Top Regional Community stories

  1. With Gas Over $4, Cities Explore Whether It's Smart to Be Dense - Sacramento's 'Blueprint' for Growth Draws National Attention – Wall Street Journal - USA

Gasoline was less than $2 a gallon when Mike McKeever brought his gospel of bikes, light rail and tightly packed neighborhoods to this state synonymous with cars, freeways and suburban sprawl.

"The development industry was very concerned," says Mr. McKeever, head of Sacramento's regional planning agency. "The environmental community was openly negative," concerned that it was "just more talk, talk."

Seven years later, with gasoline hurtling past $4 a gallon, Sacramento has become one of the nation's most-watched experiments in whether urban planning can help solve everything from high fuel prices to the housing bust to global warming.

"They're really the model," … …

Sacramento -- yoked to the car and mired in one of the lousiest housing markets in the country -- offers an intriguing laboratory for that idea. Four years ago, just as oil was gaining momentum in its torrid climb to $140 a barrel and beyond, the six-county region adopted a plan for growth through 2050 that roped off some areas from development while concentrating growth more densely in others, emphasizing keeping jobs near homes.

The local governments in the area aren't compelled to follow the so-called Blueprint, but the plan -- backed by a strange-bedfellows coalition of ordinary citizens, politicians, developers and environmentalists -- shows signs of working, nonetheless.

"To me, the simplest way to test whether local governments are mainstreaming Blueprint growth principles is to look at...what is getting built," says Mr. McKeever. "The evidence there is pretty clear."

Between 2004 and 2007, the number of projects with apartments, condominiums and town houses for sale in the region increased by 533%, while the number of subdivisions with homes on lots bigger than 5,500 square feet fell by 21%, according to housing-research firm Hanley Wood Market Intelligence.

 

  2. EDITORIAL: Cities talking to one another is a good thing - San Jose Mercury News

 Many elected officials in different cities will say that their least favorite agenda items are disputes between neighbors. There are no win-win solutions when a disagreement gets that far in the public process. Emotions are high, fears are inflamed and long-lasting bitter feelings are embedded in the relationship.

Cities are neighbors, too. On the other side of each city border lies another community that deserves the same consideration and respect city officials ask their residents to demonstrate when making plans for their property that will have an impact on those who live next door.

That's why the "regional summit" recently attended by mayors, council members, city managers and planners from Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara and Mountain View, was an excellent idea.

"It's been very reactionary, and now we're on the proactive side," said Cupertino Mayor Dolly Sandoval, of the inter-city, cross-border talks.

…

City boundaries are artificial lines in the sand. Most people move among cities every day as they go to work, shop, visit friends, go to the movies, etc. Very few could tell you as they travel on major thoroughfares that travel through different jurisdictions where one city ends and another begins. Unless you live in Alameda, the only city in California that is an island, or in a truly rural community surrounded by miles open space, city boundaries are mostly invisible to residents.

This is not true, of course, for city governments. They have responsibility for public safety, street repairs, traffic control, code enforcement, and so on. They know exactly which streets and residences are within their boundaries. And they also know when what they are considering will have a real, or perceived, impact on the folks who live and work on the other side of the city line.

Of course, a city's first loyalty must be …

  3. High and dry - Boston Globe - United States

There's a wall of water between the communities along Interstate 495 and their economic future.

The region is expected to continue attracting more companies, workers, and residents in the coming years. But that growth is also projected to slam up against water-related limits unless supplies are conserved or increased, said officials. The problem is already in sight, some say.

"We have all this residential construction, but we haven't received any additional water," said Shrewsbury Town Manager Dan Morgado. "I've had discussions with companies and the first question I need to ask them, particularly if they are in biotech, is, 'How much water do you need?' "

In the region stretching along I-495 from Littleton to Wrentham, demand on public water systems is expected to rise from 51 million gallons a day in 2005, the latest numbers available, to 62 million in 2030, according to a recent study published by the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Steady growth for the I-495 region is driving demand, the study said.

Between 1990 and 2000, the area's population swelled by 12 percent to 512,067, according to the MAPC, and about 100,000 more people are expected to arrive by 2020. An additional 40,500 employees from outside the region are also expected to work in I-495 businesses by 2030, boosting the total workforce to 322,300.

Municipal water systems won't be able to keep up if they don't evolve, according to Paul Matthews, executive director of the 495/MetroWest business group. "Those towns over 20 years ago were either rural or much smaller," he said. "Now a lot of them are bumping up against their infrastructure."

Of the 32 towns in the study, nine experienced median water-usage increases of 10 percent over the past decade.  …

  4. In Fireman’s Boots, Bookseller Finds Tears -  Martha's Vineyard Gazette - Edgartown,MA,USA

She stood outside and watched, numb with disbelief.

And Ann Nelson — whose name is still synonymous with the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore even though she turned ownership of the store over to her son Jon three years ago (she stills owns the building) — wanted to go inside.

…

Mrs. Nelson spent the entire day Friday on Main street outside the bookstore that she had built into national recognition over 35 years.

“I watched the fire all day long and they put me in the uniform so I could go inside the building . . . and then I really appreciated what a job they do,” she said, adding:

“They kept coming up to me and speaking to me and I was so appreciative. Every fireman I knew. If I had to say one thing, people talk about regionalization and this was three towns together — Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and Edgartown. You talk about whether you have any doubt about the value of a hook and ladder truck — the hook and ladder truck came to try and save my building.

“I cannot tell you . . . I walked down the street and people would come up to me and stick their hands in my pockets, they didn’t even know me and they were giving me slips of paper with their phone numbers and asking if there was anything they could do. The outpouring . . . I hope John Schilling receives the same outpouring.”

…

She concluded:

 “You talk about regionalization, you talk about the Fourth of July, there were almost no fire engines in the Fourth of July parade. They were at my building. This is regionalization at its finest.

 “I know them all, I knew every firefighter that was there. I cannot tell you what that meant to me. I cannot tell you what I felt. It was such a flood of emotions.”

 

  5. Lawmakers pushing for regionalized services - Burlington Union - Concord,MA,USA

Legislators want their cities and towns to save money by considering combining certain local services into regionalized services.

That was why the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regionalization (JCMR) held a hearing ...

Kirwin said that Gov. Patrick’s office was dedicated to finding regional cost-saving measures, but the onus can’t put entirely on the state.

“Not all the answers for sustainable municipal government can come from the state,” Kirwin said. “In some cases, the state needs to get out of the way. Part of it is figuring out what the barriers are to effective regional support and start to chip away at them.”

One such barrier is what Kirwin described as “turf issues.” She pointed to the 200-plus 911 call centers in Massachusetts as an example of possible consolidation that has met resistance in the past. New Hampshire has one call center, and California has three, according to Kirwin.

“If this sensible change is off the table, other more painful changes are impossible,” Kirwin said. “We believe nothing should be off the table.”

The JCMR heard from Phoebe Walker, director of community services for the Franklin Council of Governments (FCG). The council is a regional planning authority that took over several roles from the now-defunct Franklin County government, and enjoys the optional participation from all of Franklin County’s towns. Each town pays a $300,000 assessment each year, and becomes eligible for grants and programs directed by the FCG.

Walker’s group is an example of a working regional planning authority that has had some successes, but has met some serious incentive and financial hurdles in its efforts to facilitate collaboration among its membership.

“Unless (the initiative) is cheaper, or demonstrably better at limiting liability, it doesn’t happen,” Walker said.

She said one of the biggest hurdles for regional planning was ...

  6. An Archaic System - Hartford Courant - United States

There are almost 270,000 people in New London County. Fewer than 1,000 made the call on what could be the county's biggest development of the next decade.

On Tuesday, 805 Preston residents voted in favor of a proposal by Northland Investment Corp. to build a $1 billion luxury resort, Preston Green, on the 420-acre site of the former Norwich State Hospital. ...

Our issue is not with Northland, an enthusiastic developer of downtown Hartford, or whether this is the best use of the Preston property, or whether the state should have exercised a stronger hand in the disposal of its property. It is with the process, which was local when it should have been regional.

If the town can work out a development agreement with Northland by the end of the year, the Preston Green project will include two five-star hotels, a golf course, a spa, a marina, 75 homes starting at about $1.5 million each, 1,500 condominiums and 100,000 square feet of retail space.

This will have a serious effect on the region. Preston will get the property tax revenue; the surrounding towns will get traffic, public safety issues, water concerns, strain on local businesses and other problems. Where are the people who will work at the resort going to live? Who pays their children's school costs?

This kind of thing continues to happen in Connecticut. ...

There is some work being done by the state on regional initiatives; there needs to be much more. We're still using a 17th-century model in a 21st-century world. Around the world, metropolitan regions are becoming the dominant economic engines. Here, 1,445 people in Preston make the call.

RC: SCCOG

  7. With popularity come problems – Houston Chronicle - United States

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has challenges to meet on three fronts: light rail, bus service and commuter rail.

On light rail, Metro is not just moving, it's about to throw the throttle wide open — if the Federal Transit Administration doesn't slam on the funding brakes first.

It's also rebuilding the bus system.

But although the push for commuter rail becomes stronger with every increase in gasoline prices, Metro's role in providing that service is not so clear.

The 2003 Metro Solutions referendum called for commuter rail, but there already was a fine Park & Ride bus service, so the agency focused on other elements of the plan. Now, with gasoline $4 a gallon, the Park & Rides are bursting at the seams.

One of the speakers at last Thursday's Metro board meeting, Robin Hodges, pleaded for more buses at the Spring Park & Ride lot at the North Freeway and FM 1960. She said the 1,200 spaces routinely fill up, and the 204 Spring bus often is too full to pick up passengers standing at downtown stops for the return trip. Up to 15 riders per bus pay $3 each just to stand in the aisle, she said.

...

Earlier in the day, board committees hashed over the issue. Bishop James Dixon suggested calling a regional "transit summit," and Wolff agreed Metro should find out "what people expect and what they are willing to do with us."

George DeMontrond said expanding Metro's role regionally would require new legislation on how to fund it, and much of the surrounding area already pays the statutory maximum sales tax.

Legislation to address these issues has no chance, DeMontrond said, without broad support from public and private stakeholders.

Regional transportation

Meanwhile, Harris County has stepped into some regional transportation gaps. ...

RC: Houston-Galveston Area Council

 

  8. More than ever, all in region need teamwork - Detroit Free Press - United States

I am honored to be elected to chair the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments in this, the 40th anniversary year of the regional organization. SEMCOG has always been about local governments working together, and in these challenging times, that has never been more important.

Southeast Michigan will be stronger and more prosperous in the future because SEMCOG will continue to encourage collaboration. Our challenges and opportunities no longer stop at the boundaries of any one county, city, village, township or education district. We all must work together.

I have been associated with SEMCOG for many years as a member of the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency (Wayne RESA). It couldn't be a more important time for an education member to chair SEMCOG.

Our research and forecasts show how our economy is transforming from an auto manufacturing base to a knowledge base. That means better K-12 education for our children and better education for adults, whether through college or skills training. I pledge, through SEMCOG, to strengthen the ties among education, our communities and our economy to help meet these challenges this year, in the next 40 years, and beyond.

SEMCOG is at its best bringing governments together to build consensus, recognizing the diverse interests across the region. SEMCOG continually demonstrates that regionalism can work.

The issues SEMCOG will address in the future are core to this region's quality of life and prosperity.

SEMCOG will play an enhanced role in education.

Our region needs to improve its ability to attract and retain younger, educated workers to power the current economic transformation. ...

MARY BLACKMON has been a board member since 1982 of the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency. She was elected in June to a one-year term as chair of SEMCOG. For more information, visit www.semcog.org

  9. REGISTER VIEWPOINT: It takes a bullhorn to raise a community - Sandusky Register - OH, USA

School districts face an array of challenges, one among them being the goal of diversification in teaching and administrative staffs.

The importance of the need to consider race in hiring decisions is not taken for granted at Sandusky schools, but some community members say its not given the priority it should have to serve the diverse student population of the district.

The argument is strong: The staff should reflect its student population. Leadership should reflect those who are being led.

...

But for any school district or company -- even newspapers -- diversity questions and hiring practices overall already are uncomfortable. Larger cities, larger school district and larger companies offer more attractive pay packages. That's a hard and simple truth. Larger cities also, in some instances, offer cultural and living opportunities that cannot be found in this region.

There are great advantages to living in America's great heartland, but local and state political leaders have not done nearly enough to enhance them. Squabbling and turf power wars are the hallmarks of our leadership and take precedence over progress, cooperation and regionalization.

Who wants to move to a city with so many empty and dilapidated houses where government officials are too incompetent to fill out the paperwork to bring in federal rehab grant money to rebuild? Who wants to move to a city with blighted neighborhoods, bumpy streets and empty storefronts?

Those disappointing results from county and city leaders hinder recruitment from outside the region, making it all the more important for the school district -- and the Register -- to recruit from within the community. Employees with family connections to here will always be more apt to stay.

A focus on those future local leaders requires ...

 

10. U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.

Bold font words are Google search terms. Bold italic words considered worth noting.  In this and section 11, 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 as well as recognizing other regional organizations.  In most cases, where a full name is present, a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always get the organization name correct.   Contents

    .01  Aichele to lead regional planning board
All Around Philly - Philadelphia,PA,USA
Carol Aichele was elected chairwoman of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission ... For the next year, she will head the board that is responsible for encouraging municipalities in the Delaware Valley to cooperate on land use, transportation and environmental policies. …

 

    .02  EDITORIAL: A start
TMCnet - USA
Gov. Ed Rendell last week signed into law a bill that consolidates the number of collectors for earned income tax payments from 560 to 69. Their jurisdictions would generally follow county lines. (Pennsylvania has 67 counties.)  … When possible, Pennsylvania needs to move toward the regionalization of government services as it did with earned income tax collection. What's next? How about planning and zoning?

 

    .03  EDITORIAL: Port Should Apply for SEED Grant
Kitsap Sun (Subscription) - WA, United States
Built on a 75-acre site, SEED would be built to environmentally "green" standards — a sustainable office park and support facility designed for clean-energy technology companies…. the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Economic Development Administration both are satisfied that SEED would be an economic driver for this region and is a worthwhile investment.

 

    .04  Regionalism Brings About Trash Savings
Lynchburg News and Advance - Lynchburg,VA,USA
Five localities in the region are already beginning to reap the benefits of a regional landfill. And it has only been operating since the first of the month ... The Region 2000 Services Authority has taken over operation of the Lynchburg landfill … The regional approach to solid waste disposal is the right way to go — as is the approach to a number of other local government services on a regional basis. Region 2000 continues to be on the right track in helping Central Virginia localities plan for the future through the more efficient delivery of regional government services.

 

    .05  Lowry Range development underway
Denver Post - Denver,CO,USA
When the Denver Regional Council of Governments expanded the metro area's Urban Growth Boundaries in 2007, the decision was highly controversial, pitting cities against counties and those wanting to stop the spread of development into new areas against those who see growth as inevitable. ..

 

    .06  They have a cure for 60-mile commutes
The Free Lance-Star - Fredericksburg,VA,USA
Traffic, limited time with family, and  prices are squeezing workers financially and emotionally, said Peter Garcia, telework facility manager for the George Washington Regional Commission. ...

 

    .07  Michigan Gov. Granholm Announces New Round of Grants for Centers for Regional Excellence

Government Technology – USA

... new round of grants for Centers for Regional Excellence (CRE), a program that encourages local governments to work collaboratively to make their communities better places to live, work and play while streamlining government and saving taxpayer dollars.

 

    .08  I-75 roadwork is 'biggest road project in the state'
Dayton Daily News - Dayton,OH,USA
A long-range plan approved by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission calls for a lot more highway construction even after the flock of projects under way are completed." If you look at all of Interstate 75, the reconstruction work there is the biggest road project in the state," said Donald Spang, executive director of the planning commission. ...

 

    .09  Hamilton mayor pitches county water takeover
Lebanon Western Star - Lebanon,OH,USA
… urging, "regionalization ... not regionalization by hitching Butler County's wagon to Cincinnati's star, but regionalization of and within our own county. ...

 

    .10  The Tri-Cities hope to go the distance in economic pool
The Saginaw News - MLive.com - Saginaw,MI,USA
Allen said chambers in Bay, Saginaw and Midland have been backing the concept of building a "Tri-City area" in an effort to spur regional growth and development. ...

 

    .11  Newspapers launch regional Web site on Tri-Cities' happenings

The Saginaw News - MLive.com - Saginaw,MI,USA

The new regional Web site, showcasing the activities and offerings of the Tri-Cities, is a joint offering of The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times. ...

 

    .12  Gettysburg mulls regionalization of development
The Evening Sun - Hanover,PA,USA

Gettysburg Borough officials are "interested" in the idea of a comprehensive plan that would regionalize development in the borough and surrounding townships. … a more urban area could cover the commercial and industrial requirements, while a neighboring rural municipality could remain agricultural, Merkel said. "You can share, instead of each municipality having to provide for every use," …

 

    .13  Residents rally to revive Michigan grocery
In-Forum - Fargo,ND,USA

"It's considered such an important, vital community asset," said Julius Wangler, executive director of the Red River Regional Council. "The importance of this project can't be underestimated. It gets to be pretty stressful if you have to drive a considerable distance for groceries." …

 

    .14  Insightful Texans Stall the NAFTA Superhighway
Natural News.com - Phoenix,AZ,USA
This first substantial legal attack on the TTC is spearheaded by the Eastern Central Texas Sub-Regional Planning Commission (ECTSRPC), ...

 

    .15  SAD 9 directors revisit values of regionalization
Central Maine Morning Sentinel - Augusta,ME,USA

... several members vented against what they saw as negative aspects of the months-long merger talks with SAD 58, a district that includes Kingfield, Avon, Phillips, Strong and Eustis. ''The whole process has really upset me. I saw a pattern of appeasement and mistrust,'' Pullo said, launching the discussion. Pullo, who along with several other directors serves on the regional planning committee hammering out consolidation details, said the atmosphere was ''poisoned quite early'' in the process.

 

    .16  Hayes visits top board
Wicked Local Boxborough - Concord,MA,USA

Another change that makes sense to Hayes is the regionalization of the towns of the 37th district. “In other places, the county is more involved,” he said. He plans to increase the suburban voice in the state legislature, a goal that inter-town unity would further. ...

 

    .17  Area chambers talk about teaming up - One director says past attempts at regionalism have not panned out
Richmond Times Dispatch - Richmond,VA,USA
Four area chambers of commerce are exploring ways to strengthen regional cooperation, even merging, to better serve area businesses and have a stronger voice on issues that affect the community. ...

 

    .18  Charleston Mayor Open to Merging County-City Govt.
WSAZ-TV - Huntington,WV,USA
The mayor of West Virginia's largest city says he open to the idea of consolidating services with the state's largest county. Charleston Mayor Danny Jones says the city and Kanawha County officials should consider a merger before the federal 2010 census to ensure federal funds based on population are not lost. …

 

    .19   City-county merger panel shows little focus

The Journal Gazette – Ft. Wayne, IN, USA

Allen County and Fort Wayne officials have debated the merits of government consolidation for decades with little real progress. … about six months into its work, results from the Local Government Efficiency Study Committee have been mixed. …

 

    .20  Westconnaug lives!
The Phoenix - Boston,MA,USA
The cause of regionalization hasn't moved forward much in Rhode Island, or so it seems. … State House- Representative Nicholas Gorham (R-Dist. 40 Foster, Glocester, Coventry), in continuing his plan to study the creation of a new “Town of Westconnaug” …

 

    .21  Focus on elk as disease persists near Yellowstone
The Associated Press -
Since late 2006, federal officials and the governors of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana have been trying to negotiate a regional brucellosis plan that would deal with different species. But prospects for an agreement remain uncertain given the states' divergent approaches to wildlife. ...

 

    .22  Attack of the Locavores
Summit Daily News - Frisco,CO,USA
... while buying food locally does a lot to reduce our ecological footprint and conserve non-renewable resources, there are many other reasons why buying locally or regionally is a great option. Local-food production helps strengthen regional economies and protects local jobs, small farms and independent business owners.

 

    .23  Local school districts eye cyber program
The Citizen's Voice - PA,USA
The cyber program essentially works by combining forces regionally to provide online courses and teachers. Initially, the courses will be pre-designed by ...

 

    .24  Knox County administrator settles into new role
VillageSoup Belfast - ME, USA
The county is attempting to provide more regional services, such as purchasing, and there has been some talk of regionalized animal control. ...

 

    .25  Western govs plan joint wildlife strategy
United Press International – USA

… Western Governors' Association, featuring governors from 19 states and three territories, resulted in a Sunday vote to create the Western Wildlife Council, which will create a "decision support system" within each state that will work on habitat issues across political and regional boundaries, …

 

11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet  Contents

    .01  ABSURDITIES - Balancing political and economic rights
Jamaica Gleaner - Kingston,Jamaica

"The effect of 'national treatment' is to deprive Caribbean governments of a means of fostering the development of national firms and of cross-border production integration by regionally owned firms; by providing them preferentially with import protection, government purchases, tax incentives, … "These are the kinds of measures that most European countries have in the past used to foster the development of their own businesses."

 

    .02  To succeed, put one person in charge
New Straits Times - Persekutuan,Malaysia
The biggest killer in rural development in the past has been duplication. There are too many ministries and agencies involved -- agriculture, health, public works, education, entrepreneur development, youth, tourism and EPU. Everyone is doing his own stuff while jealously protecting his turf. Working together is more an exception than a rule. To change this, it is time to appoint and empower one person. He coordinates, while the others give their full support in a genuine team effort. Let that captain be the new rural and regional development minister ...

 

    .03  Planning in the dark:
Retail Bulletin - Croydon,UK

The latest White Paper from the spring meeting of the KPMG/SPSL Retail Think Tank (RTT) addresses the surprising lack of information on the composition of the retail sector in the public domain. ...

• Many private sector bodies collect data, but this is neither publicly held nor used in public policy or regional and national planning decision-making. ...

 

    .04  FRIDE, CLUB OF MADRID AND MADRID REGIONAL GOVERNMENT COLLABORATE
MaximsNews Network - New York,NY,USA
Club of Madrid (CoM) … The Madrid regional Government noted the positive influence that FRIDE and the CoM have for the region and for the citizens of Madrid. The agreement signed today represents a further step in the close collaboration between the Madrid regional Government and both institutions, which began in 2001 with the Conference on Democratic Transition and Consolidation, hosted by FRIDE and as a result of which the CoM was formed,  …

 

    .05  Turkey and the Mediterranean Union
TPM -
One of the main virtues of the Mediterranean Union is that Turkey will be its most important and leading member. … the argument is that because one recognizes that Turkey has made considerable progress toward becoming a democratic society, it should assume its responsibility to lead the Middle East in the same direction. Moreover, promoting regionalism beyond the EU would fit well into the emerging multi-regional global design. ...

 

    .06  Cooperation better than abolishing states: analyst
ABC Online - Australia
A political analyst has dismissed suggestions Australia's states be abolished, saying greater cooperation and more regional governance is a better solution. ...

 

    .07  Idea from Colombo approved
Sunday Times.lk - Columbo,Sri Lanka
Possibly the first international organization to promote economic development among countries was the Colombo Plan – so named because the idea was approved at a meeting held in Colombo in 1950. The Plan was set up a year later in July 1951, 57 years ago. … At the start there were just seven member countries – Australia, Britain, Canada, Ceylon, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. All belonged to the Commonwealth. Today there are 25. … The Colombo Plan … is a regional inter-governmental organisation to enhance economic and social development of the countries of the region. ..

 

    .08  City in need of ambition
New Zealand Herald - New Zealand
We are doing our best but are constrained by regional governance." The council is buying strategic stakes of land so it can "have some skin in the game" in ...

 

    .09  Lebanon ranks 150th worldwide and 13th in the MENA region in in Government Effectiveness
iloubnan-info - Beirut,Lebanon
Globally, it came ahead of Cuba and Pakistan and ranked behind Ukraine and Kenya, while regionally it came ahead of Iran and behind Algeria. ...

 

    .10  Multi-Party Democracy; My Foot;
Awareness Times - Freetown,Sierra Leone
… if the Africans are forced to practice democracy (away from our cultural context) without modification or until the democratic pre–requisites are available, it can easily FAN the flames of tribalism, Regionalism and other unwholesome factionalisms …

 

    .11  If united, Dalits and Muslims will rule India: Ram Vilas Paswan
Indian Muslims - San Diego,CA,USA
There are four types of discriminations found in the Indian society: sexual exploitation, casteism, religious hatred and regionalism. ...

 

    .12  ‘SAARC co-operation key to eliminating regional terrorism’
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
… significant progress by SAARC in a number of areas like poverty alleviation, but said there still was need of strengthening this regional forum, especially in the fields of regional co-operation, environment, agriculture and food, water and energy security....

 

    .13  Southern Regional Government Council Approves Infinity Energy Resources Offshore Nicaraguan Exploration and Development Contracts

Denver Post - Denver,CO,USA
Infinity Energy Resources, Inc… an independent oil and gas exploration and development company, today announced that the regional government council of the Autonomous Region of the Southern Atlantic ("RAAS") voted to approve the Company's offshore Nicaraguan exploration and development contracts ...

 

    .14  Diplomat appeals for regional partnership
DailyNewsOnline - Dar es Salaam,United Republic of Tanzania
MEMBERS of the business community in East Africa were yesterday urged to foster closer co-operation for their mutual benefit. "Global business partnership should start internally and then at regional level," said Mr David Maina, a commercial attache with the Kenyan High Commission in Tanzania....

 

    .15  Health superboard to tackle governance
Calgary Herald - AB, Canada
Potential changes to health region administration follow Liepert's decision in mid-May to axe the boards of Alberta's nine regional health authorities. ...

 

    .16  World community congratulates Astana on its 10th Anniversary.
Kazinform - Astana,Kazakhstan
"Astana is a powerful catalyst and a locomotive of the country’s socio-economic development. Gross Regional Product for the past 10 years increased 17 times, the volume of investments grew more that 20 times. 10% of the country’s GDP falls on the capital. In the nearest future Astana will turn into the largest industrial centre of Kazakhstan,"...

 

    .17  Tough Economy Accelerating Sustainable Food Trends
MediaPost Publications - New York,USA
... Haitian and other highly regionalized cuisines within ethnic communities in the US The wider recognition and appreciation of regionalized ethnic foods ...

 

    .18  Global terrorism: braced for financial fallout
Accountancy Age - London,UK
Exposure to geopolitical risks and terrorism are growing concerns for many organisations whether large or small. In many regions of the world, established local security threats show little sign of abating and are often extending their geographic reach. ...

 

12. Blogging about Regional Communities  Contents

    .01  Interview with Dan Imhoff: Part 2  (author of Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Farm Bill)
Slow Food Nation
Are we starting to build the infrastructure for a regional food system we are going to desperately need when oil tops off at $500 per barrel?  …I hope that regions all across the country are starting to have meetings to say that this is the kind of food system that we want, so in three years time, they can go to their elected representatives. Because that was really a big part of what was absent in the discussions this time, long term planning, region by region. I think extremely quickly we are going to have to have a far more regionally based production capacity. …

 

    .02  Theory Talk #10:Timothy Shaw
By Peer Schouten

The New Regionalisms Approach (NRA) parts from the observation that regions other than Europe, can and should be studied in a different way in order to be able to say anything about their meaningful ‘region-ness’. ... Europe can learn something from Africa, and vice versa. If you want to define what crosses borders in Europe, you take the Eurovision Song festival, Ryanair and the likes; in Africa, its rivers, language patterns, and religion who travel. In order to understand the regional integration of Europe, you have to find its roots, and they lie beyond the formal. What subsequently interests me in Africa, are its regional brands, logos, logistics, banks, and cell phones: it is the non-state actors that define it as a region. ...

 

    .03  Asset Mapping Provides Baseline for Regional Transformation
Quad-States Regional Transformation
Competing in the global economy requires the creation of regional innovation ecosystems that drive growth and prosperity. The challenge is to optimize the assets of human, capital (institutional and intangible) around innovation for the future of the region. Many U.S. regions have yet to fully understand the competitive value of their asset base and few have implemented a systematic process to identify their innovation assets or develop strategies to ensure that these assets are sufficiently linked and leveraged. Using the Council on Competitiveness approach, asset mapping is the premiere resource to help regional business and community leaders support innovation-based growth....

    .04  Quantifying Regionalism
Civic Analytics
Regionalism is a lot like irony. We know what it is when we see it, but precisely defining it can be challenging. Quantifying it can be downright herculean. However, for anybody in the regionalism business who has faced down questions ...

    .05  Retro Blog 3 - Sean Rugless on Regionalism and Community Building: Where will we stand?

Soapbox Cincinnati
What do new housing developments and regionalism have in common?  They both are designed to bring people together with a common interest; but can any of them foster a sense of community?  The answer is yes..... but you must have a plan for the connective tissue....

 

    .06  Snohomish pols won’t back transit plan
By Will
This is why “regionalism” will always fail. King County voters want transit and are willing to tax themselves to get more of it. The nature of Sound Transit’s governance structure makes it necessary to seek Reardon and Dawson’s approval ...

 

    .07  When did we become the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA?
Missy Blankenship
Thomas, Harrol Brauer was "the king of Hampton Roads regionalism." Brauer helped spearhead the 1984 merger of the Peninsula and five south side cities into one Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

 

    .08  Baetje Farm Cheese Products Explained
Gumbo: The Forum for Soulard
"Baetje Farm throws the spotlight on some of the issues surrounding the concept of regionally produced foods. One important element is the requirement that regional food producers must be able to make a living from their efforts and from the products they produce. It is important that we are able to communicate this need to the consumers....

 

    .09  Fraser Institute: Toronto in Decline; Me: Laughs
By Laurence
This will help balance the region, and in turn, attract more jobs into the central city. Note that this is completely separate from the fact that in today’s ‘creative class’ economy, more companies are choosing to locate within the central city to attract young professionals, ...

 

    .10  Monthly Gleanings
Oxford Etymologist
I cannot say anything new on the word regionalism. It appears to have been coined some time around the eighties of the 19th century by journalists, for the earliest citations are from newspapers. At that time regionalism meant only “localism” in politics. It gained popularity after World War I. As a linguistic term (“a local word or feature”) it does not antedate the fifties. Today regionalism is used widely, but the numerous spheres of application have not changed its original meaning. ...

 

    .11  LA's Freeway Addiction Needs an Intervention
By Amelia Timbers
They have the density for ridership, the regionalism for effective stops, smoggy environmental motivation obscuring skylines, and gas prices kissing $5.00/gallon. LA is primetime mass transit territory, if only the government would start working on buying the right of ways and launching the scoping meetings....

 

    .12  Holland looks back on 20 years (part II)
By paul

The other thing: I think the town and this area has to look at ways to regionalize services. Fire, police, schools. All sorts of other services. Ask ‘Are there ways to collaborate with other towns to provide the services we need in the most cost effective way? Now I’ve talked to some people about that and they think that it wouldn’t bring any economies. But, certainly, ...

 

    .13  Inter-community bike trails update
By Michael
The Technical Advisory Committee of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission has thrown up a detour to the forward-looking plan, which maps out a strategy to connect local neighborhoods to the recreational trails system and promote ...

 

    .14  Try regionalization at the beach
Mind of Len
… let's try something easy. It takes no time, costs nothing. Let's let people with resident beach stickers from East Haven, New Haven and West Haven park free at beaches in any of those communities. For example, if you have a New Haven sticker on our car, you can park free at West Haven or East Haven beaches. Get it? Regionalization. ...

 

    .15  Toward an Online Interactive Broadband Atlas for Ontarians
Serendiptyoucity
A comprehensive online Broadband Atlas in Ontario – a first in Canada - could inspire other provinces and territories toward creating regionally managed, but nationally integrated, broadband atlas initiatives. ...

 

    .16  Competitive Super City sucks
By Joseph(Joseph)
Auckland as a "truly internationally competitive city" is anathema to us. Our interest as ordinary people is in co-operation, locally, regionally and globally. Not competition. Any government's wishes on the matter are not ours. Why would ordinary working people here or anywhere want to compete, to drive down even more our already unliveably low wages? Or to further worsen our working and social conditions?

    .17  The Coming North American Confederation of Anarchies, Mini-Republics, Micro-Nations and Intentional Communities
By keith
... he showed how Americans have been sorting themselves over the past three decades into homogeneous communities — not at the regional level, or the red-state/blue-state level, but at the micro level of city and neighborhood. ...

 

    .18  Some thoughts
The Haps 
The economy should also be altered by higher gas prices - and not in a recession or depression way, but more of a rethinking. Just like what is written about in "Deep Economy" (terrific book, highly recommended), this could mean more localization, more regionalization, which I certainly prefer. Buying products from around the corner and supporting your local options. The hopeful re-establishment of neighborhood commercial districts because of proximity. …

 

    .19  "US farm bill "too little, too late" for developing world"
EGR - MDG
For the first time, the legislation freed some of the money to be used in cash for food purchases locally or regionally in recipient countries instead of in-kind produce shipped from the US, the world's largest food aid donor. … the amount - US$60 million over four years - was a fraction of the $300 million President George Bush had sought for one fiscal year …  

 

    .20  International Educational Perspectives_2
Wide Open Spaces
The regionalization and adapting the educational/cultural content to each region may be a good model for the Brazilian education so as to cope with the enormous differences in needs and development. ...

 

    .21  The Carter Centre Peace Program
By cooldjsen(cooldjsen)
4)The Americas Program: improving regional cooperation and the deepening of democracy within the Western Hemisphere, thwarting corruption, increasing transparency, and decreasing social inequities to ensure that free and fair elections ...

 

    .22  Two cultures
On the Mountain

Frank Sartor, Minister for Planning, has just released the latest Central Coast Regional Strategy. It is planned that by 2031 there will be an additional 100,000 people, 56,000 new dwellings, and 45,000 new jobs.

 

    .23  What is an SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure)?
Ron Lake’s Blog 
This implies that information must be sourced in real time from a wide variety of locations, at a wide variety of scales, from citizens as well as professionals, and integrated on as needs basis.   Again this cries out for common data models that are shareable across regions, provinces/states and nations. ...

 

    .24  North America Doesn't Exist – The New Geography of Trade
Saigon Charlie: The Real World
Even the most regionally integrated industries, like the auto industries, measure their success not in terms of integration but by how successfully they can break down the production process into ever-cheaper components. ...

 

    .25  Digital Technologies and Local Journalism
PepperDigital
More regionally based news entities are not competition for weeklies but could instead be sought out for mutually beneficial cross-platform relationships for larger news entities, which can provide better regional coverage, ...

 

    .26  Newspaper Stocks and the connection with Wikimetro
Wikimetroblog’s Weblog
Second, newspapers need to produce products that are regional, and that doesn’t work online. For the same reason that Craigslist can’t be segmented and divided into separate regional sites, and wikipedia cant be cut up into sites with different subject matter focus, local newspaper websites can’t work. One site needs to aggregate what is useful, and we hope that will be us.

 

 

13. Announcements and Regional Links.  Contents

    .01  GOS - Geospatial One Stop

geodata.gov is a geographic information system (GIS) portal, also known as the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS), that serves as a public gateway for improving access to geospatial information and data under the Geospatial One-Stop E-Government initiative. …

The geodata.gov portal is designed to facilitate communication and sharing of geographic data and resources to enhance government efficiency and improve citizen services by making it easier, faster and less expensive for all levels of government and the public to access geospatial information.

The portal is a catalog of geospatial information containing thousands of metadata records (information about the data) and links to live maps, features, and catalog services, downloadable data sets, images, clearinghouses, map files, and more. The metadata records were submitted to the portal by government agencies, individuals, and companies, or by harvesting the data from geospatial clearinghouses.

 

    .02  Institute for State Effectiveness - Resources

The Institute for State Effectiveness (ISE) uses a citizen-centered perspective to rethink the fundamentals of the relationship between citizens, the state and the market in the context of globalization. Stability and prosperity in our interdependent world demand a new global compact to ensure that the billions of people currently excluded become stakeholders in the emerging political and economic order.

The ISE approach distills conceptual thinking, historical analysis and first-hand field experience with dialogue across networks of individuals and organizations in the realms of civil society, government, business, technology and academia. The Institute has developed critical tools and frameworks that allow us to combine contextualized analysis with comparative perspective to provide actionable policy advice.

BookTV: Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World by Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart of ISE. Watch the presentation from the Asia Society in New York City May 19, 2008 . 

    .03  Global Transformations – Researching Globalization

Indicators of interconnectedness and the enmeshment of states in regional and global processes

In order to explore the extent and depth of global interconnectedness a number of 'indicators' of interconnectedness can be used. These indicators are based on empirical research in political science, international relations, international political economy, geography, development studies, and sociology. The construction of indicators creates an opportunity for gathering empirical data on global and regional flows, as well as on a state's enmeshment in processes, networks and flows at both the global and regional level. Indicators can be developed in respect of the key areas of state activity and the degree to which individual states are embedded or implicated in global or regional networks of interaction.

     .04 Regionalism: Sneaking America Into World Government – Sweet Liberty

     Governance - as opposed to Government - means "control by rules, restrictions and regulations". That's a far cry from our elective, representative form of government where laws are to be passed only by elected officials – legislators – and only in pursuance of the Constitution.

     Regional Governance is a ‘layer’ – or layers – of government run by nameless, faceless and usually ruthless appointed bureaucrats who are insulated from the election process, and therefore accountable only to those who appoint them. And they will not bite the hand that feeds them. The rules and regulations being promulgated via regional governance are mandates trickled up from self-selected world policy makers at the United Nations to the federal, state and local levels.

 

14. Subscription access news stories.  Contents

    .01  Planner journeys to Prague  (Archive – July 1, 2008) - The Winchester Star – Winchester, VA, USA

Tom Christoffel, a senior planner with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, said the combined efforts of Winchester and Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Page, and Shenandoah counties demonstrates that regional projects work.

…

During an interview Monday at the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission office in Front Royal, Christoffel said the conference offered him a chance to test his theories about communities and common interests.

“Community precedes cooperation,” he said. “When you find a sense of community, it is just built into how to cooperate. When there is a sense of community, cooperation follows naturally.”

Christoffel said successful regional efforts, like those that involve water resources, help the northern Shenandoah Valley.

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission has helped to unite the various communities in its planning district, allowing each to see the benefits of shared efforts to get things accomplished, he said.

Water is a good example of a problem that creates a strong desire for regionalism.

“In 1999, we decided we needed to look at water regionally for the planning district because droughts were regular things ...” Christoffel said. “Every time there was a drought, there were more people here because the [Shenandoah] Valley was growing, so the region began to look at water planning or water-resource planning, but they wanted to do it broadly. Then they started to meet, but decided they couldn’t think about this without inviting the upstream and downstream jurisdictions.

“They had me send a letter to Augusta County and Rockingham [County], and Berkeley and Jefferson [counties in West Virginia]. Some of those localities [had officials who] showed up at the next meeting.”

Christoffel said regional resources constitute a community, with each locality that relies on the resource having a stake in its long-term usage.

The organization that oversees the planning district — in this case, the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission — becomes the forum by which resource use and other issues can be monitored.

“So just in the way the county is a general-purpose entity, the planning district or regional commission like we have can be a general-purpose entity to work on the problems of the day or the issues of the day to look long term,” he said.

…

15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities       Contents

To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes regional related sites. Entering the term regional community  returned  617  items;  “regional community”  returned  543  items. Please recommend links for inclusion.

 

 

 

Regional Community Development News – June 25,  2008  [regions_work]

A compilation of  news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.

Published on line since November 11,  2003.

________________________________________________________________________

Contents

Top Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.

U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State,  State or multi-State – news articles … 10.01 - .29

Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .13

Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .25

Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .10

Subscription access news stories … 14.01

Custom search: region,  regions,  regional communities … 15.

________________________________________________________________________

Note: In this issue the Yahoo Groups software is showing formatting codes. After several postings I can not get ride of them, so I hope they are not too distracting. The Blog version looks more like the normal format. http://regional-communities.blogspot.com/Â Â Â Ed.

Top Regional Community Stories

  1.  Regaining our Competitive Edge: A National Blueprint for Prosperity - <http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/katz0618.aspx> Pop City,  PA,  USA

What if Washington was smart?

What if the federal government could be an effective partner—setting the framework for big issues such as transportation and sustainability—in making metropolitan areas more competitive in this new global economy?

It’s a big question,  posed by Bruce Katz who was in Pittsburgh recently,  that’s at the heart of the Brookings Institution's new initiative,  Blueprint for American Prosperity. The premise? Dynamic global and domestic forces pose urgent challenges that are testing American prosperity,  says Katz,  vice president and director,  Metropolitan Policies at Brookings. To compete,  he asserts,  the U.S. must leverage four key assets: innovation,  infrastructure,  human capital and quality places. Those assets are concentrated—and this is paramount—in metropolitan areas.

The problem? The federal government has not kept up with global changes and is impeding rather than promoting progress in metro areas.

Not smart.

On June 11 and 12,  a summit by the Brookings Institution launched the next phase of the Blueprint for American Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of a Metropolitan Nation. It’s a bold,  long-term initiative to “reinvigorateâ€� the federal government to promote the health and vitality of the country’s metropolitan areas. (Phase One,  Katz explains,  was selling the concept of a metro nation.)

‘We’re going to attempt to reimagine and redevelop a partnership with a national government that’s been adrift for decades, � Katz says.

“This is how we think of our country,  a nation of 50 states,  but it’s essentially become a network of metro areas,  and unless these places are healthy and vital,  our ability to compete globally is at risk. “We are a metro nation, â€� says Katz. “It’s time we started acting like it.â€�

…

  2.   Opinion: Regional growth planning can be workable <http://www.azstarnet.com/business/244415> - Arizona Daily Star - Tucson, AZ, USA - Note: Site registration may be required for access..

Q Given the divide in core values that separates the public,  how can we develop an analysis that overcomes core fundamental differences?

A You can't. But what you can do is to identify those issues for which values are held in common (e.g.,  open space protection) versus those in which there real differences (e.g.,  rate of development).

Once commonalities and differences in values have been identified,  it may be possible to identify shared interests or agendas. This process of collaboratively identifying common and different values and common and different interests goes a long way toward building trust.

…

Q Would regional cooperation in growth planning such as a regional land use plan that includes regional water use,  transportation et cetera be enhanced by creating a city-county regional government such as Miami/Dade County,  Fla.?

A There is no doubt that having some form of regional government (as in Portland) enhances a region's ability to create and then implement a good regional plan incorporating water,  transport and land use issues.

At the same time,  there are plenty of examples of combined city-county governments (Jacksonville,  Indianapolis,  and Miami/Dade) that are not doing any better job managing development than their nearby,  non-combined counterparts. The core criteria is whether the regional plan enjoys sufficient support and legitimacy to be able to withstand the fragmentary nature of local politics,  particularly when times are tight and municipal budgets are stressed.

Q How can the power surge of the county,  cities,  and town managers be channeled to provide for infrastructure planning,  development and beneficial use for the region,  and not just an entity?

A Probably the best way to do this is for the local council of governments to seek the authority to issue bonds to fund regional infrastructure,  whether roadways,  mass transit,  parks and open  â€¦

the communications institute -Growth in the Tucson Region <http://www.communicationsinstitute.com/site/cpage.asp?sec_id=14000079...>

RC:  Pima Association of Governments   <http://pagnet.org/>

  3. Editorial: Signs evidence of regionalism <http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/opinion/index.ssf/2008/06/editorial_...> - The Saginaw News - MLive.com - Saginaw, MI, USA

This month,  Saginaw City Councilman Daniel L. Fitzpatrick was less than reverent regarding a Crime Stoppers "Wanted" billboard on Interstate 675.

Fitzpatrick said it didn't send the right signal -- "Welcome to Saginaw and help us catch our thugs" is how he interpreted it.

Maybe a welcome mat this year's Leadership Saginaw County is proposing is more to his liking.

The 31-member 2008 class wants to build a $212, 000 solar-lit,  landscaped "Welcome to the Saginaw Valley" -- or whatever brand the Tri-Counties decide on -- …

Why the first exit in Saginaw County? The obvious: It's where the Saginaw Valley identity factor begins,  and Birch Run and Frankenmuth are there. The outlet mall is the biggest in the Midwest,  and Frankenmuth is the top tourist destination in the state.

…

So,  it's just a sign. But beyond simple hospitality,  it serves a couple of below-the-radar purposes. Tourism is a big deal in this hard-knock county,  and every out-county dollar helps. It's a nice first impression for businesses considering moving this way as well a nice reflection on those already here. And,  it's just a little bit of a pride and morale boost for a county in sore need of a positive perception and image.

The underpinning of it all,  though,  is regionalism -- the push to connect,  hold and brand the stakeholders of Saginaw,  Bay and Midland counties,  whether it's economically,  culturally,  recreationally,  governmentally or educationally for the ultimate benefit of all three. Survival,  in our neck of the woods at least,  has a whole lot to do with diminishing turf wars and territorialism.

And don't forget law enforcement. That Crime Stoppers sign may not suit Fitzpatrick or many others,  but it still sends a message about working together to get one part of the job done.

RC: East Central Michigan Planning & Development Regional Commission  <http://www.ecmpdr.org/>

  4. My View: Next regionalism step: A technology council <http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/opinion/index.ssf/2008/06/my_view_ne...> - The Saginaw News - MLive.com - Saginaw, MI, USA

Most of us function as citizens of the Saginaw Valley "region." We cross ZIP codes,  county lines,  city limits and voting districts,  daily. Thinking regionally reflects reality,  since we already "act" like a region.

Business,  chambers of commerce,  the news media,  non-profits and higher education already see the Tri-Counties as a broad marketplace. To them,  regionalism is a burgeoning mindset -- and a positive outlook ripe with opportunity.

Given all this stuff,  the question is how do we ensure that our region works together more effectively to compete nationally -- and globally -- during this difficult time?

I'm not quick to advocate creating another organization,  but if we are serious about regional economic development,  quality of life enhancement and competing for new jobs and industry,  we need to create an institution that is devoted to advancing the region. We need an overarching catalyst,  perhaps like the West Michigan Strategic Alliance.

The concept is to fund a non-partisan,  not-for-profit,  mostly volunteer organization composed of leaders from all sectors that studies our region using benchmarking tools and ultimately makes credible,  inclusive plans and recommendations. It might sound boring and bureaucratic,  but measuring a variety of regional indicators is the first step toward identifying deficiencies,  creating new action steps and new ideas.

Benchmarking will show us where we are,  where we have been and what critical areas need attention if we are to arrive where we want to go. Measuring trends and quality of life indicators is also a vehicle to communicate and engage everyone in the discussion and search for solutions.

Conceivably,  we publish an annual scorecard detailing regional crime rates,  governmental effectiveness,  educational attainment,  graduate rates,  teacher quality,  work force development,  civic health,  various economic indicators,  tax burdens,  poverty rates,  income by ethnicity,  ...

  5. In tough times,  officials eye shared services <http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/06/19/in_tough_times_o...> - Boston Globe,  United States

With cities and towns confronting a grim economic climate,  municipal officials are beginning to take a harder look at an idea that has been somewhat sensitive in certain quarters in years past: developing regionalized services.

Some 200 area officials attended a conference on regionalization held in Worcester last month.

Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting,  who attended the conference,  said it doesn't make sense in many cases for communities to have separate services,  such as individual libraries,  pension systems,  and dispatch centers,  when they can share those services and realize tax savings in difficult times.

Regional services are common in other parts of the country,  where county governments often fill the role of provider,  Nutting said. Reluctance across Massachusetts to form such partnerships is rooted in a Colonial provincialism,  Nutting thinks.

"Thinking in broader terms has never really been in our mind-set, " he said. "We've been stuck for 400 years in this village form of government."

The conference,  sponsored by the Massachusetts Municipal Association and Northeastern University,  featured a number of speakers who argued for a shift from localized to more regional services as a way to trim costs and maintain the quality of services.

Geoff Beckwith,  president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association,  said some problematic barriers in state law prevent municipalities from pursuing regional agreements conveniently,  a problem that has hampered some communities' efforts to regionalize services.

He said his organization is pursuing an initiative for legislation that would prevent the need for Town Meeting approvals if communities wanted to share a building inspector or a planning coordinator,  for example.

Another obstacle is collective bargaining,  â€¦

A shift toward regional services not only makes sound financial sense but also has the potential to improve services,  â€¦

  6. Economic development: Putting the pieces together <http://www.mountainx.com/news/2008/061808economic_development_putting...> - Mountain Xpress - Asheville, NC, USA

Ever wondered who’s in charge of economic development in Asheville and Buncombe County? It’s a good question,  but the answer is not so simple.

In fact,  there are literally dozens of players—some big,  some small—that help shape the area’s economy. They include governmental agencies such as the city’s Office of Economic Development,  quasi-governmental agencies such as AdvantageWest and the  <http://www.landofsky.org/> Land-of-Sky Regional Council,  and nonprofits that run the gamut from the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Coalition for Asheville and Buncombe County to Mountain BizWorks to HandMade in America. And even that just scratches the surface. Numerous other players—such as A-B Tech and UNCA,  not to mention community-based financial institutions such as the Self-Help Credit Union—also fill key roles.

All of them have vital parts to play. But as Asheville and environs grow,  it becomes increasingly critical that the various players know one another,  what their roles are—and,  most importantly,  how they can collaborate and sync their diverse agendas to ensure that local economic-development efforts remain strong and effective well into the future.

That’s the idea behind a new study that aims to identify,  organize,  coordinate and help focus the region’s assorted economic-development organizations. But it’s just the start of a broader effort to get all the puzzle pieces in place and create a coherent blueprint for the future. The long-term goal is to create a sustainable economy that plays to the area’s strengths in the arts,  health,  tourism,  entrepreneurism,  â€¦

The $55, 000 Economic Development Organizations Study,  created and funded by Buncombe County and the Asheville HUB Alliance,  is being conducted by the University of Central Arkansas’ Strategic Growth Institute,  assisted by the Washington,  D.C.-based International Economic Development Council. Together,  they’ll assess the total framework of the area’s multiple economic-development organizations.

…

  7. Safety Academy head's confident <http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/NEWS...> - News Sentinel - Fort Wayne, IN, USA

If he had his way,  Bernie Beier would see the “interimâ€� removed from his title as director of the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana.

He's convinced the academy,  which has been more white elephant and controversy magnet than law-enforcement hub since opening late last year,  has a bright future drawing in both public safety organizations and private groups unrelated to public safety. But while Beier - named interim director of the academy Thursday - would prefer to be in it for the long haul,  he acknowledges it's not his call or Fort Wayne's. It will be up to a fully staffed nonprofit board he hopes will have nine regional members. Right now there are two.

“It could be a year,  two years. It could be five months or it could just be the permanent fit, â€� Beier said,  adding a decision on his status could come by year's end.

The 132, 000-square foot academy sits behind Southtown Centre at the old Southtown Mall site and was built with $26.9 million in state taxpayer money. It has been caught in a power struggle between its founders,  who worked with former Mayor Graham Richard to get it built and wanted it regionally controlled,  and Mayor Tom Henry who took office in January and essentially took over the academy last month.

In an apparent purge in early May,  Brent Johnson resigned as the academy's executive director shortly after the resignation of Peter Eshelman,  foundation chairman. Henry spokeswoman Rachel Blakeman said last month the city had taken over financial control of the academy which could lose up to $1.8 million in state taxpayer money if it doesn't meet its regional mission.

Beier,  who will continue as Fort Wayne-Allen County Office of Homeland Security director,  pledged Thursday that the academy will meet its state obligations,  â€¦

RC: Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council  <http://www.co.allen.in.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&...> 

  8. Richmond has chance to break boundaries <http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/NEWS0301/...> - Palladium-Item - Richmond, IN, USA

The inclusion of Richmond-Wayne County Chamber President and CEO Dennis Andrews in a regional planning fellowship is,  to be sure,  a deserving personal honor for the former Richmond mayor and Wayne County sheriff.

Only 50 chamber executives nationwide were selected by the American Chamber of Commerce to participate. Andrews joins,  for example,  local chamber officials from such locales as Jacksonville,  Fla.; Seattle; Raleigh,  N.C.; Los Angeles; Houston; St. Louis; Kansas City,  Mo.; Brooklyn,  N.Y.; and more.

His participation also represents a great potential advance in the quest to cooperate and plan regionally rather than just locally,  even where that regional planning means crossing state lines,  as it does for Richmond and so many of these participating cities in this ambitious initiative funded by the Ford Foundation.

Richmond may not have a lot in common with most of these other chamber cities represented in the regional planning fellowship.

But what it does critically share in common with many of them is a state line or other geographic boundary that has often stood in the way of cooperative efforts to wisely grow a region or metropolitan area beyond just the confines of a city.

Andrews,  with his considerable mix of political and leadership skills,  is a good choice to represent our area. What he gains from this 12-month effort that kicks off in the fall should clearly benefit a wider region.

Regionalism already has largely triumphed over parochialism within Wayne County,  thanks to the countywide representation and initiatives of groups like the Richmond-Wayne County Chamber of Commerce,  the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County and the Wayne County Foundation,  to name just three.

But more can be done,  and needs to be done. ...

RC: Eastern Indiana Development District <http://www.eidd.org/departments/>

  9. Fire agencies at brink of historic unification  <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080625-9999-1n25plans.html> - San Diego Union Tribune - United States

San Diego County officials have purchased new fire engines and added firefighting aircraft since the 2007 wildfires,  and they are expected to sew up a historic merger today and forge ahead with broader plans Friday.

But the moves do little to eliminate the duplication of fire services – which cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year – across the region.

There are 65 fire agencies serving 18 cities and unincorporated areas in the county. Despite repeated efforts since at least 1993 to consolidate smaller departments,  not much has changed. Fire officials rarely are willing to give up what they control for something they don't.

The cities spend $368 million a year on fire protection,  a figure that doesn't include the $9.5 million the county pays annually or the $50 million spent by fire districts and volunteer agencies.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve and pay for a $15.5 million plan that would merge 12 rural fire agencies by 2012,  the first step in a broader consolidation plan.

But county supervisors said it would take years – and tax incentives – to redraw the fragmented system,  which has left San Diego as the most populous county in the state without a regional fire agency.

…

In Los Angeles,  Orange and Riverside counties,  there is less overlap and fewer departments because all three operate a regional fire agency that serves unincorporated areas and the majority of cities within each county,  including most of the smaller cities.

…

Supervisor Pam Slater-Price said she remembers county board members pushing for consolidation when she first took office 15 years ago.

 â€œIt may be the type of thing where a ballot initiative is needed because,  I'm telling you,  there's nothing harder to move than an entrenched agency, â€� she said. “They all have their boards and their meeting rooms,  stipends and the whole thing.â€� …

RC:  SANDAG <http://www.sandag.cog.ca.us/>

10. U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State,  State or multi-State - in news articles.

Bold font words are Google search terms. Bold italic words considered worth noting.  In this and section 11,  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 as well as recognizing other regional organizations.  In most cases,  where a full name is present,  a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always get the organization name correct.   Contents

    .01  Allentown's 2020 vision faces realities   <http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/all-a.6474487jun25,0,3299636.story>
Allentown Morning Call - Allentown, PA, USA

The single most important part of the plan's ''Framework for the Future'' is its affirmation that Allentown must work regionally with its Lehigh Valley neighbors. Usually,  there is more interest in regionalism in cities than in suburban and rural townships. That is because of the flawed perspective that collaboration is a zero-sum game -- cities win,  rural taxpayers lose. A better concept is that the health of the entire Lehigh Valley depends on thriving cities. Some aspects of regionalism have been put in place …

    .02  Keep water pact out of the courts  <http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080625/NEWS/5089969/1016/OPINIO...>
BlueRidgeNow.com - Hendersonville, NC, USA
If there's one thing that the recent drought ought to be teaching us,  it is that regionalism is the answer to water problems,  not setting up little fiefdoms that compete with each other and cause waste and duplication....

    .03  Study: Dial-A-Ride leaving riders in lurch    <http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/20/20080620dialaride06...> AZ Central.com - AZ, USA

Fragmented Dial-A-Ride services for the Valley's disabled forces frail passengers to transfer at jurisdictional boundaries where they endure long,  solitary waits in public places for another vehicle,  according to a study commissioned by Valley Metro. At a recent Chandler Transportation Commission briefing,  Valley Metro executive Carol Ketcherside said the organization is urging cities to support regionalized service similar to those in other major metropolitan areas like Dallas,  Las Vegas,  Denver,  San Diego,  Salt Lake City and Tucson. ...

    .04  A chance to drive transit forward   <http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/EDIT01/8...>
Cincinnati Enquirer - Cincinnati, OH, USA

All of this is pushing the public toward a tipping point where it might support new initiatives to improve mass transit on a regional basis. We urge the politicians,  not just in Cincinnati and Hamilton County,  but throughout the region,  to make the most of this opportunity and not blow it on petty,  partisan bickering. ...

    .05  Gridlock A way of life   <http://www.telegram.com/article/20080620/NEWS/806200592/1116>
Worcester Telegram - Worcester, MA, USA
The study,  led by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council,  will focus on Interstate 495 and the interchanges... The cities and towns along I-495 have seen rapid growth over the past 20 years,  according to the  <http://www.arc-of-innovation.org/> 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership,  a public-private advocacy group. …

    .06  Mayor Nickels expands his horizons   <http://www.crosscut.com/blog/politics-government/15002/Mayor+Nickels+...>
Crosscut - Seattle, WA, USA
This one is about metropolitan regionalism. The mayor is joining a national crusade by the Brookings Institution,  hoping to steer more and wiser funding to American metropolitan regions.  ...

    .07  Editorial: The promise of regionalization   <http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/97043/>
Amherst Bulletin - Amherst, MA, USA
Pelham's financial woes may turn out to provide an opportunity not just for the town but for other communities in the Pioneer Valley. Faced with a budget squeeze,  and the challenge of overcoming voter resistance to a Proposition 2½ override,  Pelham officials are exploring the idea of cutting costs by working with other municipalities,  including Amherst,  to provide town services under a regionalization scenario. ...

    .08  Team response to abductions   <http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/06/21/news/3329744.txt>
Attleboro Sun Chronicle - Attleboro, MA, USA
Police say the regional response is crucial because smaller cities and towns do not have the personnel or financial resources to deal effectively with a child abduction search and investigation....

    .09  Collison: Denver mayor promotes development,  cooperation,  sustainability   <http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/666595.html>
Kansas City Star - MO, USA
Now comes the part where his philosophy fits nicely with the mission of MARC,  which is all about regional cooperation. Hickenlooper,  like his predecessors,  ...

    .10  Partnership maps gaps in broadband   <http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/business/local/article/partnership_map...>
Lynchburg News and Advance - Lynchburg, VA, USA
But Region 2000’s leaders are taking more interest in the white areas on the map,  the “no man’s landsâ€� of broadband. The white areas include swaths of land ...

    .11  Montpelier gets out of 9-1-1 biz   <http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/...>
Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre, VT, USA
... have to do all of that and manage our 9-1-1 intake… So much money is being spent on communications,  if ever there was anything that could be regionalized."

    .12   Calls for municipal combining resurface  <http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/166829>
Roanoke Times - Roanoke, VA, USA
Last month,  the new study paid for by the Alleghany Foundation indicated that the region's struggling economy could save more than $7 million annually if Alleghany County,  its two towns,  Clifton Forge and Iron Gate,  and the independent city of Covington -- with a total population of less than 25, 000 -- consolidated into one government. ...

    .13  Development group critical,  officials told <http://www.waynesvilledailyguide.com/news/x1713645414/Development-gro...>
Waynesville Daily Guide - Waynesville, MO, USA
If that doesn’t happen,  â€œPulaski County is going to miss out, â€� Prager said. “It’s just not equipped to do things together on a regional level, â€� Prager said. “The absence of that organization really hurts this county.â€� …

    .14  Group has been working to Keep Tahoe Blue for 50 years   <http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20080619/NEWS/37305841/1061/...>
Tahoe Daily Tribune - South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

In the 1950s and early '60s,  development was largely unchecked,  with local authorities having complete control over all growth. The Tahoe Regional Planning Commission (forefather of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency but with no enforcement powers) created a plan in 1964 to envision what Tahoe would look like in 1980. …

    .15  Regional partnerships meld education,  workforce development   <http://www.grandrapidsmn.com/articles/2008/06/14/news/doc4852ed01aab6...>
Herald Review - Grand Rapids, MI, USA
... first-hand about existing regional partnerships between the business community and the school community,  as well as some new and upcoming initiatives. ...

    .16  McLarty: Match vision with resources   <http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2008/06/19/news/news1.txt>
Hope Star - Hope, AR, USA
Hope and Hempstead County must provide for a more regional approach to economic development that is matched with dedicated resources to successfully compete with other regions in Arkansas,  ...

    .17  Arizona,  Mexico enjoy partnership   <http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0621grandcan...>
Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA
... becoming a regional athletic tradition. Athletes from Arizona and Sonora have faced off twice a year since 2006 in conjunction with the commission's ...

    .18  Houston's jobs pace hints at economic slowdown <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/biz/5849362.html>
Houston Chronicle - United States
"It's across the board, " said Barton Smith,  director of the  <http://www.uh.edu/irf/> Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston. The slowdown shows up in key ...

    .19  Tourism officials aim close to home   <http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.travel23jun23,0,1305...>
Baltimore Sun - United States
Nancy Hinds of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association said the group is thinking regionally in its efforts to attract visitors to the city ...

    .20  Crime Stoppers goes regional   <http://www.timescall.com/news_story.asp?ID=9463>
Longmont Times-Call  - Longmont,  CO,  USA
A dwindling budget has prompted Boulder County Crime Stoppers to branch out regionally to try to tap new funding opportunities. … Three weeks ago,  Boulder County Crime Stoppers officially became Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers. The rebranded organization will be dedicated to handling tips for northeastern counties,  â€¦

    .21  Schwenksville axes police department   <http://www.montgomerynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19787009&BRD=1306&...>
Montgomery Newspapers - Fort Washington, PA, USA
During the June 12 meeting,  borough council voted 3-1 to dissolve the department,  which consists of one employee,  Chief Tim Hoppes. … "It was first brought to light to me when the police needed a new vehicle, " Giunta said. "We should take a step back and look at this need. It is time to start thinking about regionalization. I am confident that the State Police can assist us on a full-time basis. Regionalization is the way to go. Municipalities need to work together. …

    .22  Medical society gets grant to boost broadband access   <http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=66839>
Central Penn Business Journal - Harrisburg, PA, USA
In addition,  the grant will fund regionally specific projects in northwest Pennsylvania and the Bucks County area.

    .23  POLITICAL LANDSCAPE: Group opposes airport curfew   <http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2008/06/14/politics/blr-polland...>
Burbank Leader - CA,  United States
“This is something that should be done regionally,  not one airport at a time, â€� Valley Vote President Joe Vitti said. “This is just shifting noise to another area. This doesn’t solve the problem,  it just shifts it. ...

    .24  UUA team studies resource distribution to congregations  <http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/114060.shtml>
uuworld-org - Boston, MA, USA
The idea was that a regional structure would be able to offer more comprehensive services than a district,  much in the same way that a regional medical center provides more varied services than a local clinic. ...

    .25  Lowbrow Writ Large   <http://wweek.com/editorial/3432/11129/>
Willamette Week - Portland, OR, USA
…  a distinctly Northwestern point of view—insular,  terrestrial,  studiously unstudied—and prove that regionalism is alive and well. This is a good thing if you define regionalism as “reflecting indigenous concerns, â€� a bad thing if you define it as “provincial.â€� ...

    .26  Same home with a new ZIP code can cost you   <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5851280.html>
Houston Chronicle - United States
"It makes sense to use boundaries that are fixed,  such as county boundaries,  to ensure predictability for policyholders that have similar risks. "By relying on fluid boundaries like ZIP codes,  you run the risk that policyholders can be doing all the right things and have nothing change but their ZIP code,  and they're left with a higher bill as a result." …

    .27  Lack of power lines seen as obstacle in wind development   <http://thehill.com/business--lobby/lack-of-power-lines-seen-as-obstac...>
The Hill - Washington, DC, USA
… without enough transmission lines to carry the energy from the windy but remote regions where it is produced to the cities that consume it,  wind power will continue to play a relatively small role in the nation’s energy mix,  according to testimony this week at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,  â€¦

    .28  Regional report touts wind power for mountain area   <http://www.wataugademocrat.com/2008/0609/0616EnergyCornestones.php>
Watauga Democrat - Boone, NC, USA
“North Carolina has probably one of the best inland wind resources of any state in the Southeast. It has a real opportunity to develop jobs and resources to serve the entire region. On the other hand,  if we wait five or 10 years,  we’ll find that development has happened in other states.â€� …

    .29  Economic developers want brand for region   <http://developmentmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/06/economic-developers-...>
Place Marketing Group
"The focus of the regional economic development initiative is the recruitment,  retention and creation of high-wage jobs in targeted high technology industries,  such as health,  life and environmental sciences,  information technology and ...

11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet  

    .01  Sonia launches poll campaign; calls to fight regionalism   <http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200806192121.htm>
Hindu - Chennai, India
"Regionalism is being encouraged here (in Maharashtra) and we have to fight these forces which are dividing society for their vested interests, " she said,  ...

    .02  Australia's future in the region and the world  <http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/06/20/news0977.htm>
The New Nation - Bangladesh
However,  to build a new regionalism in Asia Pacific requires the reinvigoration and retooling of the existing architecture. Such efforts will need to take ...

    .03  Unprecedented co-operation possible among governments amidst crisis   <http://www.antiguasun.com/paper/?as=view&sun=281935077507132005&an=19...>
AntiguaSun - St' John's, Antigua and Barbuda
We will achieve much more in addressing this crisis through intra-regional co-operation than we can ever achieve by going alone. ...

    .04  Roundup: African integration to be stepping-stone for stronger growth   <http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/15/content_8374614.htm>
Xinhua - China
According to Tomlinson,  "regional integration and cooperation also offers possibilities to ensure much improved and more sustainable management of shared ...

    .05  South-East European States Agree At UN Summit to Use Waterways to Promote Peace  <http://newsblaze.com/story/20080614145628tsop.nb/topstory.html>
NewsBlaze-com

The Athens Declaration,  adopted by seven Heads of State and two high-level representatives,  emphasizes the importance of rivers,  lakes and maritime routes in contributing to regional cooperation.

 

    .06  Does regionalization make sense?    <http://www.emsnow.com/npps/story.cfm?id=34169&pg=story>
EMSNow (press release) - Stetchworth, England, UK

We defined regionalization as "manufacturing products on the continent on which they are sold." …  regionalization was common practice before the mass migration to China in the last 1990s. Now with higher oil prices and exchange rates that weaken the US dollar,  we wanted to know if Forum members - OEMs and Contract Manufacturers - were considering returning to a regional strategy and whether it would become more common practice in the future. …

 

    .07  Slovenians vote in favor of regionalization   <http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=06&dd=23&...>

B92 News
The Slovenian government proposed the division into 13 provinces because it wanted to reduce the differences between the country’s regions,  and bearing in mind Slovenia is the only EU country without this type of territorial division. …

 

    .08  The Greater Significance of the 2008 EU-LAC Conference <http://www.coha.org/2008/06/the-greater-significance-of-the-2008-eu-l...>
Council On Hemispheric Affairs - Washington, DC, USA
... Euros to the region for purposes of development,  consolidation of economic interests to create a single common market,  stronger regional cooperation,  ...

 

    .09  Eat,  while it's still possible  <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080621.BKFOOD21/TP...>
Globe and Mail - Canada
Roberts applauds the efforts of urban gardeners,  local food enthusiasts and those who work outside of the industrialized system to build a "regionalized food economy." Their efforts are commendable,  much like the initiatives of those who advocate alternative energy strategies in the world of oil. But,  he writes in his bleak conclusion,  there must be broad-based,  government alternative food plans - a virtual de-industrialization - if humanity is to survive "the end of food."

 

    .10  Private sector to take the lead in putting Aberdeen back on track   <http://www.sundayherald.com/business/businessnews/display.var.2326414...>
Sunday Herald - Glasgow, Scotland, UK
TOM SMITH,  the newly appointed chairman of the Aberdeen City Forum and Shire Economic (Acsef),  has promised to use the city's recent spate of bad headlines as a "catalyst for step-change" as the private sector consolidated its unique leadership role in the region's economic strategy. ...

 

    .11  EU offers closer ties to eastern neighbours   <http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL20258128.html>
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg, South Africa
European Union leaders backed plans on Friday to offer closer ties to the bloc's eastern neighbours,  partly to match a more ambitious project for the Mediterranean region. The Eastern Partnership plan is to offer new areas of cooperation to Ukraine,  Moldova,  Georgia,  Armenia,  Azerbaijan and,  subject to domestic reforms,  Belarus. …

 

    .12  A work force model to support the adoption of best practice care in chronic diseases  <http://7thspace.com/headlines/284811/a_work_force_model_to_support_th...>
7thSpace Interactive (press release) - New York, NY, USA
The model takes a geographic region as the planning frame and combines data about the health status of the regional population by disease category and stage ...

 

    .13  Independent Regional Intelligence Straight to Your Desktop <http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/mediapack.html>
Place North West (subscription) - Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
Place North West is a niche business website for the commercial property and regeneration communities of the North West. ... Place North West employs a network of regionally based journalists and commentators,  including: ...

 

12. Blogging about Regional Communities

 

    .01  Details: King County Sheriff’s budget warning (and jail talk)  <http://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=8434>
West Seattle Blog - Seattle, WA, USA
Rahr declared in no uncertain terms that such “consolidationâ€� should come in the form of the county’s Regional Justice Center in Kent expanding to meet the space crunch that has the county saying it won’t have room for cities’ misdemeanor offenders. “We have capacity to build out the RJC,  a lot of capacity for more jail beds … if we were to build it out for full capacity,  if the staffing level could increase so all wings could be opened,  we would have hundreds more jail beds,  but the exec and council need to make that decision to build it out . … My opinion is that the county should have the regional responsibility for providing jail service.â€�

 

    .02  Regional Planning,  Mired In Yesteryear,  Does Not Include Re-Thinking The Language,  Either   <http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2008/06/regional-planning...>

By James Rowen(James Rowen)
I'd argue that genuine regional planning would constantly include studying and embracing changes in the very definition of "region, " and "regionalism" and "regional planning" by the regional planners and their existing agency themselves ...

 

    .021  Editorial: Secession is a cure worse than the alleged disease <http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=761939>
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI, USA
There is no good reason for Milwaukee County to withdraw from the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. It is in the best interest of the ...

 

    .022  Region must use planning to work for benefit of all   <http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=761962>
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI, USA
This consensus is reflected in the emergence of cooperative regional efforts such as Milwaukee 7. And one of the most important resources we have in this ...

 

    .03  Regional Cooperation  <http://impacttheconversation.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/regional-cooper...>
Impact Group
Then there are bold ideas and initiatives which truly address the core ideas,  goals and objectives of “regionalismâ€�. Not simply an academic exercise or theoretical study,  but an aggressive and revolutionary approach to joining forces as ...

 

    .04  Regional Economic Review Study - Latest Information on the Study Northeast Ohio  <http://www.revenuestudy.org/info.htm>

Video Clips – Myron Orfield answers questions – topics: The Economy of Northeast Ohio,  Prognosis if Nothing Changes,  Cooperation Amongst Ohio Cities and Municipalities,  What is Regionalism,  Is Regionalism Consolidation of Government?,  What is Land Use Planning?,  What is Revenue Sharing?,  Minneapolis St. Paul's Fiscal Disparity

 

    .05  Regional economies are green economies  <http://workinme.blogspot.com/2008/06/regional-economies-are-green-eco...>
Working in Maine
The world’s largest organic retailer,  Whole Foods,  is doing what it’s never done before—buying its northeast produce from regional producers. In the past,  their justification against this practice went to a variety of reasons,  ...  The cost of energy is changing that dynamic,  and making regional options much more viable...

 

    .06  EMS Discussion :: RE: How to fix the mess that is NJ's EMS system

 <http://www.emtcity.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=172049#172049> emtcity-com
Regionalization is the only way to help. Working up there,  lets see,  every municipality has it's own 911 system. They answer the call. Those dispatchers would call if they felt a medic unit was necessary,  which most of the time it was ...

 

    .07  Reading history and culture   <http://wen-wenhistorybook.spaces.live.com/blog/cns%21787FCF122BE7E9A9...>

Wen-Wen’s Story
When talking about development of a region,  there are two clues that we should notice: one is bottom-up process which called regionalization; the other is top-down process which called regionalism. Regionalization is mainly led by economic driving force and regionalism is no doubt influenced by government policy....

 

    .08  No Laughing Matter <http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/06/19/no-laughing-matter/>
By Daniel Larison
Spanish regionalism seems absurd because the regions in question are almost laughably small and self-sufficient,  from a large-country perspective,  only in a petty and dissatisfying way. Back in the old days,  Western political theorists ...

 

    .09  The Fate of Federalism   <http://www.americasfuture.org/jamespoulos/2008/06/the-fate-of-federal...>
By James Poulos
Yet I want to emphasize the difference between American and European sectionalism or regionalism — which is marked out by the historical and political relationship among the States and the Union. I’m sure I’m in agreement with Daniel ...

 

    .10  Regionalization a Success  <http://community.planetjh.com/blogs/building_a_strong_wyoming/archive...>
Planet Jackson Hole - WY, USA
Simpson and Senator Schiffer was the concept of “regionalizationâ€�,  in that we assure that the 5 major regions of our state all of access to the same ...

 

    .11  What is Regionalism?    <http://wrltlaurelcreech.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-is-regionalism.html>
By Laurel(WRLT Lightning 100)

cumberland region tomorrow's strategic planning session. it was an educational,  inspiring,  and productive 5 hour session with high stakeholders in our region's future. we mapped out our goals for the next 1,  3 and 5 years. CRT is a fantastic organization that is pioneering talk and decision making on regional and global levels- check them out at  <http://www.cumberlandregiontomorrow.org/> http://www.cumberlandregiontomorrow.org …

 

    .12  Regionalization a Success   <http://community.planetjh.com/blogs/building_a_strong_wyoming/archive...>
Planet Jackson Hole - WY, USA
The concept created by Rep. Simpson and Senator Schiffer was the concept of “regionalizationâ€�,  in that we assure that the 5 major regions of our state all of access to the same services.  So that the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services are community oriented rather than through state institutions such as the Wyoming State Hospital. …

 

    .13  On European Nationalism  <http://westbiop.blogspot.com/2008/06/on-european-nationalism.html>
By JWH(JWH)
3) Regionalism should not be a tactic to evade racial issues out of a fear of appealing to race and civilization. If there is a compelling regional identity,  that's great,  but fear of being "white" causes a defensiveness that will lead ...

 

    .14  Fixing affordable housing   <http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8192>
By Hank Kalet

The mechanism,  called a regional contribution agreement,  were designed to allow developing communities to limit the impact at home of the state-mandate,  but in my view violated the spirit of the Mount Laurel decisions. ...

 

    .15  Kevin Rudd’s vision for Asia Pacific institution-building   <http://eastasiaforum.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/kevin-rudd%E2%80%99s-vi...>
East Asia Forum

Openness reflects the objective of open regionalism to ensure that decisions to promote the objectives of APEC are transparent and avoid any discrimination. Equality implies that activities should not only be of mutual benefit to all ...

 

    .16  New wave in the globalisation of education   <http://eastasiaforum.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/new-wave-in-the-globali...>
By Christopher Findlay

Regional cooperation can play a vital role in ensuring that the region’s peoples can participate in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. Student mobility remains important. Some forecasts predict that Asia will account for 70 per cent of the volume by 2025. …

 

    .17  The Curse of the Party System   <http://skaneland.blogspot.com/2008/06/curse-of-party-system.html>
Blog Skaneland
... poke its nose into the citizens’ private business. Those of us who are involved with regionalism in Europe or human rights on the global arena has to think twice before putting friends abroad in jeopardy by sending them emails.

 

    .18  Why Progressives Should Be Supporting Mayoral Academies  <http://www.rifuture.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=3046>
Rhode Island’s Future
If they can design an intelligent model for regionalization while they’re at it (as the authors of the Mayoral Academy plan have done) so much the better. But,  in the meantime,  since there are honest but distinct disagreements about ...

 

    .19  The Job of President  <http://www.freeliberal.com/blog/archives/003391.php>
Free Liberal - Woodbridge, VA, USA
The way around this is to homogenize regional boundaries across agencies and create regional vice presidencies and regional congressional caucuses to handle most of these affairs (from base closings to regional economic policy). Regional VPs could be elected by the electoral college,  with each nominee appointing a slate and the winner of the most votes in that region elected to office. In other words,  in New England/New York,  you would likely have a Democratic RVP. In Dixie,  you would have a Republican,  etc. The stability would be good for government. ...

 

    .20  Sludge to biodiesel   <http://www.biodieselnow.com/forums/thread/151721.aspx>
By natescape
This research will be conducted as part of EPA’s Office of Research and Development’s Regionally Applied Research Effort program. The project is expected to have environmental benefits for the air,  land and water. ...

 

    .21  Pathways to Organizational Communities   <http://www.interactionassociates.com/ideas/2008/06/pathways_to_organi...>

Interaction Associates
… focused on the vital importance of creating communities,  in both the civic and organizational senses. Nothing provocative there,  but his unique approach to building communities questioned some existing assumptions about how best to mobilize effective action. Rather than aggressively trying to address the "problems" experienced by various communities,  Block suggests inviting potential participants to engage in dialogue about the possibilities they can create together. …

 

    .22  Of the community,  by the community,  and for the community: the rebirth of Old North Saint Louis  <http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/kbenfield/of_the_community_by_the_c...>

By Kaid Benfield
This won’t be the case in Old North,  because much of the community’s planning has been shaped by the residents themselves,  working with the regional community development alliance. Affordability and diversity are hallmarks of the ...

 

    .23  They Want to Be a Part of It . . . .    <http://strikeslip.blogspot.com/2008/06/they-want-to-be-part-of-it.html>
Fault Lines

Acacia Village wants to be a part of Utica,  NY,  that is! Really? SOMEBODY actually WANTS to be part of Utica?
… didn't get the support of the City of Utica or Oneida County. It's just disappointing in a time for regionalization." But,  Mr. Wallace,  Annexation IS Regionalization . . . the way it should be.

 

    .24   Comment on Nationalism: Positive or Negative?  <http://britologywatch.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/nationalism-positive-o...> by Toque
By Toque
Nationalism,  if you discard the racial claptrap that certain folk ascribe to it,  is no more menacing than regionalism. It’sa way of ordering society - in our case the boundaries of our democracy. Where it breaks down,  perhaps,  ...

 

    .25  thinkwest   <http://www.thinkwest.org/introduction>
By thinkwest
THINKWEST is a cluster of 8 community centres located in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Their collaboration has made them one of Victoria’s most innovative group of Adult Community Education providers. Their commitment to social ...

 

13. Announcements and Regional Links.

 

    .01  The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metro Areas Working Together

   <http://www.brookings.edu/events/2008/0611_blueprint_summit.aspx#polic...> Brookings's Metropolitan Policy Program hosted The Summit for American Prosperity: Washington and Metropolitan Areas Working Together at the Washington Hilton on June 11 and 12,  2008.

This Summit launched the policy phase of the Blueprint for American Prosperity: Unleashing the Potential of a Metropolitan Nation,  an ambitious,  multi-year initiative to build long-term U.S. prosperity by reinvigorating the federal role in promoting the health and vitality of America's metropolitan areas. This Summit builds on the Blueprint's earlier efforts to demonstrate that the nation's assets are concentrated in our metro areas,  and are the vital engines of the U.S. and global economy.

Speeches and Presentations from the event are available at this link as well as Blueprint Reports and Policy Briefs.

 

    .02  NADO Issues Summary Report of USDA Rural Development Provisions Under Final 2008 Farm Bill – PDF download   <http://nado.org/>

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) released a special report outlining the funding and policy provisions related to USDA Rural Development programs under the final 2008 Farm Bill passed by Congress this week.   The report includes an overview of the three rural development programs slated to receive mandatory funding,  as well as the portfolio of rural development programs subject to the annual appropriations process.  

In addition,  the new NADO report highlights congressional intent to establish three new federal-state regional commissions modeled after the Appalachian Regional Commission:  Northern Border Regional Commission,  Southeast Crescent Regional Commission and the Southwest Border Regional Commission.

For additional information,  please contact NADO Legislative Representative Amy Linehan at 202.624.8817 or  alinehan@...

 

    .03  Ireland’s vote on the Lisbon Treaty – What does it mean? - European Union - Delegation of the European Commission to the United States

<http://www.eurunion.org/eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=...>

The Irish “Noâ€� vote is a problem,  but it is not a crisis.

The EU is continuing to function,  and to function remarkably well,  under the pre-existing Treaties. ManyEU Council Session feared that when the EU enlarged to 25 members in 2004 that there would be institutional deadlock,  arising from the unwieldy size of the membership. It is fair to say that most of those fears have not materialized at all in the past four years.

    .04  Contesting and Sustaining the City: Neighborhood,  Region,  or World - Renaissance Chicago Hotel - March 4-9,  2009 - 39th Annual Meeting- Urban Affairs Association

 <http://www.udel.edu/uaa/annual_meeting/index.html>

 

The Urban Affairs Association (UAA) is the international professional organization for urban scholars,  researchers,  and public service providers. UAA exists to:

    * Encourage the dissemination of information about urbanism and urbanization

    * Support the development of university education,  research,  and service programs in urban affairs

·        Provide leadership in fostering urban affairs as a professional and academic field

 

    .05  Greater Washington 2050  <http://www.greaterwashington2050.org/>

Greater Washington 2050 is a new regional initiative to improve the quality of life for Washington area residents in the next 50 years by fostering stronger regional awareness,  leadership and action today and in the next few years. Led by COG and a coalition of public,  business,  civic and environmental stakeholders,  Greater Washington 2050 will build on what many people now believe is an opportunity for convergence of agreement on big issues of growth,  transportation and the environment. Greater Washington 2050 will identify actions that advance areas of agreement,  assess progress and measure performance. In short,  Greater Washington 2050 seeks to shape the future by supporting sound regional action today.

Sharon Bulova
Chair,  Greater Washington 2050 Coalition
Vice Chair,  Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

    .06  Transportation for America  <http://www.t4america.org/get-involved.php>

The next transportation authorization is anticipated to occur in 2009. The T4America Campaign is just kicking off,  and we invite you to join us!

Our collective goal as the T4America Campaign is to ensure that the next generation of transportation investments helps to make our country more competitive globally; improves mobility options for people of all ages,  incomes and geographic areas; maintains our existing transportation assets in good and safe working order; and,  helps our nation reduce its carbon footprint.

 

    .07  Baltic Sea Region Glossaries   <http://commin.org/en/bsr-glossaries/>

In this section you will find information about the 11  <http://commin.org/en/bsr-glossaries/national-glossaries/index.html> National Glossaries elaborated within the COMMIN project.

In addition,  a  <http://commin.org/en/bsr-glossaries/european-glossary/index.html> European Glossary has been compiled explaining terms which are relevant for spatial planning and development at the European level.

Supplementary  <http://commin.org/en/bsr-glossaries/frequency-lists-of-english-terms/...> Frequency Lists have recently been provided. They give an overview of the variety and overlapping of national terms from all 11 countries after its translation into English.

Countries: Belarus,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Finland,  Germany,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Norway,  Poland,  Russia,  Sweden

 

    .08  WREN - Washington Regional Equity Network - Metropolitan Washington,  D.C.

  <http://www.washingtonregionalequity.net/aboutwren.html>

The Washington Regional Equity Network (WREN) brings together non-profit organizations throughout Metropolitan Washington,  DC,  to create greater economic and social equity across the region.  Our goal is to define and work towards a set of specific near-term initiatives that increases the commitment of regional leaders to equitable development and that places equitable development at the center of regional priorities.

 

    .09  Regional Governance - California Center for Regional Leadership   <http://www.calregions.org/regpubsector/governance.html>

Regions are the modern construct for our economies,  our environment,  and our society. They are where local government,  state government,  and regional agencies meet in collaboration to work out solutions to problems,  including economic competitiveness,  housing affordability,  and environmental protection,  that do not respect our traditional city and county boundaries.

…

    .10 Forum of Regional Association of Grantmakers    <http://www.givingforum.org/s_forum/sec.asp?CID=9&DID=9>

Regional Philanthropy

A regional association of grantmakers connects all types of grantmakers in a specific geographic location to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities in that area. It is a staffed organization that serves grantmakers in a metropolitan area,  a single state,  or a multi-state region. A regional association's membership can include a variety of grantmaking institutions and programs,  including:

*       community foundations
*       corporate grantmakers
*       family foundations
*       independent and private foundations,  
*       and public foundations

 

14. Subscription access news stories.

    .01   Big-Think Regionalism: a Critical Survey (CEPR DP6874)  Centre for Economic Policy Research  Note: Server problem at test before emailing.

 <http://www.cepr.org/DP6874>

 

Abstract: Economic thinking on regionalism has traditionally focused on the Vinerian question: Would a nation gain from joining a trade bloc? Since 1991,  "Big Think Regionalism" considers the broader question of regionalism’s impact on the world trading system focusing on two questions: Does spreading regionalism harm world welfare? and Does regionalism help or hinder multilateralism? This paper syntheses and critiques the theoretical literature in an attempt to identify the insights that are useful for thinking about regionalism’s systemic impact in the new century.

 

15.  Custom search: region,  regions,  regional communities <http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000551187207053117963%3Am1gvkhigkeo>

To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes regional related sites. Entering the term regionally  returned  637  items;  regionalize  returned  102  items. Please recommend links for inclusion.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     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 bi-monthly,  as of May 7,  2008,   based on news reports as of Wednesday of the publication week. It was published weekly through April 23,  2008. At the start,  it was twice-weekly.

     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 communitiesâ€� 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 useâ€� 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. “Regionalâ€� 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://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/

The term “Developmentâ€� 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

For the Google Groups version go to:

http://groups.google.com/group/regional-community-development-news

Editions since April 11,  2007 can also be found at: http://regional-communities.blogspot.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   

 

 

 

 

Top Regional Community stories

 

  1. Wednesday editorial: Regional honor, regional goals - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Regionalism, a value more frequently honored hereabouts in the abstract than in practice, paid off in a nice honor for St. Louis last week: The St. Louis region was named as one of 10 “All America” cities by the National Civic League.

In that, perhaps, is a message: St. Louis is far more than the 61 square miles that comprise the city of St. Louis. It is eight counties, two states, 720 governmental jurisdictions and 2.6 million people who can accomplish far more working together than separately.

The Denver-based National Civic League is a good-government group that supports community-building and political reform. It encourages collaborative decision-making; its last major effort here was in support of the failed 2004 effort to reform the St. Louis City Charter.

For 59 years, the NCL has sponsored the All-America City awards, honoring “communities that cooperatively tackle challenges and achieve results.” The emphasis is on collaboration among government, private organizations and community volunteers. There is also a strong tilt toward projects that affect and involve young people.

St. Louis (the region) was cited for three projects: Downtown Now, the public-private partnership created in 1997 to revitalize downtown St. Louis; the Great Rivers Greenway District’s “River Ring, ” a 600-mile web of 45 hiking and bike trails now in the works, and “The Boomerang Press, ” a project for young artists established by the St. Louis Art Works, a community arts collaborative.

Said Thomas M. Flynn, economic development director for Charlotte, N.C., and one of the jurors, “The St. Louis region did an exceptional job of working across governmental boundaries to take on projects that will have a lasting impact on their region.  …

RC: East-West Gateway Coordinating Council

  2. Futurist says area must be quick to react to changes - Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly - Fort Wayne, IN, USA

Futurist Ed Barlow made a lot of people uncomfortable at the annual economic-development conference June 4 at Pokagon State Park.

    And that, he said, is exactly what he was there to do.

    The conference at Pokagon was sponsored by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, a collaboration of corporate, nonprofit and public entities, and also featured speakers on the logistics industry and the site selection process.

    Barlow talked about the huge structural changes coming that will transform the world and the economy as we have known them: the growing emphasis on green industry; the retirement of the baby-boom generation; and a new work force that will be more ethnically diverse, less invested in their jobs than in their lifestyles and completely comfortable with technologies that haven’t yet been dreamt of.

    Those are the same kinds of changes Barlow said he talked about when he visited northeast Indiana a few years ago. So far, he scolded members of the audience, very little seems to have been done here to meet the coming challenges.

    No one — no person, no company, no community — is exempt from the changes that are on the way, he warned.

    “Failure to adapt accordingly has significant consequences, ” he said.

    Among Barlow’s predictions:

…

    • Median income will decline over the next six years. The middle class is on the brink, squeezed by rising food, fuel and health-care costs, and will cut back on spending to accommodate that.

…

    • Dubai will become the financial center of the world, replacing New York City.

    Unfortunately, Barlow said, most traditional economic-development planning doesn’t recognize the pace and scope of the changes to come. Communities still focus on attracting employers — offering them incentives — when the focus and incentives should be directed at attracting the people who will be the main creators of wealth.
…

 

  3. Time to break away? - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI, USA

Milwaukeans face a host of daunting and dangerous problems: Housing crises, spiking gas prices and dwindling transit services.

And for lower-income Milwaukee residents, these new realities make everyday life tougher because jobs and housing in outlying communities are becoming even less accessible.

What's especially regrettable is that Milwaukee now confronts these predicaments with fewer options because of institutional barriers and flat-out neglect at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.

…

The only difference is that SEWRPC's disinterest in Milwaukee is nothing new or accidental.

That's why Milwaukee should remove itself from SEWRPC and, like Madison and Dane County, become a one- or two-municipality regional planning body, as allowed by Wisconsin law. The goal is not to undermine regional cooperation but to redefine the "region" and put Milwaukee on a more solid footing.

A stronger Milwaukee - the state's financial, cultural and population center - will make the surrounding municipalities and economy stronger, too.

In 1960, the state put SEWRPC in charge of land use, transportation, housing and other aspects of comprehensive planning for a seven-county region that includes Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Ozaukee, Washington and Walworth counties.

From the beginning, the City of Milwaukee, with its dominant and unique urban population, was disenfranchised in SEWRPC's management because, by law, all 21 commission seats were allotted to the seven counties - three to each.

Appointments are shared by the governor, county boards and county executives.

The City of Milwaukee has 100, 000 more residents than the combined populations of a majority of SEWRPC counties - Kenosha, Walworth, Washington and Ozaukee - but has zero seats on the commission.

Yet Milwaukee County pays the largest share of SEWRPC's operating budget that is collected from the seven counties' annual property tax levies - more than 33%, or $834, 000 of $2, 370, 000 for 2007, records show.

…

  4. TRANSPORTATION: Guest Column Find the will and the way to create a transportation hub - Toledo Free Press - OH, USA

The discussion about our region's potential as a freight transportation hub is well-plowed ground.

It's acknowledged that we are strategically positioned on the continent. We know that we have all modes of transportation: rail, highways, airport and seaport. International trade is growing, and the increasing cost of fuels has created pressure to find more efficient ways to move goods.

What we need now is the will and the wherewithal to develop the industry. We don't have a wealthy uncle in the private sector. We don't have a source of local, state or federal dollars that we can tap either. It is going to take a partnership and that partnership must be regional.

The will

The will to cooperate and to think creatively is alive in this region. At Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), we've seen 40 years of nonpartisan, regional planning. Our members work together as partners. They develop priorities, weigh the costs and figure out how to get things done. Clearly, people in this region are willing and able to work together to plan for the future.

There are other examples of regional partnerships that we can harness. Business and industry are working closely with community colleges in work force development.

Universities now incubate profit-making enterprises and extend academic research to the private sector.

In the governmental sector, the Ohio Department of Transportation has developed a new initiative — the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force. Northwest Ohio is well-represented on the task force which includes a multimodal subcommittee.

Finding the way

To convert will to action we need investment in people and in infrastructure.

According to a recent report by the Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago, transportation, logistics and warehouse (TLW) workers are more than 10 percent of the work force in that region. …

  5. The problem with thinking regionally - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - Portland, OR, USA

…

How innovative is it when, realizing that you have a problem that you can't afford to solve yourself, you look for other people to help pay for a solution? That's been the basis of lobbying from the very beginning of civil government. Nor is it particularly unique to look to those of us on the west side as the source of that help. This isn't the first time that we've heard, "Don't be parochial; you need to think regionally." Historically this has meant that Washington County ends up sending out more dollars and resources than it ends up getting back. Not only do we appreciate Tom Brian's reluctance to once again get in line with that type of regional thinking, we applaud it.

… Our problems won't be solved with bike paths and trails. Even with great local support for the light-rail system, we need more bus service and we need a public transit system that moves people from where they live to where they work -- not just back and forth to Portland.

We need to expand our heavy rail system, and no one is really talking about how to do that. Our economic development initiatives are dependent upon us not only understanding this problem but finding a solution. We can no longer stand by and not have a strong voice in the transportation planning process. Washington County has proven itself to be the economic driver for the region. We are the engine that can, and regional leaders would be wise to tend to that engine to ensure it can continue to deliver robust jobs in the future.

Make no mistake: We recognize that there is a regional component to solving the bridge problems in Portland. There's also a regional component in helping freight and workers …

RC: Metro

  6. Don’t point fingers on transportation - Beaverton Valley Times - Portland, OR, USA

Tough problems are best addressed — and solved — with a sense of history, an accurate understanding of the complexity of issues and creative problem solving are also needed.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case a week ago when the region’s very difficult transportation problems were incorrectly simplified to baseless finger-pointing in an editorial in The Oregonian.

For more than 15 years, the Portland region and its local communities have struggled to address mounting transportation problems made worse by increased population and state and federal leaders who have been unwilling or unable to increase gasoline taxes since 1993.

Left on its own, the region has achieved some success. Washington County and its cities have implemented many local road improvements. And the region has made brilliant progress in expanding transit in the form of express bus service, light rail, the Portland Streetcar and this fall Washington County commuter rail.

While the region’s transportation problems are great, they are also diverse.

In the city of Portland, street maintenance needs are primary. In Multnomah County, the issue has for decades been the county’s limited ability to fund the maintenance of its Willamette River bridges.

In Washington County, the problem has been a fast-growing population served by mostly rural roads. In Clackamas County, the ability to improve inadequate roads to deal with population growth has been impeded by an electorate that is often cranky with government and largely adverse to new taxes.

But given all of these issues, elected and business leaders over the years have repeatedly espoused regional transportation strategies. Such regional efforts occurred in 1996, 2000 and 2002-2004 before percolating anew this year.

So it was more than a bit perplexing that The Oregonian decided to herald regional strategies now being espoused by …

  7. Regionalism trend gets organized – The Daily Iberian - New Iberia, LA, USA

In order to effectively coordinate the economic development efforts of the region, the area chambers of commerce began a conversation in 2007  about creating an entity that would represent the entire region.

The Acadiana Regional Alliance (ARA) is the product of that conversation and is still finalizing its organization and developing its focus.

The Alliance represents eight surrounding parishes: Iberia, St. Martin, St. Mary, Lafayette, St. Landry, Acadia and Jeff Davis.

Frank Fink, director of economic development for St. Mary Parish, has been named as the coordinator of the ARA’s Regionalism Steering Committee.

Fink, a resident of Franklin, brings to the table experience from an extensive career in business management and economic development.

“It is our intent to support and focus on issues related to our region that the state has an interest in, ” Fink said. “We have looked into several areas of concern and will likely select two or three issues where we can have primary impact.”

…

Tarantino said recently there has been a number of groups that have organized to promote the idea of regionalism.

“ARA is focused on the issues and concerns that affect everyone in the region and when we speak as a group of parishes, our voices are louder, ” he said.

  8. Changing political landscape impacts groundwater issues - Cameron Herald - TX, United States

The groundwater playing field has changed dramatically in Texas - and Blue Water Systems LP, a water marketer operating in the Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District, is concerned.

Blue Water Systems has permits to pump and export ten billion gallons (30, 000 acre-feet) of groundwater from Burleson County each year.

At last week's Post Oak board meeting, Ross Cummings, president of Blue Water Systems, said that his company has paid over $3 million to Post Oak in permit fees …

A major change in groundwater laws resulted from passage of House Bill 1763 (HB 1763) in 2005. This bill took in consideration that aquifers exist outside the boundaries of individual groundwater districts. To this end, it requires groundwater districts to work together within designated “groundwater management areas” (GMA) to determine how much groundwater is available for use.

Post Oak is a member of GMA-12 which includes Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District (Lost Pines), Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District (Brazos Valley), Fayette County Groundwater Conservation District, and Mid-East Texas Groundwater Conservation District.

The HB 1763-dictated process used to determine available groundwater is initiated by the districts within a GMA working together to determine “desired future conditions” (DFCs) for their groundwater resources. DFCs can be defined as the desired, quantified conditions of groundwater resources (such as water levels, water quality, spring flows, or volumes) at a specified time or times in the future or in perpetuity.

The DFCs must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2010, to the Texas Water Development Board which will use them to calculate the amount of groundwater available for each groundwater district.

So, instead of Post Oak making its own decisions about groundwater availability as was the case in the past, the decisions will now be regionalized.

An equally significant effect of HB 1763 is that …

  9. Health-care lessons for Ontario - Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada
…

No one claimed to have a model Ontario could copy. But the architects of regionalization in other provinces knew what worked, what didn't, what they wish they'd done and what the biggest challenges are.

Here are some of their insights:

• Don't spend a huge amount of time and money coming up with a mission or values statement for the regional health authority. The drafting and redrafting process will go on interminably. The bill will escalate. And the result will probably be a collection of empty generalities.
• …
• Don't put off the difficult task of bringing doctors into the new structure. The longer they remain private entrepreneurs, working business hours on a fee-for-service basis, the harder it will be to divert patients from emergency wards, to computerize health records and get all the players in the health-care system talking to each other. Every province has tried to coax its physicians into being team players. None has succeeded and there is no consensus on how to do it. Some participants advised Ontario to be patient and persuasive. Others suggested shifting responsibility for basic medical care to nurses, nurse-practitioners and other health professionals.
• Take advantage of the chance to be creative. Regional health units can experiment in ways that big bureaucracies can't. They can deliver health care in smart, sensible ways….
• Measure what matters, not just what the politicians demand. …
• Let people know what's going on. Most citizens don't have a clue what regional health units do, how they work or who runs them. The solution is not sporadic consultations and focus groups. Local health leaders need to get out into the community, explain in plain language how the health-care system is organized and be as open and accessible as possible.

…

10. U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.

Bold font words are Google search terms. Bold italic words considered worth noting.  In this and section 11, 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 as well as recognizing other regional organizations.  In most cases, where a full name is present, a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always get the organization name correct.   Contents

 

    .01  Editorial: A cautionary tale of two regions

TCPalm – FL, USA

It’s perfectly understandable why South Florida wants to extend its four-county region to embrace the Treasure Coast. The relatively wide-open spaces of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties provide fertile fields for growth. But, if we may be so provincial to ask, what’s in it for us? … The rationale for greater regional collaboration is predicated on the premise that size matters, and Murley & Co. suggest that a larger statistical metropolitan area will enhance its chances to attract federal funding. That may or may not be true. But do local residents really want to bet their autonomy on the hope of more largesse from Washington? …

 

    .02  States stake claim to Great Lakes
Detroit Free Press – MI, USA

"In the near future, the tensions over Great Lakes diversions are actually going to be in the Great Lakes region, " said Peter Annin, author of "The Great Lakes Water Wars." …

 

    .03  Ozone Action Season replaces Action Days
FOX Toledo - Toledo, OH, USA
The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) and the City of Toledo announced a new way to publicize Ozone Action Day warnings. Action days will now be known as Ozone Action Seasons. …

 

    .04  Position Indeed Requires Bipartisanship
Jamestown Post Journal - Jamestown, NY, USA
As for regionalism, I have come to suspect that word because most of the time it means ‘‘turn everything over to government.’’ As noted in the editorial, ‘‘Chuck brings the background and experience needed to continue to advance the goal of regional development and governance.’’ While this may be true of his ability, it does not fit the task....

 

    .05  Bay City's budget puzzle should be solved regionally
The Bay City Times - MLive.com - Bay City, MI, USA
Consolidation of police departments into a metropolitan or countywide police force also ought to be considered for service and savings. Likewise, a regional or countywide fire department might be the answer to a lot of governments' funding woes. …

 

    .06  Delo: Sees similarities between Oshkosh and De Pere
Oshkosh Northwestern - Oshkosh, WI, USA
Besides the broad regionalization issues, Delo also has worked on some of the smaller intergovernmental problems – like garbage pick up. ... Although he's a proponent of regionalization, Delo said it's important to remember to instill pride in the home community. ...

 

    .07  Brunner: Ready to be next Oshkosh city manager
Oshkosh Northwestern - Oshkosh, WI, USA
Another area that Brunner said he'd work on in Oshkosh is regionalization. "I believe in regionalization. I mean we have to look at better ways of doing things, " he said. "Businesses don't make a decision based on these crazy patch-worked lines that we have that represent our political boundaries. They don't look at, 'this is the town, this is the city' they look at 'this is a market.'" ...

 ...

 

    .08  Duke Energy hosts water pow-wow
Daily Journal - Seneca, SC, USA

… Pickens County is teaming with the Clemson University Restoration Institute to look at its water needs for the next 25 to 30 years. He said Pickens County needs to move from a “hodge-podge system” to a regionalized approach to addressing its long-term water needs. Breazeale added that while jurisdictions are good at making sure their individual needs are met, “there’s a lack of regional planning.”

 

    .09  Working together key to economic growth
Iosco County News Herald - East Tawas, MI, USA
“We recognize that regionalism is the way to market ourselves in these tough economic times, ” Pasakarnis said. “So often communities think within their own their own city limits when cooperative efforts, when regionalism could better affect change and promote prosperity and growth....

 

    .10  If careful, Polk Co. won't get soaked by water agreement

BlueRidgeNow-com
It's good that Polk County is thinking regionally and is moving fast. But commissioners must still be sure that they retain control of an important resource that will be needed to serve a growing population. The history of "regional" water agreements between Henderson County and Asheville should make Polk County leaders cautious as they move forward in the water business. ...

 

    .11  Macomb stays with metro booster
Detroit Free Press - United States
An effort in Macomb County to remove more than $1 million used to promote metro Detroit every year ended Monday with calls for regional unity. …

 

    .12  Five Butler County municipalities mulling regional police
York Daily Record - York, PA, USA
The municipalities are already working with a merger consultant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community Development.

 

    .13  Transportation plan outlines priorities
Toledo Free Press - OH, USA
Diane Reamer-Evans, transportation project manager at the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), said the benefit of putting together a comprehensive transportation plan is twofold. One, it is required to receive federal funding. The plan is updated with minor changes every four years, and overhauled when new census data is released. Secondly, it's a benefit for the region. ...

 

    .14  SUNY Fredonia names Charles Cornell as Director of the Center for Rural Regional Development and Governance
Evening Observer, NY
“The goal is to keep the agenda of regionalism moving forward in Chautauqua County.” The formation of the Center, now 10 years old, followed the Chautauqua Conference on Regional Governance, which brought together leading scholars and practitioners of regional cooperation. …

 

    .15  Navajo/Apache Regional Partnership Council named - 266 community ...
White Mountain Independent - Show Low, AZ, USA
"The Regional Partnership Councils reflect the heart and soul of First Things First. We encourage community engagement to create community solutions that ...

 

    .16  Lauderdale, Sumter Meeting of the Minds
WTOK - Meridian, MS, USA
A "megasite" being marketed to business and industry at Kewanee, Miss., spreads across Lauderdale County and goes into Sumter County, Ala. … message was of regionalism, which he says has already started. "The cooperation is already there, because we are so dependent on west Alabama ...

 

    .17  Rob Rumpke named CEO of Bluegrass Tomorrow
Kentucky.com - Lexington, KY, USA

… on the Bluegrass Tomorrow board for eight years and has been the regional planning group's interim executive director since March. Rumpke "understands regionalism as well as anyone in the Bluegrass, " s

 

    .18  Some question state's push to unite struggling districts
Boston Globe - United States

… in Gill Montague, which has served two towns and three villages since 1981, residents fear that further regionalization could result in the loss of small schools, longer bus rides for children, and the loss of the traditional high school rivalries. …

 

    .19  Expect hard sell on consolidation, others tell panel
Gloucester County Times - NJ.com - Woodbury, NJ, USA
Take for example, the so-called Cahill Commission's 1972 recommendations that government services be transferred to a higher level of government, that local services be regionalized and that the state take over basic funding of school districts with income taxes, among others. Of the dozen pieces of legislation drafted from the recommendations, only two were passed. ...

 

    .20  Moore & Van Allen Attorney James Forrest Graduates from Regional Leadership Program
Carolina Newswire (press release) - NC, USA
Leadership Triangle is a non-profit organization established to educate and promote regionalism across the separate communities of the Triangle through regional and leadership development classes, seminars and awards....

 

    .21  At Your Library: Working together
Harwich Oracle - Orleans, MA, USA
With regionalization a hot topic on the Cape these days, I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about how libraries have regionalized some services. I’m talking about CLAMS, which stands for Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing. CLAMS is more than just our online catalog – it’s a consortium of libraries on the Cape and Islands sharing resources through an automated system. It was formed almost 20 years ago by librarians who were interested in automation, but couldn’t afford to purchase, run and maintain their own automated system. ..

 

    .22  Separate sewage lines, panel told
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - Wilkes Barre, PA, USA
He wants to see planning and oversight for such infrastructure regionalized “to get the most bang for the dollar.” The situation is quickly coming to a head, Lawson said, because urban centers “are going to be the place to live because of the cost of energy … but that’s where the infrastructure is poorest.” ...

 

    .23  Locals look north to I-530 initiative

The Ouachita Citizen - West Monroe, LA, USA
"All in all, the three states coming together signifies to me that regionalization is upon us whether we're ready for it or not, " Bowlen said..

 

    .24  Police merger gets serious
phillyBurbs.com - Philadelphia, PA, USA
In the long run, however, the report said municipalities who have regionalized their police departments saw a nearly 25 percent reduction in costs. ...

 

    .25  Brooklyn Day about getting together
Norwich Bulletin - Norwich, CT, USA
The first Brooklyn Day celebration will be Sunday, an event Economic Development Commission Chairman Greg Shimer hopes will become an annual tradition. The event is part of the wider Northeast Regional Springtime Festival, in which towns host events promoting regionalism. ...

 

    .26  Parking, riding - and then saving
St. Cloud Times - St. Cloud, MN, USA
... to biking or walking commuting, ” said Scott Mareck, executive director and transportation planning manager of the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization. ...

 

    .27  Editorial: A sense of urgency
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Milwaukee, WI, USA

… report, written for the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, praises regional economic development efforts such as the Milwaukee 7 and notes encouraging trends, such as increased numbers of people living downtown, but they are frustrated by the pace of change.

 

    .28  Mid-America Regional Council Launches Innovative Health Clinic Web GIS Developed by Applied Geographics
DirectionsMag.com (press release)
The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) has launched a web mapping application designed to help patient advocates and health clinic personnel to identify and locate the optimal health clinic for their clients within the bi-state Greater Kansas City ...

 

    .29  LEED regionalization under way, GR summit Friday
MLive.com 
U.S. Green Building Council chapters across the country are meeting to identify regional environmental concerns in an effort to localize the national green building standard LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. …

 

11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet  Contents

    .01  'US should look to UK urban policy'
The Press Association –  UK

Bruce Katz, director of the Metropolitan Programme at the Brookings Institution, added: "Building more prosperous cities and metropolitan areas should be a key concern for the United States - yet our federal government has largely failed to unleash the true potential of these economic engines....

 

    .02  Salmond slams 'metropolitan' BBC
BBC News 
The first minister has accused the BBC's network news of having a "metropolitan fascination" that causes it to ignore Scottish issues. … The BBC management released a statement in response to the report. It said: "We recognise that the BBC must remain in step with the changing face of the UK, and that our UK-wide journalism must deliver a range of perspectives and richness of coverage that reflects the diversity of the nations and regions of the UK. …

 

    .03  Rich areas want split from the poor
New Zealand Herald

The council will today outline its model of amalgamating the seven territorial councils into three cities - northern, central and south - under a Greater Auckland Council. The southern council would include Manukau City, plus Franklin and Papakura District Councils. Mr Ross and Mr Stevens both supported a two-tier model of a single regional body and strengthening the current disempowered community boards. …

 

    .04  UN Report: Empower the People
Daily Dominican Republic News
He said that there is a "schizophrenic regionalization" in the country, where individual government ministries decide how to divide the the country. "But none know what they spend in a province. This is evidence of the low importance the government gives the provinces, " stated the UNDP rep....

 

    .05  Fast Cities 2008

Fast Company Magazine

The great urban theorist Jane Jacobs wrote about cities of "exuberant diversity, " and in our 2008 Cities of the Year, Chicago and London, we have two stellar examples. They -- and our 12 cities to watch -- are no utopias (we're still looking). But amid economic uncertainty, they're vibrant, creative, and growing. ... Note: No reference to region in either city story. Ed.

 

    .06  OPINION: Asean at crossroads with borderless regions
New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
THE rising tide of economic regionalism has changed the landscape beyond recognition, as reflected by the growing number of regional groupings and increasing array of acronyms. It has become a daunting exercise for analysts to define East Asia, or for that matter Asia-Pacific, with regional borders moving like shifting sands. ...

 

    .07  New tourism marketing strategies needed
AntiguaSun - St' John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Caribbean Tourism authorities need to continue to market themselves inter-regionally. With the rise of fuel cost and the resultant decrease in airlift to the region, we have to support our own tourism product across the region. ...

 

    .08  Unfinished health-care revolution
Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada

"I know of no province that has totally succeeded, " he said. "Too many governments have made the structure an end in itself. Until health is the core business, regionalization will fail." …

 

    .09  Setting targets
Murray Valley Standard - Murray Bridge, South Australia, Australia
The State Government has started a push to make the strategic plan more applicable to regional and rural areas. As part of this, the Strategic Plan Community Engagement Board began consulting with a steering group of local people about the different targets set through the plan …

 

    .10  North East’ identity is not as deep-rooted as we think

AlphaGalileo News Center
The regional identity of North East England isn’t as deep-rooted and cohesive as previously thought, shows a new book which also highlights the wider political implications for the regionalism debate.  ...

 

    .11  City has real problem with violent crime: report
Metro Canada - Halifax - Halifax, Canada
Clairmont pointed out that violent crime is 25 per cent higher in Halifax Regional Municipality than in the rest of the province – not surprising, since we have 41 per cent of the provincial population....

 

    .12  Jobs worry in regional shake-up
New Zealand Herald
But the commission is questioning the current three-tier system of the Auckland Regional Council, councils and community boards and is probing submitters' views on a two-tier model of a regional body and strengthened community boards.

 

    .13  Cooperation on oil spill protection measures
Norway Post 
… Opening of the oil spill laboratory is a part of a broad environmental programme aimed at strengthening emergency response to oil spills off north-western Russia, implemented jointly by StatoilHydro and Murmansk regional government.

 

    .14  Speed up work on gas pipeline projects: experts
Daily Times - Pakistan
Japan and SAARC member states continue dialogue for possible means and cooperate where appropriate to improve regional connectivity in energy sector in the SAARC region through expansion of energy infrastructure, development of both conventional and non-conventional energy resources …

 

    .15  Business: TURNING THE ISLANDS INTO ONE BIG OPPORTUNITY
Island Business - Suva, Fiji
In a move they describe as “the best example of regionalism for professional services so far in the Pacific, ” the two law firms are pooling together expertise and resources in a new venture called DWT Pacific. It is slated to offer “the only unified, trans-Pacific legal and business advisory team in the market". …

 

    .16  Sir Arthur Lewis
Stabroek News - Georgetown, Guyana
Finally I want to talk about Arthur Lewis and regionalism. Lewis was of course a regionalist; his regionalism was a natural consequence of anti-imperialism; ...

 

    .17  Refugees better off in regional communities: study
ABC Online - Australia
VicHealth chief executive Tod Harper says refugees are healthier and adapt better socially if they move into a welcoming community. ...  the research also showed that refugees provided a direct benefit to regional economies.

 

    .18  Progress Made to Establish Regional Local Government Structure - PM
Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service - Jamaica
"We have increasingly, in recent years, regionalized the consultation where we are talking with our Caribbean partners and this is very useful because there ...

 

    .18  Ecuador hosts forum on regional security
Xinhua - China
Ivonne Baki, president of the Andean Parliament of the Andean Community of Nations, voiced her confidence that the Subregional Safety Forum, ...

 

    .20  Special Report: China In Africa

Fast Company - USA … People's Republic of China (PRC) has become the most aggressive investor-nation in Africa. This commercial invasion is without question the most important development in the sub-Sahara since the end of the Cold War -- … Some are even calling the region "ChinAfrica."

 

    .21  Oil-induced Regionalism Besets Korea’s Exports
Donga-com - South Korea

World retreats from globalization to regionalism - U.S. weekly magazine Newsweek in its latest issue predicted that the global economy may shift towards regional trade, as high oil prices force nations to favor trade with neighboring countries due to rising costs on freight delivery and storage. …

 

    .22  Belgium: Leterme government lurches from crisis to crisis
World Socialist Web Site - Oak Park, MI, USA

There can be no resolution of the Belgian crisis within the existing political system, which bears direct responsibility for creating and promoting the nationalism, regionalism and inequality we see today. The crisis in Belgium emphasises the urgent necessity for a socialist programme to unite the working class internationally and combat the poisonous growth of nationalism and regionalism. …

 

    .23  Adobe roundtable finds more businesses need to use collaboration tools
ITBusiness.ca - Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
... together in an education and business world by synchronizing communications where people can communicate at any time of the day and across boundaries. ...

 

12. Blogging about Regional Communities  Contents

    .01  Building An Agenda For Economic Growth
Smart City Memphis

• Acting (As Well As Talking) Regionally. Memphis talks a good game of regionalism, but we’ve never truly engrained regional thinking into our plans and actions. Too often, we lapse into a “we versus them” mentality and a “if you’re winning, we must be losing” attitude when it comes to our neighboring counties. …

 

    .02  Do Regional Solutions Provide More Efficient Public Services?

Connecticut Local Politics
So here are two contrasting opinions on regionalization in Connecticut. What do you think, should there be more regional solutions or should the 169 towns continue to maintain independent efforts?  Which approach is more “taxing”?  … Comment: - Oh… I almost forgot… CT has “Councils of Governments.” They’re a form of regional (county) government… though, as far as I know, no one is elected directly to fill any roles there (though often it is elected officials who fill the roles… just not elected to those particular positions).

 

    .03  To consolidate or not to consolidate?

Progress Pittsburgh

Regionalism is the governance of a large geographical area. There are several different types of regionalism, such as fiscal (e.g. tax-base sharing), functional (e.g. shared services) or structural (e.g. consolidation). All of these types of regionalism can have benefits for the geographic area(s) they serve, depending on the details of the specific arrangement. ...

 

    .04  MAPC unveils 2008 MetroFuture Regional Plan
North Shore Chamber of Commerce Economic Development & Public Policy Blog
Regionalization Cities and towns in Massachusetts have a long history of independence, which has led not only to the creation of a great many unique and distinctive places, but also to increasingly fragmented planning, purchasing and ...

 

    .05  To Merge?

Newburyport Report
With all of the talk about the necessity for increased collaboration and coordination among state, regional, local, and business interests, let's stop brainstorming ideas, admit life is difficult, and start doing something.

 

    .06  Greater Regionalism
The Spotsyltuckian

Our annual Oriole's weekend is emblematic of a Mid-Atlantic cultural regionalism which exists within the space between Richmond and Baltimore. …

 

    .07  Home of Regionalism
BoomtownUSA by Jack Schultz
… I applauded the Regional Center for working to help build regions in the state, despite the natural tendency of many to fight the idea because of what I call the FNL Syndrome. It is unfortunate that the FNL Syndrome, better known as the Friday Night Lights Syndrome causes people to think that because they play each other on Friday Nights, that they can’t possibly get along with those same people on Monday mornings …

 

    .08  State Panel to Evaluate County Government

Advance Northeast Ohio

As the largest and most expensive county in the region, the structure of how Cuyahoga County is important to the overall economic competitiveness of the region. …

 

    .09  OP-ED: The Homogenization of Henrico: You've now bought 'New ZIP'!!
Historic Varina
In this way, the new pasteurized identity will actually seem to promote regionalism, because 'Henrico' is so conveniently "all encompassing". This will also make it much easier to market areas like the previously undesirable 'East End'. ...

 

    .10  2012 Dorset Cultural Framework
Arts in Swanage and Purbeck
Vision - A lasting and discernible community legacy from the London 2012 Games.

Cultural Celebration: Regional Mission
To achieve a magical, vibrant and inspiring programme of events and activities as part of the Cultural Olympiad, celebrating the uniqueness of the region and unlocking creative potential in all of us. The Regional Plan for Cultural Celebration includes:…

 

    .11  Ecoregions of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (EPA)

the Encyclopedia of Earth
Ecoregions denote a relatively large areas of land and water that show general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components....

 

    .12  Not metropolitan, not regional, but universal
Max Dunbar
However, we need to avoid the kind of parochialism and petty regionalism that contributes as much to the London/rest of the world divide as metropolitan snobbery. The small press industry doesn’t always resist that temptation and, ...

 

    .13  Going Back To Iowa..
Musings From the Prairie
It was the return to his home state that prompted his painting to take a distinctive turn--towards regionalism, towards American subjects, towards the nineteenth century, towards an affectionate and yet ironic vision of his country and ...

 

    .14  Reader riposte: More action, not more acronyms
The Interpreter
The concept of 'open regionalism' upon which APEC is built means that despite being set up as a forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific, it is essentially open to membership for all. ...

 

    .15  Muslims should think and vote regional
By ghulammuhammed
The whole scenario points to regionalization of Indian politics. The national stature of Indian National Congress has been declining since the demolition of Babri Masjid and the Muslim voters’ rejection of Congress as their true friend ...

 

    .16  The Regionalization of the Local Church
By Erik

So the challenge before us is simple. How does the local church think regionally? How should we adapt to this phenomenon to continue to make an impact for the kingdom?

 

    .17  Accreditation Explains Everything
The Quick and The Ed
Each regional accreditor goes about this in a somewhat different way. So if you read that a university is "nationally accredited" keep in mind that this is not as good as being regionally accredited. ...

 

    .18  De-Regionalizing Alberta
Longwoods Healthcare Blog

So what, in the government’s view, is the trouble with regionalization? In April Health & Wellness Minister Ron Liepert said that a new governance model was needed to improve management. Perhaps the new regime sees the regions as vocal irritants always clamouring for money. Perhaps …

 

    .19  Decoding Brand Decrosion
C3Blog – The Culture of Brand
A branded hat for a regional community brand. What made this call remarkable were two things. One, that he had the perseverance to track us down after all these years as a possible source to replace his hat. Which is long gone from any ...

 

    .20  Multi-state Geospatial Content Transfer and Archival Project
By Cindy Clark
This project called the Multi-State Geospatial Content Transfer and Archival Demonstration is a partnership of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIP).

 

    .21  Why Regions?

Manuel Pastor, William Lester, Justin Scoggins
The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in the idea of regionalism, that is, the basic notion that economic trends, social challenges, and environmental problems are not neatly contained by city jurisdictions and that solutions must thus incorporate coalitions and constituencies from across the metropolitan landscape. …

 

    .22  Going Regional: Community-based Regionalism, Transportation, and Local Hiring Agreements

Todd Swanstrom , Brian Banks  Community-based regionalism (CBR) is the attempt by community-based organizations (CBOs) to reorient regional policies to benefit disadvantaged communities. Advocates of CBR have mostly called not for regional governments but for ...

 

 

13. Announcements and Regional Links.  Contents

 

    .01  GLUE Gathering in Buffalo  - June 21^st, 2008,  Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, NY

Members of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE) and their friends in Buffalo have one message to send from the steps of the Buffalo Museum of Science on the evening of Saturday, June 21st: “Older industrial cities around the Great Lakes can come back. If we have anything to say about it, they will.”

Civically engaged post-boomers in cities like Buffalo, Detroit, and Milwaukee want to put a dent in the cynical speculation, anachronistic stereotypes, innovation-averse attitudes, and inter-city isolation that have stymied progress in their similarly challenged communities for too long. …

 

    .02  PURPLE - Peri Urban Regions Platform Europe 

“PURPLE commits to striving for sustainable rural and agricultural development in Peri-Urban regions”  General objectives of PURPLE • Promote successful socio-economic transition in peri-urban rural areas and their agricultural sector …

 

    .03  How the Lisbon Treaty works

YouTube - epp-ed.tv  

Mairead McGuinness MEP (Ireland) explains in this short video why the new Lisbon Reform Treaty is good for Europe, good for Member States, and good for citizens.

 

    .04  Regional Boards and Councils: What are they Good For?

Harris Centre – Memorial University, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Harris Centre has developed an on-line moderated forum with the hope of launching a debate on the size and authority of regional boards and councils.

Successive governments have attempted to effectively manage local services in the face of rapidly changing social and economic conditions. The processes they introduced for managing health care, education, economic development and municipal government at the local level is the process of regionalization. Until now, no one has looked across these four sectors to compare the strengths and weaknesses in managing change, and to look for lessons as regional governments evolved to meet increasingly demanding changes.

    .05  Regional Homeland Security Initiatives

Democratic Leadership Council & Progressive Policy Institute

New Dem Play | Multistate agreements to cooperate regionally in homeland security efforts.

Where It's Working | Eight Northeastern states; 12 Midwestern states

Players | State officials

 

    .06  How to Be a World Citizen

wikiHow-com

9.  Oppose racism, tribalism, regionalism, religious bias and all kinds of segregation of any kind.

…  

10.  Feel welcome in whatever region of the world where you happen to find yourself.

 

    .07  How to Flesh out a Country or Region in Your Fantasy RPG World

wikiHow-com

6.  Relations with Neighboring Lands - What interaction does the region have with its actual geographical neighbors? Are they a conquering empire or do they trade and interact peaceably? Are there old feuds or alliances? Could they care less about each other?

 

14. Subscription access news stories.  Contents

    .01  Cooperating regionally without losing local flavor - Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly (subscription) - Fort Wayne, IN, USA

There has been much discussion of late concerning consolidation in all areas of government and the for-profit sector, and tourism is no exception. Currently there are approximately 60 counties that have a convention and visitors bureau. The majority of the CVBs in the state are small bureaus with budgets ranging from $200, 000 to $800, 000.

    It has been suggested that smaller CVBs should cease to exist and the state should be divided into regions and marketed by five large CVBs. Although this may sound compelling, the issues that come with this seem staggering to me.

    Visitors do not see county lines. As a visitor, you don’t know where a county begins and ends; you know cities and attractions. But also as a visitor, you see the unique community culture and in the services you receive from a convention and visitors bureau.

    So the question would be, “How do you think regionally when you and your neighbors have such different community cultures and brands?”

    Cooperative marketing and destination planning on a regional level would be a good start. Adjacent is a commentary on a regionalization effort that has existed for almost 20 years. This cooperative model worked when the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission was created and continues to work today. …

15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities       Contents

To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes regional related sites. Entering the term regional earth  returned  206  items;  earth regions  returned  125  items. Please recommend links for inclusion.