-McDonough , has authored House Bill 269, which would require each county and city affected by the commuter line to pass a referendum saying it wants the rail line and would help pay for it.

If a city or county didn't pass a special-election referendum supporting the rail line, the commuter train wouldn't stop in that city or county.

Both Davis and Fayette County Rep. Dan Lakly, (R-Peachtree City , who has signed onto the bill, oppose the line.

"I want the bill to get people to reality," Lakly said. "[Let us] realize once and for all that people are married to their automobiles. I'm not a firm believer in public transportation solving the traffic problem."

However, rail supporters like Eldrin Bell, chairman of the Clayton County Commission, along with former commissioner, Carl Rhodenizer, and Congressman David Scott (D-Ga. , believe the rail line will help solve the region's traffic problems, direct expected growth and serve as an economic "shot in the arm."

But, they only have been cautiously optimistic about the completion of the project.

Georgia Department of Transportation officials have been saying the line is "not dead yet" for the past month, but spokesman David Spear emphasize "It could easily happen. It could easily not happen."

…

  6. Funding breakthrough welcome news for rail plan - Journal Times Online - Racine , WI, USA

Commuter rail extension that would link Racine to both Chicago and Milwaukee took a major step forward last week when the Regional Transit Authority agreed on a funding mechanism.

Hooray.

On a 6-0 vote, the RTA recommended boosting the rental car fee in Racine, Milwaukee and Kenosha from $2 to $15 per rental.

The fee would raise an estimated $4.9 million annually to cover capital costs and the local share of operating costs for the KRM line that would link the three cities and allow riders to connect easily with Chicago's Metra line in Kenosha.

Commuter rail planners say the KRM commuter line will help generate some 71,000 jobs in the area, along with thousands of housing units, new stores and offices.

That will have a substantial and positive impact on Racine , not only growing businesses and homes here, but providing residents with convenient access to jobs and entertainment in two major metropolitan areas.

Agreement on a funding mechanism was a crucial breakthrough and a difficult one for the board which is required to have six of its seven members in agreement before it can make a recommendation to the Legislature and the governor.

Earlier proposals for KRM funding included a gas tax and a small boost in the sales tax in the three counties, both of which foundered for one reason or another - the sales tax most recently because of opposition by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett who wanted a portion of such a tax dedicated to buses and other public services.

The car rental fee boost has its opponents, too. Car rental companies, for starters. But Gov. Jim Doyle has already expressed his support for the plan and some legislative leaders …

  7.  Bi-national Airport Part of Bi-national Regional Economy - Voice of San Diego - San Diego, CA , USA

The decision by the Port Commission to seriously explore a cross-border airport with facilities adjacent to each other along the Otay border is a dose of enlightened action driven by practical economic realities apart from the obstacles to a fully functional international airport on the San Diego side of the international border.

As former American-born Baja California Governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel has astutely observed in recent talks on both sides of the border, we are in an integrated economy radiating 200 miles in all directions from a San Diego-Tijuana axis.

We are a challenged to find new solutions to transportation, educational, housing, employment, and quality of life dilemmas. Just as the value of the U.S. dollar is linked to the Japanese Yen in a symbiotic relationship, so is the economy (and jobs  in San Diego linked to Tijuana.

The airport authority is in a position to move with all deliberate speed to engage governmental officials on both sides of the border to make a cross-border airport a reality.

Stepping up economic engagement would generate more family-supporting jobs for those living on this side of the border.

The San Diego area's community colleges are well positioned to enable our residents to reap the rewards that energized economic engagement would bring. The 50,000 student-strong San Diego Community College District's Continuing Education program, in particular, is aimed at giving adult students a leg up in making sure they have the basic skills necessary for success.

…

  8. Plan is exciting and challenging: Chamber - Derry Journal - Derry, Ireland

Ann Marie Slavin, President of Derry's Chamber of Commerce, has warmly welcomed the publication of the Irish government's National Development Plan (2007-2013   which, she says, is "an exciting, comprehensive plan that will bring significant benefits to both sides of the border.

She said: "In particular the proposals for balanced regional development and for all-Island co-operation across a wide front are imaginative and unprecedented. This Chamber urges the present Direct Rule Ministers and local politicians to respond positively to the proposals and to work constructively with the Dublin Government to bring the proposals to fruition within the lifetime of the Plan."

This is a view shared by Chamber Chief Executive Janice Tracey who said:: "We have been lobbying for some time now on both sides of the border, in the context of both the Northern Ireland Regional Development Strategy and the National Spatial Strategy, to have an integrated development plan for the Northwest Gateway linking both jurisdictions. This would maximise the synergy of both sub-regions and enable the Northwest Gateway to be a competitive sub-region not only on the Island of Ireland but in Europe.

"We welcome the proposals on balanced Regional development in the NDP and we call on Ministers in the North to review present proposals for growing the Northwest Gateway not only within the framework of the strategy in the NDP but also in the context of the new Local Authority functions and boundaries which will become operational here by 2009."

…

  9. Developing a community feeling - Taipei Times - Taipei, Taiwan

While APEC and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC  are stressing the significance of forming a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP , Taiwan has been focusing too much on domestic conflicts. As an island nation heavily reliant on international trade, Taiwan needs to pay greater attention to the external environment. Because international relations can empower trade, Taiwan ought to place greater emphasis on the development of the neighboring community and identify the community to which Taiwan really belongs.

The concept of a community is related to the sharing of a common identity, culture, ideas, or beliefs. In this sense, there is at present no East Asian community, since East Asia is characterized by great cultural, ethnic and political diversity, unresolved conflicts and different visions of the future.

By comparison, because Europe is more culturally homogeneous than Asia, the challenges facing East Asia in the development of a regional community are greater than those faced by Europe in the post-war era. The fact that, even after half a century of integration, Europe still faces many challenges would indicate that the road ahead for East Asia, should it decide to go forward with building a community, is a long and difficult one.

Balanced by the natural law of demand and supply, the existing East Asian economic structure has been serving as a cornerstone of the global value chain. In order to prevent a repeat of the 1997 East Asian Financial Crisis, countries in the region have realized the importance of regional collaboration.

The chain reaction in a regional scale is faster than that in the global scale because of the geographical factor. Therefore, a specific East Asian awareness motivated by the multilateral economic structure has emerged. The East Asian awareness is too significant …

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. 

 

    .10    AACOG appoints new executive director to replace retiring Notzon
Phoenix Business Journal - Phoenix, AZ, USA
The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG  has a new executive director after 40 years and the organization did not have to look far to find a ...

 

    .11   ETCOG executive director to retire
News Journal - Longview, TX, USA
After more than a quarter century,  Glynn Knight will retire as executive director of the East Texas Council of Governments,  effective May 31. ...

 

    .12    VISIONARY INFLUENCES REGION
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, FL ,USA
They could raise wages, improve health care and put the region on the map for something other than theme parks. And so a man who arrived in Orlando 15 years ...

    .13    Mayor Describes 2007's Goals For Regionalism
Jamestown Post Journal - Jamestown, NY, USA
Regional policing and a full ad hoc committee studying the factors involved are top priorities for Jamestown's mayor,  … described several goals for regionalism, including …

    .14 Crime-Plagued Regions Vie for New Grants
Washington Post - Washington , DC, USA
Regions plagued by rising violent crime could share in a $200 million grant next year with a new Justice Department grant targeting gangs,  ...

    .15 Logsdon asks Coweta to ditch 4-lane bridge
The Citizen.com - Fayetteville , GE, USA
Another twist to development in Fayette in Coweta is that they are overseen by two different regional agencies: Fayette by the Atlanta Regional Commission ...

    .16   Grant Will Help Develop Strategic Transportation Plan for Atlanta
Government Technology - Folsom, CA, USA
Atlanta's Bureau of Planning will receive $1 million in federal funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission to create long-term transportation development ...

 

 

    .17   Regional leaders take stock
Charleston Post Courier (subscription  - Charleston, SC, USA
Anderson talked about his city's response to last year's wave of killings and about what the city is doing to improve its housing stock and increase ...

 

    .18   Mayor's Column: A regional opportunity
YourHub.com - Denver , CO, USA
This land is covered by an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA  between Erie,  Lafayette,  and Boulder County which will require regional cooperation to revise. ...

 

    .19   Tensions in public-private collaborations discussed
WMU News - Kalamazoo , MI, USA
"The outcomes in the Kalamazoo collaboration were public goods befitting society as a whole,  and creating those outcomes did not create significant personal ...

 

    .20   Town joins talks on regionalization
Wilmington Advocate - Concord , MA, USA
Additionally,  the community already subscribes to a regionalized library service,  The Minuteman Network,  and is a participant in NEMLEC (The Northeastern ...

 

    .21   THE GREAT AIRPORT ROBBERY
New York Post - New York, NY, USA
... New Jersey's Anthony Coscia,  who pushed hard for the airport takeover,  jubilantly described the expansion as the dawn of a new era of regionalism. ...

 

    .22   Rocked by tragedy,  community connected
Meadville Tribune - Meadville ,  PA, USA
When a tragedy of this magnitude hits a small town here in southern West Virginia,  its staggering impact reaches far beyond all regional boundaries. ...

 

    .23   Regional heritage workshop slated at Anne Arundel Community College
Annapolis Capital - Annapolis , MD, USA
Four Rivers: The Heritage Area of Annapolis,  London Town and South County ,  in partnership with Anne Arundel Community College ,  will hold a regional heritage ...

 

    .24   Caregiver pays seniors a service call Companies grow as aging population, client base expand

Ann Arbor News - Ann Arbor, MI , USA
Forecasters with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments say that portion of the county's population will triple in the next 25 years. ...

 

    .25   American Red Cross Announces Regional Chapter

MyRegion.org Newsletter

The Central Florida region has been selected as a pilot for the new Community Presence Initiative launched nationally by the American Red Cross. The Central Florida Chapter will …

 

    .26   Helping the homeless a regional responsibility
SalemNews.com - Salem , MA, USA
And there are limits to what any organization or individual,  no matter how laudable their intentions,  can do to help people who prefer to be left alone. ...

 

    .27   Homelessness on the rise in the Fredericksburg area
The Free Lance-Star - Fredericksburg, VA, USA
He and other members of the George Washington Regional Commission,  a planning agency,  had hope to rev up discussions with yesterday's homeless awareness ...

 

   .28   Power bills to fall if Maryland joins RGGI-study
Reuters - USA
NEW YORK,  Feb 1 (Reuters  - Maryland power bills would decline if the state joins the regional organization that plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions,  ...

 

    .29   Homeland security spending for the long war
Spero News - USA
In turn,  the ISE recently released a comprehensive plan for improving information sharing in which state and regional intelligence and information sharing ...

    .30   EMG And USWF Will Develop Wind Farms In The Mid-Atlantic Region
North American Windpower - USA
The company is currently active in the mid-Atlantic region,  primarily in the power pool operated by PJM Interconnection LLC.

    .31   Researchers find substantial wind resource off Mid-Atlantic coast
PhysOrg.com - Evergreen, VA, USA
The wind resource off the Mid-Atlantic coast could supply the energy needs of nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina,  plus the District of ...

 

    .32   Fellowship Baptists create new Midwest regional organization
Associated Baptist Press - Jacksonville, FL, USA
ATLANTA (ABP  -- The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship,  a partnership of moderate Baptist churches and organizations,  added a new,  five-state regional body to ...

 

    .33   Latest regulations becoming more strict
Corpus Christi Caller Times - Corpus Christi, TX , USA
This effectively opens the door to regionalized coastal fishing regulations in Texas. Regionalized regulations for freshwater have existed for years. ...

 

    .34   States' Map For Saving The Oceans
Washington Post - Washington, DC, USA
... governors prioritized ocean management and set aside individual state concerns to develop a more effective plan to manage the region's oceans and coasts ...

 

    .35   Slowing Traffic
Vienna/Oakton Connection - VA, USA
... "adding a lot of information to the whole argument about traffic-calming," said Jim Van Zee, director of Regional Planning Services at the Northern Virginia Regional Commission,  …

 

    .36   New Jersey State Police Pioneer 'Intelligence-Led Policing'
Officer.com - USA
... Officer Tyron Franklin's killer,  city police kept in constant contact with officers at the new Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton. ...

 

    .37  Craig takes part in area tourism project
The News Castle Record - Salem , VA, USA
The RVARC is spearheading the project and has applied for a $16790-grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for funding for the proposal. ...

 

    .38   Cutting Regions Turns Old Problem Into New: Parents
Queens Chronicle - Rego Park, NY, USA
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein took pains this week to defend the mayor's decision to scrap the 13 school regions he created four years ago,  saying they had ...

 

    .39  Towns want grant for merger study
Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park, NJ , USA
"There are also opportunities for saving taxpayer money even if all the towns don't proceed with the regionalization model, " Pringle said. ...

 

    .40  Regional plan not right for Maine school systems
Kennebec Journal - Augusta , ME, USA
On paper,  regionalization sounds good and the money saved very impressive,  but the massive impact it will have on education needs to be addressed by all ...

 

    .41 Group: New Mississippi River bridge soon may be out of reach
WQAD - Moline, IL, USA
A report being issued today to the East-West Gateway Council of Governments says the states must agree on the financing or risk losing 239 (m  million ...

 

    .42  Nonprofits join to plug holes in disaster response
Daily Review Online - CA,USA
Today in San Francisco, six regional nonprofit agencies and the city's emergency managers pledged to plug the holes in their disaster response efforts by ...

    .43  Altieri named as intergovernmental relations chief in Rockland
Mid-Hudson News - Newburgh, NY, USA
... environmental attorney … county's director of Intergovernmental Relations … assigned to work as liaison with several of the county's departments, including Transportation, Planning, Highway and Drainage and Environmental Resources. …

    .44  City,  county consider 18-month merger study group
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne, IN , USA
If the committee were to recommend consolidation of governments,  that would then likely have to go through the process outlined in the state law. ...

 

    .45  How The American West Is Being Won And Lost
New West - Missoula, MT, USA
I've always been drawn to ideas and efforts that cut across boundaries and disciplines,  because that's what I find to be most interesting and most important ...

 

    .46  The cost of autopsies
The Southern - Carbondale, IL,USA
That's the reason Cox, a former president of the Illinois Coroner and Medical Examiner Association, is lobbying for a regionalized approach to the autopsy ...

 

    .47   Sarasota County to propose regional jail
Bradenton Herald - Bradenton, FL, USA
The Manatee County Commission recently began discussing the possibility of building an additional wing to the existing jail,  Wells said. ...

 

    .48   Jail talks to include regional facility
Venice Gondolier - Venice , FL, USA
On Tuesday,  the county commission balked when asked to approve more than $200000 for a jail consultant's advice,  but agreed to revisit the issue as part of ...

 

    .49  Rural roads could forfeit state funding
Inside Bay Area - Oakland, CA, USA
... trying to get to their jobs,  trying to get home, " said Jim Wunderman,  president of the Bay Area Council of top business executives. ...

 

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

 

    .10   City Region Status

The Wellington News - UK
Dear Editor,  writes councillor Denis Allen,  of Park Ward,  Wellington,  A great deal of deliberately misleading information has been given out by those who will gain personally from the formation of city regions. ...

 

    .11   Suburbs should pay to let their fingers do the walking: Merulla
Ancaster News - Ancaster,  Ontario,  Canada
Mr. Whitehead said since amalgamation there has been an understanding between suburban and inner city politicians that if one area wants enhanced services,  ...

 

    .12   Guidelines for transport in Europe and neighbouring regions
European Business Guide - Brussels , Belgium
... the European Commission has adopted a Communication entitled 'Guidelines for transport in Europe and neighbouring regions'. The Guidelines outline the ...

 

    .13   Home front: Our cities need 'fathers' – not croupiers
Telegraph.co.uk - London, England, UK

It is no coincidence that the heyday of the English cities was when they were great civic and cultural institutions with "city fathers"  … tried to run England on the basis of regions that command little local loyalty and have even less economic coherence. …

 

    .14   Rural directors spar with new chair Winchester
Comox Valley Record - Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
... services committee and put into the committee of the whole,  leaving a rural area planning committee with a mandate to deal with land-use issues alone. ...

 

    .15   BRIAN Porter expressed concern that we may be sleepwalking toward regional government
News & Star - Carlisle, Cumbria, UK
... their own positions,  or merely because their core support comes from the south of the county,  and closest to the potential new seat of (regional  power. ...

 

    .16   Crime Stoppers: Everyone benefits except the criminal
North Thompson Star - Barriere, British Columbia, Canada
The Kamloops program is regionalized and takes tips for 14 other communities including Revelstoke,  Valemount,  Clearwater,  Barriere,  100 Mile House,  Clinton,  ...

 

    .17   Govt,  regions still at odds on autonomy
Jakarta Post - Jakarta , Indonesia
While the regions insist that they be given the authority to manage themselves,  the central government maintains that many regions are not yet ready to ...

 

    .18   Excellence in tourism governance demands up-to-date management methods
Travel Daily News International - Athens, Greece
Traditional forms of governance and traditional forms of partnership must be complemented by a third level of permanent macro partnership-based management ...

 

    .19  Hot off the shelf
Khaleej Times - Dubai , United Arab Emirates
We want to cut across boundaries of culture and language. The primary role of the media is to create social cohesion in society. ...

 

    .20  Council's blow to eco-academy bid
Hereford Times - Hereford , UK
Herefordshire Council's southern area planning sub-committee said the scheme was too big for itself and breached local development policies. ...

 

    .21   Experts say global cooperation key to fighting cybercrime
SC Magazine - Australia
International cooperation among law enforcement agencies is key to taking the allure from cybercrime,  a panel of experts said today at a Kaspersky ...

 

    .22   Public-private partnership
The News - International - Pakistan
They said institutions developed by the private sector in collaboration with the public sector had given impetus to the economy. ...

 

    .23   Latin America's Pink Tide
By Pablo Navarrete
... in Argentina and Uruguay,  and are now being coordinated at regional level ... and distribution networks,  and a micro-bank financed by enterprise profits. ... longer be just a customs union but will promote real regional integration. ...

 

    .24   More cracks in regional cooperation
Redwater Tribune - Morinville , Alberta, Canada
Voluntary participation in regional planning for the 23 municipalities in the capital region should end, says Dr. Michael Percy,  the dean of the business ...

 

    .25   20000 Mobile Users,  40 Countries,  One "Global Mobile" Mindset
Market Wire
The study is part of the CMO Council's 2007 thought leadership initiative,  "Global Mobile Mindset, " a comprehensive analysis of mobile device deployment,  ...

 

    .26   Coaching the Why Generation
The Australian - Sydney , Australia
They have a more pragmatic mindset and the desire to question. "They also want instant gratification. There's a sense that they don't want to do the work to ...

 

    .27   India Emerges As New Corporate Destination For US Businesses
All Headline News - USA
Das added,  "First of all,  Indian government regulations are somewhat flexible and conducive to American businesses. Second,  the diversity of India allows ...

 

    .28   No such address,  no such zone
Ottawa Sun - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
We may think we're one big,  happy city,  but seems Canada Post still doesn't recognize the City of Ottawa's amalgamation,  now six years old. ...

12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.

    .10   Merger of two organizations: Coalition for Smarter Growth and Washington Regional Network for LIvable Communities

By Richard Layman(Richard Layman)  
Coalition for Smarter Growth and Washington Regional Network for Livable ... and regional decisions about how and where we grow, " said Stewart Schwartz,  ... and development decisions are made with genuine community participation and ...

 

    .11   Regionalism in Action
When talk of regionalism heads towards government consolidation, a lot of local municipalities back away from the table - until now. Seven fire departments … are working on plans to merge.

    .12   PTC looking to sell our green space for big box
The Citizen.com - Fayetteville , GE, USA
I also kept pushing that point with the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC . Most of the time I would get blank stares when I made the point. ...

    .13   Weston,  Blue-22 Problems and Solutions
By democraticspace
How we deal with these local/regional conflicts reflects on all of us. No local community should bear the burden of regional concerns. But neither should local concerns prevent us from tackling regional problems. ...

 

    .14   On interoperability,  is it worth implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendation?

By Jerry Brito
The Commission also has permitted public safety regional planning committees to develop plans for frequency coordination on a regional basis. While this system has had significant benefits for public safety users,  in terms of permitting ...

 

    .15   Map of France - Regions
By liamssoft
Map of France - Regions map

 

    .16   Map of Ireland
By liamssoft
Map of Ireland. "The island of Ireland is divided into four historic regions: Ulster,  Connaught,  Leinster and Munster. Each region contains multiple counties. The counties of Donegal,  Monaghan and Cavan in Ulster belong to the Republic ...

 

    .17   Private Money,  Tolls Roads Recommended to Reduce Atlanta Traffic Jams
The Heartland Institute - Chicago , IL, USA
The Atlanta Regional Commission says by 2030 a rush-hour trip will take 67 percent longer than at off-hours. In a Reason report released in August 2006,  ...

 

    .18   What we're faced with
By Sir Oolius(Sir Oolius)  
Economic development is primarily regionally oriented and per capita economic growth and technological change more fragmented and slower than other storylines. B1. The B1 storyline and scenario family describes a convergent world with ...

 

    .19   Collaboration Is Not as Risky as Companies Think
IT Business Edge - Louisville , KY, USA
Blogs and wikis have an inherently public nature,  while e-mail and instant messaging keep communications largely private. ...

 

    .20   Let's go back to the basics: Community Building
By miss rogue
is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community between individuals within a regional area (such as a neighbourhood  or with a common interest. It is sometimes encompassed under the field of community ...

 

    .21   Tribune mixes it up
By Tom Taulli
They are leveraging their built-in regional community and providing the kind of online experience that people have come to expect. This means not just consuming news but interacting with it,  responding to it,  and even providing content ...

 

    .22   Birding California Map – We've found a treasure!
By info
Simply click on one of the counties on the map,  and you are taken to a page of birding resources for that specific region. Professor Morlan has assembled a fantastic directory of links pointing to state and regional park sites,  ...

 

    .23   Die,  regional politics! Die!
By midnightjester
Although in the USA the regionally elected senate fills an important role in their checks-and-balances,  much like the house of lords in the UK,  their state governors seem redundant as do our provincial MECs in South Africa. ...

 

    .24   Local planning authority green belt statistics: England 2006
By admin
This is because for example,  the Green Belt for London straddles the London ,  East of England and South East regional boundaries. Changes to the extent of Green Belt between 2004 and 2006. The New Forest National Park was created in ...

 

    .25   A Great Day for Regionalism
By lacityorgcd11
I was out at LA/Ontario today to celebrate a great day for regionalism. I joined the Mayor in announcing that one of the nation's largest regional airlines, ExpressJet, will provide non-stop flight service to 14 destinations, ...

 

    .26   Regionalism: an Alternative to Economic Globalization
By memo@...
In recent years,  scholars and activists have begun to re-consider regionalism as a viable alternative strategy for economic development,  not only for the Third World but for inner cities,  rural areas,  and other parts of the First World ...

 

    .27   Regional cooperation,  or "We are family..."
By Sandy Carmany(Sandy Carmany)  
Regionalism and working together among Greensboro,  High Point,  and Winston-Salem is much more of a common practice than the public might believe based on continuing media stories. ... regionalism is alive and well in the Piedmont Triad. ...

 

13. Announcements and Regional Links

    .11 Ground Rules for a Public-Private Partnership in New Jersey – Regional Plan Association

aMPO eMAIL

A new RPA report calls for caution as state officials begin to examine opportunities for public-private partnerships (PPPs) on the New Jersey Turnpike or other key transportation assets. Other reports available at this site.

 

    .12   Brookings  Metro Update – The Brookings Institution

Metro Update

Articles and Reports:

- The Next Urban Agenda

- The Economic Potential of American Cities

- Exurban America

- The State of American Cities

- Two Steps Back: City and Suburban Poverty Trends, 1999-2005

 14. Google News for "Regional Community"

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.   

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     My name is Tom Christoffel. I've worked in the field of intergovernmental cooperation since 1973. As a consequence,  "I see regions work." 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 The term "Development" was added to the name in January,  2006.

For a free subscription use this email link – no additional information required:

            regions_work-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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

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

Thomas J. (Tom  Christoffel, AICP Making regions visible for Leaders and Problem-solvers. www.regionalintelligence.com or www.regions.ws __________________________________________________________________________

 

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