1.  Regional answers move to center stage - The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk, VA, USA

LIKE MOST "-isms, " "regionalism" is an ugly word and an uglier concept. It means the muddling of municipalities, the mingling of Virginia Beach with Norfolk with Chesapeake with Portsmouth with Suffolk, to the degradation and detriment of all.

But regional cooperation, now that's a thing to be celebrated without reservation.

It's the thing that allows Suffolk and Virginia Beach to join hands to build highways that benefit both, and that neither could construct on its own. It allows Chesapeake and Portsmouth to put their heads together to consider the wisdom of an ethanol plant, and to reach the conclusion that it makes no sense. It allows everybody in Isle of Wight County to enjoy the riches of port operations concentrated in Norfolk.

This was a good year for regional cooperation, perhaps the best in Hampton Roads in a very long time. And it somehow arrived without anyone giving up the things that were important to them, that make them a city unto themselves.

You can argue about whether a local transportation authority is the best way to pay for highways, but it's the way the General Assembly gave us in 2007. Despite some early and ugly arguing, in the end, governments across Hampton Roads endorsed a regional authority that will allow us to start building roads within months instead of decades.

The process wasn't pretty. A few municipalities voted against the authority and its taxes. Still others are having serious buyer's remorse.

But the principle exemplified by the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority endures despite all that. To secure the infrastructure necessary to ensure the health of its communities and businesses, Hampton Roads joined together, both Peninsula and Southside, to build it.

That's precisely as it should be, and should create a model for what's possible when a region's municipalities ...

RC: Hampton Roads Planning District Commission

 

  2. Out of date: Report says town planning is 50 years behind - Brockton Enterprise - MA, United States

Communities in southeastern Massachusetts need to change their transportation planning, reform the property-tax system and adopt land-use techniques that preserve open space if they want to be competitive over the next several decades, according to a regional planning agency's report.

A task force affiliated with the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District issued its report last month after a series of meetings that began last spring.

The task force was asked to suggest ways to improve land-use and economic policies in the region.

The report is meant to begin conversations on long-term planning and to push for change.

“We need to think about things differently, ” said Louise Daley, transportation planner at the Taunton-based regional agency. “We need to think more long-term and more regionally. We need to think about the larger picture.”

The report recommends forming a regional clean energy plan, expanding bus and rail service and reforming the property-tax system to make communities less reliant on it.

The report didn't give priorities, but much of the report is centered on land use and protection of the environment.

Suburban sprawl, the report says, has resulted in the loss of half of the area's open space and agricultural land in the last 50 years.

Zoning bylaws created decades ago to keep factories out of residential areas have also resulted in spread-out development that creates transportation issues, Daley said.

“People were encouraged to develop in rural areas instead of in cities, ” she said. “There's a big demand for transit to serve the commercial areas. It's hard to serve suburban sprawl with transit.”

 

  3. Resolved for NKY: Keep thinking regionally - The Enquirer – Cincinnati, OH – USA

The state of Kentucky faces another big budget crunch. There is the increasing inability of the federal government to adequately fund things (like the Brent Spence Bridge) or solve problems (like immigration and Social Security) that clearly should be primary obligations.

That suggests the pressure is on Northern Kentucky to do more for itself as a region, dealing with its own problems and exploiting its opportunities.

Some situations still get lost in parochialism or traditional thinking. Southgate, for example, desperately needs a new fire house. Voters rejected a $2 million tax increase to do it. Officials say that Southgate is just too far from Wilder, Newport or Fort Thomas to justify merger or consolidation talks for fire services.

Now, come on. The boundary lines of all these municipalities are about a mile from the Southgate facility, and the other fires stations are close. According to Google Maps, the Fort Thomas station is 1.8 miles from the Southgate station. Someone needs to call a meeting between officials of these four Campbell County communities to see if there's an opportunity here.

That's a small piece of the bigger puzzle.

Larger-scale example: The NKY Chamber (Disclosure: I'm on the board.) is taking a leadership role in seeking ways for the community to deal with skyrocketing health care costs. It's not just a health issue; it's an economic development issue, too. Imagine the power in the hands of a business recruiter representing a region that has a national reputation for helping employers control health costs, making community health a priority and having decent benefits for workers.

Maybe it's crazy to think that one region of one small state can do anything significant about the health-care mess. But, under the circumstances, it's crazier not to try.

That's also why the Vision 2015 plan ...

 

  4. Regional leaders unite - The State - Columbia, SC, USA

The initial participants are Cayce, West Columbia, Lexington, Columbia, and Richland and Lexington counties, but other communities might be invited to join later.

The effort is being spearheaded by the Midlands Business Leadership Group and the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce as an outgrowth of the Good to Great effort launched earlier this year.

Improving intergovernmental cooperation is one of the eight areas of focus for the five-year community development and prosperity initiative.

The Regional Inter-governmental Forum is an informal group designed to create dialogue among the municipalities and the county governments.

The forum focus is to improve interaction among local governments and to ban together on regional issues, such as transportation, air and water quality and controlling sprawl.

Some areas of the state — the Upstate, the coastal counties, the Lowcountry — “geographically hang tight when they want something, like a bridge or transportation dollars, ” said Cathy Novinger, the MBLG representative to the forum.

“Other geographic areas, because of their unity, have been usurping those pots of money. And because we didn’t have a game plan and a unified voice, we didn’t get any money, ” Novinger said.

Not only at the General Assembly, but also at the federal level, there are real opportunities in certain things. “Whether it is clean air at the federal level, whether it is transportation dollars at the state level, we need to have a unified voice, ” she said.

Columbia City Councilman E.W. Cromartie II said the forum is a great opportunity. It can create an “economy of scale and actually do some things to help the entire region, ” Cromartie said.

The spirit of cooperation in the first two meetings has been described as a “kumbaya” moment.

...

 

RC: Central Midlands Council of Governments

 

  5. We can solve our homeless problem - Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA

Over 20 years ago, I had recently graduated from Long Beach's educational system - Newcomb, Marshall, Millikan and CSULB -and was anxious to help solve the small, but growing problem of homelessness in Long Beach and throughout the county. If you fast forward to the present, this "small" problem has grown into an enormous societal embarrassment, with nearly 73, 000 people homeless in the county, and almost 4, 000 people homeless in Long Beach. A visual example of this is Lincoln Park, home of Long Beach's City Hall and, sadly, the address for dozens of chronically homeless people.

You would think that after two decades, our society would have figured out how to help the thousands of people languishing on our streets. But instead of a concerted effort to resolve homelessness, the leaders and stakeholders in our region have resorted to political and legal battles.

There is the legal struggle between homeless advocates ...

There is the struggle between urban areas (like downtown L.A.) with suburban bedroom communities. ...

The stakes are high. But Long Beach, with its heritage of strong Midwestern neighborhood values, can be a model for the other 87 cities in the county in addressing homelessness. ...

A plan that contains a business approach that is accountable to numerical outcomes (i.e., the number of people who will be off the streets) with an emphasis on placing people into permanent housing is needed in Long Beach and throughout the county.

But any approach to resolving homelessness needs to adapt to a city's (or region's) locale and environment. A "top down" approach forcing local neighborhoods to provide solutions that are cooked up in a philosophical laboratory is just not realistic or beneficial. Instead, social regionalism should prevail, where solutions to homelessness are birthed out of a local community's needs and attitudes.

...

 

  6. Regional council acceptable - Edmonton Journal - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Christmas does bring surprises. What could be bigger than Premier Ed Stelmach's decision to back a regional council with some teeth to deal with growth pressure in the metro area?

For the first time since the 1980s, there's hope for some rational planning for the 25 regional communities, and hope for taxpayers in every town and city, especially Edmonton, that the costs of growth will be shared more equitably and services handled more efficiently.

Stelmach, whose rural power base lies in the northeast industrial counties which resisted the regional council called for in the Radke report, must be commended for taking the crucial, bold step.

Mayor Stephen Mandel also deserves a warm round of applause for his strong effort to push this regional agenda. When many doubted the province could be moved, Mandel persisted and now he's celebrating hard-won progress.

The key component is a regional council of mayors in which Edmonton will have a veto. Any proposal requires 75 per cent of the population (i.e., Edmonton and some allies) to get approval.

The council will have two major jobs: to come up with a binding land-use plan, "the core purpose of the board, " and to devise a regional transit plan. That's a significant step forward, though one ought to acknowledge there are a half-dozen areas, such as waste management, water and recreation services, that could benefit from regional planning too.

...

 

  7. Goal of government efficiency can’t be a one-man show - Buffalo News - NY, United States

As Erie County Executive Joel Giambra steps down from his regional bully pulpit, Buffalo News columnist Donn Esmonde appears to be reanointing Kevin Gaughan as champion of the local government right-sizing cause. ...  But despite Gaughan’s many talents, it would be a mistake to prop up another prophet to proclaim from on high the virtues of collaboration and consolidation. This top-down, personality-driven approach hasn’t worked in the decade since the Chautauqua Conference, on whose steering committee I served. It is time to start listening to and working with the voices “on the ground.”

In his latest foray, Gaughan has set his sights on governing boards to the exclusion of, among other entities, town and village courts and their facilities, which are being considered for consolidation in at least 10 other New York counties, according to the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, headed by former Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine.

As one who called for reducing the size of North Collins’ village and town boards while serving on them more than eight years ago, I find nothing new in Gaughan’s current crusade.

In 1999, along with proposing to reduce our Town Board to three members, I recommended making the town clerk and highway superintendent appointed public officers (not a measure I would advocate today). Although reported in The Buffalo News, not one of our governmental-efficiency wonks lent his prestige to either of those streamlining proposals.

A few years ago, when Angola community activist Paul Pinto was struggling to place a referendum on the ballot allowing ordinary Angolans to decide whether they wanted their village to dissolve, where were the pro bono fiscal and legal analyses by those claiming to lead the regionalism movement?

This region cannot move the most sensible aspects of regionalism forward if ...  

 

  8.  Cooperation, competition help Nashville area rise - The Tennessean - Nashville, TN, USA

A consensus has formed among Middle Tennessee leaders that cities and counties need to work together more closely, but many critical decisions still have to be made before regionalism moves from a political promise to reality.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and other local elected officials have said they want to cooperate on a range of issues that cross city and county lines — traffic, air pollution, water and sewer rights. These have grown in importance as the Nashville area's population has swelled from slightly more than 1 million in 1990 to more than 1.4 million today.

But while the region's leaders say they support more cooperation, they differ over some fundamental questions:

• Should Nashville and its suburbs give regional authorities more power to make basic decisions, such as where and when roads should be built?

• Should the suburbs help pay for downtown Nashville's cultural and civic institutions, which benefit the entire region?

• Is competition within the region for company headquarters, factories and jobs good or bad?

The answers to these questions and others like them will shape how regionalism shakes out in Middle Tennessee. They also may set the stage for even greater integration in the future, just as Nashville and Davidson County's decision to merge their governments into Metro in 1963 still shapes the area's approach to regionalism 44 years later.

"As we grow, the region gets more complex, " said Ralph Schulz, president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. "And as the region gets more complex, the need to address these issues together grows."

Next steps are in dispute

Local leaders, planners and others generally agree that regionalism has been good for Middle Tennessee, especially in the area of economic development.

...

 

  9. Interview with Ed Morrison on regionalism in Northeast Ohio  - WCPN Radio – Cleveland, Ohio

Dan Moulthrop at WCPN explored three issues facing the region with Ed Morrison. Mr. Morrison later animated the recording with slides. You can listen to the discussion and watch a slide show.

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  John Parr, Regional Civics - In Memoriam
Regional Communities – VA, USA

"Thoughts on a Regionalist"... John Parr’s death stirs a wide range of emotions, but especially rekindles thoughts about a common passion for fostering regional cooperation. ...

 

    .11  Greater Baltimore Committee Issues 2007 State of the Region Report
Earthtimes - London, UK

The Baltimore region maintained its 1st place ranking for academic research and development investment among 20 U.S. regions studied for the 2007 State of the Region Report, according to data released today by the Greater Baltimore Committee. ...  Baltimore Metropolitan Council, http://www.baltometro.org/.

 

    .12  Economic growth is focus of eight grants, state lawmakers say
Benton County Daily Record - Bentonville, AR, USA

Grants from the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration totaling $ 1. 2 million will be used by each of Arkansas' eight planning and development districts.

[PDF] Arkansas Planning And Development Districts

 

    .13  The regional jail planned by three Birmingham area cities may get even more regional

The Birmingham News – al-com - Birmingham, AL, USA
Frankly, this is precisely the type of regional cooperation the greater Birmingham area needs to see more of. Other cities should consider whether it's in ...

 

    .14  SACOG names 2007 regional award winners
Bizjournals-com - Charlotte, NC, USA
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments, an association of local governments in the six-county Sacramento region, honored outstanding regional efforts in transportation, smart-growth planning and air quality as part of the 2007 SACOG Salutes! Regional Awards Program....

 

    .15  Groups to split $1M for region's 250th
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
By Bill Zlatos An area group announced its selection Wednesday of 100 projects to share $1 million to celebrate the region's 250th anniversary. ...

 

    .16  More in NC moving to non-profit sector
By WWAY
Non-profit organizations like the coastal land trust that aim to improve North Carolina's quality of life can help draw employers to the region. In turn, that creates more jobs and provides an economic boost for North Carolina. ...

 

    .17  US denies matching funds for highways
Boston Globe - United States
"It's like a family with a very limited budget, " said Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the planning agency for ...

 

    .18  Regional Council doesn't support I-75 truck ban
Community Press - Florence, KY, USA
The Edgewood city council, though, approved the resolution during their December meeting. Now, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) has weighed in on the subject, ...

 

    .19  COG asks county for funding help

The Herald, - Sharon, PA, USA
Mercer County Regional Council of Governments has asked the county for $15000 to help out with two programs COG runs. ...

 

    .20  Emergency panel hits snag
Detroit Free Press - United States
"That's not something that anyone could classify as regional cooperation, " said Michael Sturm, Oakland County Emergency Management administrator, ...

 

    .21  Lakota withdraw from treaties, declare independence from US
USA Today - USA
... the tribe says that if the federal government doesn't begin diplomatic discussions promptly, liens will be filed on property in the five-state region. ...

 

    .22  Mayor: Police must disband or rebuild
Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park, NJ, USA
Wolf told the crowd, which included three uniformed police officers and their union representative, that the creation of a regionalized force is not an option. ...

 

    .23  Talk about it
Lansing State Journal - Lansing, MI, USA
We are youthful in our attempt at regionalism, and we are going to stumble at times. But we are changing. I can smell it, I can see it and I can touch it. ...

 

    .24  BRAC raises commuting issues in Mid-Atlantic region
Baltimore Examiner - Baltimore, MD, USA

"The fraction of people who work where they live is very small, despite the number of jobs in this region, " Mahmassani said, pointing out that since the last census, new jobs have moved north toward Baltimore. ...

 

    .25  Affordable Housing Hampering Pax River’s Ability To Attract Workers
Southern Maryland Online - MD, USA
According to the governor’s BRAC action report, a 2003 study by the Tri-County Council showed that the BRAC gains from 1995 generated $80 million in revenue ...

 

    .26  Patuxent River Plan Recommends One Home Per 30 Acres
Southern Maryland Online - MD, USA

The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland passed a resolution to recommend the use of what is known as the Patuxent River 20/20 Plan for future updates to the broader Patuxent River Policy Plan.

... Among the recommendations are zoning updates to allow one house per thirty acres, ...

 

    .27  ARC in line for funding boost
Vinton Courier - OH, USA
The Appalachian Regional Commission is set to receive a funding boost after an appropriations bill passed the US House of Representatives on Monday. ...

 

    .28  Larry Phillips stays on Sound Transit board
Ballard News Tribune - Seattle, WA, USA
Phillips has championed regionalism over parochialism and advocated for transportation projects that foster density and smart growth. ...

 

    .29  People's forum
The Bay City Times - MLive.com - Bay City, MI, USA
I'm sure that a comprehensive, in-depth study of environmental problems also would awaken our communities to the benefits of ''regionalism. ...

 

    .30  Region transit plan is blasted
Sacramento Bee - CA, USA

SACOG officials counter that they have gone as far as they felt they could to create a spending plan that encourages more transit use but doesn't leave car drivers stuck in traffic jams. ...

 

    .31  REGIONAL BRIEFING
Washington Post - United States
Nearly 800 people took advantage of a free cab ride on New Year's Eve, according to the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, the nonprofit group that runs ...

 

    .32  Citizens want ballot referendum on regional waste consortium
Daily Herald - Provo, UT, USA
public vote on the formation of NURLA -- the Northern Utah Regional Landfill Association -- a consortium of governments from Weber, Morgan, Davis, Cache and Box Elder counties. ...

 

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

    .11  Devolution for England
ic Wales - United Kingdom
There is a strong regional identity in parts of England. Executive regional bodies such as Regional Development Agencies, Tourism Bodies and government ...

 

    .12  Call for English regions to teach their local history
The Herald - Glasgow, Scotland, UK
The regions of England should have their own school curriculum for history, as part of the devolution of more power from London, according to a plan being published by the Fabian think tank. ...

 

    .13  Think-tank warns Atlantic region will be Third World unless population grows

The Canadian Press -
Atlantic Canada's population levels have been stagnant in the last few years thanks to low birth rates, constant out-migration and difficulties in attracting and keeping immigrants. "This is the fundamental policy issue for the region, if not the country, "  ...

 

    .14  Put real regional reform on the agenda
St. Catharines Standard - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

The distribution of seats at Niagara regional council is weighted towards Niagara's smaller municipalities and is, in a word, unfair. At the heart of this matter is representation. ...

 

    .15  North-south ties
ReportonBusiness.com - Canada
"By the end of the 20th century, " he concludes, "the forces of history had formed Canada into a regionalized confederation with stronger ties to the rest of ...

 

    .16  Premier creates board for capital region to play nice
CBC.ca - Alberta, Canada
'I can tell you that a very, very high percentage of citizens living in the whole capital region want the elected leaders to play in the sandbox politely. ...

 

    .17  Economic development group closes regional gap
The Nelson Mail - Nelson, New Zealand
... a Top of the South economic development regional governance group which encompasses Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough. Admittedly the move was foisted upon it by the Government, which called for the number of economic development regions to be cut from 26 to 14. ...

 

    .18  Leveraging Learning for Regional Development

Lake Superior News - Thunder Bay, Ontario CA
... Leveraging Learning for Regional Development. This conference is about exchanging ideas and knowledge about how to transform Northwestern Ontario into a learning region with learning cities. ...

 

    .19  EU Commission signs with ScanBalt to support Small and Medium sized Companies

uniprotokolle (Pressemitteilung) - Germany
The project will identify regional bottlenecks in ScanBalt BioRegion for linking academic research with SME´s in order to enhance innovation, ...

 

    .20  More Social Investment Can Further Reduce Regional Poverty
Hardbeatnews-com - Jackson Heights, NY, USA
This relatively “sharp” decline in the regional poverty rate apparently came as a surprise, and ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Jose Luis Machinea, ...

 

    .21  The Evolution of Regionalism in Asia: Economic and Security Issues - Book
By Dieter, Heribert
By combing the analysis of the three dimensions of integration, The Evolution of Regionalism in Asia enables readers to gain a broad understanding of the theory and practice of the integration processes.

 

    .22  Cells' cooperation may thwart cancer

Arizona Daily Star – AZ, USA

The presence of cooperation in nature — whether between animals or at the cellular level — has been a bit of a puzzle for evolutionary biologists because competition is the hallmark of natural selection, ...

 

12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.

    .10  Urban Sound System
By Creative Class Group
And as one of my former students once put it, music is the best way to market a region. Creative people don't like marketing slogans. But they do identify with a city's sound - what he called its "audio identity." MUSICAL MOMENTUM ...

 

    .11  Bulding Community - Trust Begets Trust
By Don Frederiksen(Don Frederiksen)
Posner looking for new insight on building community and fostering collaboration across teams and was ecstatic when I found the perfect catch phrase focusing on trust, "Trust begets trust." The research of Kouzes and Posner exalts the ...

 

    .12  Request for feedback on intergenerational living and learning neighborhood development

RealNEO
Global warming will bring an end to white Christmas and winter as we've always known in, here in NEO, so during the first real snowstorm of this season, December 16, 2007, I went in search of a visual symbol of NEO, in my neighborhood, ...

 

    .13  Sharing Superintendents, Improving Education
By cthompson
Supporters of Advance Northeast Ohio believe very strongly that regionalism is all about sharing. When Northeast Ohio shares its assets and collaborates we are all in a better position to benefit from the region's economic growth. ...

 

    .14  Economics: regionalism begins to pay dividends
By Daniel Hockensmith
Regionalism continued in 2007 as the buzzword for northeastern Ohio. Several groups are working to boost the economy in 22 counties. Here are three leaders in that effort. WKSU's Daniel Hockensmith reports.

 

    .15  Massachusetts's need for more regional planning
By Harry Mattison(Harry Mattison)
The Globe makes a case for stronger regional planning in Massachusetts, citing the 135-acre mixed-use Westwood Station project and objections by neighboring Canton and its plans to block the project in court. ...

 

    .16    Social Regionalism Is The Answer
By LA's Homeless Blog(LA's Homeless Blog)
I write about “social regionalism”, a new approach that we are seeking to practice: Over 20 years ago, I had recently graduated from Long Beach's educational system - Newcomb, Marshall, Millikan and CSULB -and was anxious to help solve ...

 

    .17  The strategic value of listening
By Ed Morrison
At the Purdue Center for Regional Development, we are adapting David’s approach to a civic discipline of continuous engagement we call “strategic doing”. We are now teaching this practice at workshops around the country. ...

 

    .18  What are Other Regions Doing?
By Jeff James
Encourage communities to work regionally and to tie into the state's regional development efforts such as the "I-94 Corridor." Assert the importance of and support educational programs that help students develop critical thinking and ...

 

    .19  Organizational challenges of global trends
By Oliver
Competition for talent; Centers of economic activity will shift globally, regionally; Technological connectivity will increase; Omnipresent access to information will change economics of knowledge; Demand for natural resources will grow ...

 

    .20  The World is Not Flat
By Michael Veseth(Michael Veseth)
We are used to thinking of regionalization is Geographic terms, but there are also Cultural regions (the English speaking world, for example, or the Indian and Chinese diasporas) as well as Administrative regions (collections of countries with common legal systems and government structures due, for example, to common colonial influences) and of course common Economic regions ...

 

    .21  Bioregionalism
Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon. — with phrases such as "the politics of place" and "terrain of consciousness". appearing in bioregionalist writings ...

 

    .22  Next-Year Planning: The W6 Process
By wanless
Nationally, regionally, or internationally? In what verticals? In what locations? (Example: In a store; in the customer’s location; by mail order?) Each is going to require a different understanding of markets. As an extra to the Where, ...

 

    .23  Geostatistics for spatial interpolation
By sammy
The functionality of geostatistics is applicable when the studied phenomena are regionalized variables that fall between random and deterministic variables. The geographic distribution of regionalized variables cannot be mathematically ...

 

    .24  Mapping The Serious Games Industry Within The UK
By Eliane Alhadeff(Eliane Alhadeff)
The West Midlands (UK) region is fast becoming recognized as one of the key EU regions with regard to the development of Serious Games. Coventry University ...

 

    .25  The Green Family: Walk/Run
By Andrea
The name of your bioregion. 3. Three native plants of your bioregion. 4. Where your drinking water comes from. 5. Where your garbage goes to. 6. The closest park or conservation area. 7. The name of one local environmental or naturalist ...

 

    .26  EU Treaty of Lisbon: institutional framework
By Grahnlaw(Grahnlaw)

4. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission shall be assisted by an Economic and Social Committee and a Committee of the Regions acting in an advisory capacity." ...

 

    .27  Global Actor Hierarchies and Personas
By Scott Sehlhorst
In different regions, companies often have different business models. They also usually deal with customers in different ways. These differences may manifest from varied local business practices, different characteristics of the ...

 

    .28  Recommended Reading: Cisco Threat Report Includes Increasing Threat from Military and Espionage
By kea(kea)
Vulnerability; Physical; Legal; Trust; Identity; Human; Geopolitical. The section of geopolitical issues includes discussions on terrorism, environmental issues and a discussion on military and espionage threats in cyberspace: ...

 

13. Regional Resolutions for 2008 and Announcements

    .10  Join the Regional Studies Association

The Regional Studies Association is a learned society concerned with analysis of regions and regional issues. Through our international membership we provide an authoritative voice of, and network for, academics, students, practitioners, policy makers and interested lay people in the field of regional studies. Follow the links for details of our activities including our journals Regional Studies and Spatial Economic Analysis, our quarterly newsletter Regions and our annual international conferences.

    .11  Join the Regional and Intergovernmental Planning Division of the American Planning Association

Two Most Important Division Objectives over the Next 18 Months: The first major objective is to develop an APA Policy Guide or an APA Planning Advisory Service report on regional and intergovernmental planning. ... The second major objective is to increase the Division membership to 215-225 by the end of March of 2008 from its current number of 176.

Note: You need not belong to the American Planning Association to join the Division. Contact Division Chair at leeschoenecker@...

 

    .12  Recommend the Regional Communities - "Think Local Planet, Act Regionally." Blog  to others and link your website to it.

"Think local planet, act regionally" is a paradigm that balances "Think globally, act locally." More and more, it takes a region, a "community of communities" to solve problems. This is an exploration of emerging regional communities. "Community precedes cooperation." This is my thesis. It comes from over 30 years of working for regional cooperation.

 

    .13  2008 National Conference of Regions - February 4-6, 2008 Washington, DC

This year's NARC conference will...
* Feature the regional role and federal outlook on significant policy areas that will dominate the 2008 legislative year, Presidential race and beyond.
* Explore, in detail, the federal fiscal future, SAFETEA-LU reauthorization, water infrastructure and resources, regional development in a global economy, and energy policy and innovations, as well as the possible outcome of the 2008 Presidential race.
* Address rural and urban coordination in federal legislation. ...

    .14  ABAG Regional Economic Outlook: 2008 and 2009 Conference

Thursday, January 24, 2008, from 9:00 to noon Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter Auditorium 101 Eighth Street, Oakland

 

    .15  Activities of the European Union – Regional Policy

Although the European Union is one of the richest parts of the world, there are striking internal disparities of income and opportunity between its regions. The entry of 12 new member countries since 2004, whose incomes are well below the EU average, has widened these gaps. Regional policy transfers resources from affluent to poorer regions. It is both an instrument of financial solidarity and a powerful force for economic integration.

 

14. Subscription

    .10  Property Rights Group Wants Kitsap Out of Regional Council - Kitsap Sun (Subscription) - WA, United States

Members of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners and like-minded citizens turned out in force Tuesday at the Kitsap County Administration Building for a public hearing before representatives of the Puget Sound Regional Council.

With a handful of exceptions, their message was clear: "Get us out of the PSRC."

The hearing on the council's proposed Vision 2040 growth strategy plan for the region was called by request of the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, who said in a letter to the PSRC that Kitsap residents should have a convenient opportunity to weigh in on the plan. The PSRC includes representatives of counties, cities, ports, tribes and transit agencies in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties, working to develop regional strategies on transportation and growth.

The council will consider adoption of Vision 2040 at its April 24 general assembly meeting.

Many of those who testified at the hearing noted that Kitsap County is far different from its larger cousins to the east and south, bearing more resemblance to Jefferson, Mason and Clallam counties.

"Kitsap County has no place in the PSRC, " said Philip Mansford. "You're mixing apples with a whole bunch of citrus fruits. We want to be ourselves."

Many, including Robert Ross of Bremerton, called for Kitsap County to withdraw from the PSRC.

"Any plan that tries to incorporate Kitsap along with King, Pierce and Snohomish is going to be a flawed plan, because of the differences between the counties, " said Ross.

Some, like Fay Hendon of Poulsbo, said they were wary of the PSRC's ability to dictate policy within the county. Although not a government entity, the council oversees the distribution of government transportation funding throughout the region.

...

For more information on the Puget Sound Regional Council and Vision 2040, visit www.psrc.org.

 

    .11  Peace treaty: Trust is key in building alliances - NewsOK.com (subscription) - Oklahoma City, OK, USA

The Oklahoma Academy always sets its goals high, as it did again in October when it explored ways to build alliances among tribal governments, state and local governments and the private sector. It's a subject that is as complex as it is vital to the state's future.

Oklahoma is home to 38 federally recognized tribes, which run the gamut from the large to the tiny and from financially well-off to the not so wealthy. Addressing their varied interests and concerns while working with private and government entities will require trust from all sides, something that's been lacking historically.

The town hall gathering of 132 people from across Oklahoma focused on four areas: education and work force issues, health and social concerns, economic development and tourism, and infrastructure and transportation. We'll highlight some of the recommendations, which will be formally presented to the governor next month.

In education, an effort must be made to ensure that tribal history and culture are accurately reflected in school text books and classrooms. The Department of Education needs to work with tribes to address the educational gap occurring with tribal students, and more collaboration is needed among common ed, higher ed and CareerTech to assist Indian students once they graduate high school.

As for health/social concerns, the town hall recommended a special focus on expanding adolescent substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. In addition, tribal-state partnerships should be formed to look at ways to provide affordable and sustainable group coverage, particularly to the uninsured.

The town hall said a regionalized approach to economic development is needed, requiring collaboration among all entities. It wants a Native American Advisory Board to be created to assist the tourism department in marketing and promoting Oklahoma's unique assets and varied cultures.

In the area of  ...

 

 15.  Google News for “Regional Community”

Other menu sections available from this link include: regions, regional, regional community, region, Regional Council, regional development 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.