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Regional Community Development News – May 13, 2009 [regions_work]

 

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

Published on line since November 11, 2003.

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Contents

Top Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.

U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State – news articles …10.01 - .40

Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .19

Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .14

Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .04

Financial Crisis …14.01

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

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Top Regional Community stories

  1. Our View: Transportation fix will take full cooperation - Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta, GA, USA

We’re big on boundaries.

Georgia has 159 counties — more than any state but Texas — and more than 500 cities, with additional cities in various stages of creation. We have school districts and community improvement districts and soil and water districts and water management districts and county commissioner and city council districts.

By drawing lines on a map, we seem to think we can separate our problems from their problems, our resources from their resources. And the smaller the governmental entity, the more control we feel we have over what takes place within its borders.

That’s the theory, and in many cases it’s valid. Local control does have benefits.

However, lines and borders can also produce the opposite effect. Sometimes, they reduce our ability to tackle problems and make the most of opportunities. That’s because problems and opportunities sprawl across boundaries, and we often lack tools properly sized size to address them.

That’s certainly part of metro Atlanta’s problem with transportation. The challenge can’t be addressed by cities or counties — it crosses too many boundary lines to be solved at that level. And year after year, leaders at the state level refuse to address it as well, in part because the problem isn’t statewide in scale. Many legislators from outside the region have apparently concluded that there’s nothing to be gained by helping out a metro region that’s distrusted by many of their folks back home. Even worse, some legislators from within the metro region still prefer to indulge in the petty feuds pitting suburban vs. urban, north vs. south, and in some cases white vs. black. As a result, there is no effective metro Atlanta caucus in the Legislature to defend the region’s interests. …

Outside the Legislature, however, something important may be stirring. The Metropolitan North Georgia Water …

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2009/05/03/metroed_0503.html

  2. In local-option transportation issues, a pull between region and state - Southern Political Report - Atlanta, GA, USA

One of the South’s emerging political tension points is the competition between the traditional prerogatives state governments and the growing aspirations of “regions,” which in most cases can be defined as an assortment of local governments, united by a traffic jam.

This tension can be traced in the legislative battles in Georgia and Texas this year over local-option transportation proposals.

For the second year in a row, the Georgia General Assembly failed to agree on a comprehensive plan to fund the state’s growing transportation needs. The traditional rivalry between the House and Senate and the jostling over next year’s governor’s race were the big sticking points, but this was also a state-region problem. The House wanted to have a statewide sales tax to fund a comprehensive statewide roads program, while the Senate wanted to allow counties and cities to join together to put local option sales taxes on the ballot in their jurisdictions.

Over the past three decades, local option taxes for transportation have become common across the United States, including Georgia and Texas. As metro areas have grown, it has become harder to contain transportation needs within a single county or city boundary, and so the definition of “local” has grown trickier. In Georgia’s case, we’re talking about the sprawling Atlanta Metro region, which has been gobbling rural real estate at a world-record pace for decades.

…

Emerging regions can also be threatening to the cities and counties being swallowed up in them. One criticism of the Texas proposal has been that small cities could be outvoted in region-wide referendums.

The Texas local option plan, which would fund some 200 miles of commuter rail in the North Texas suburbs, has been kicked around in the legislature for the better part of this decade.

This year, the bill has passed …

http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_428_849.aspx

  3. Guest columnist: ‘Reality Check' opened eyes - Anderson Independent Mail - Anderson, SC, USA

A joint initiative of Upstate Together and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) South Carolina, Upstate Reality Check brought together, for the first time, elected officials and business, education, conservation, housing and community leaders from all 10 counties of the Upstate to talk openly about how we can transcend county lines to work for the greater good of the Upstate Region.

As a member of the Upstate Together steering committee that hosted the event, I had high hopes for a well-attended and engaging event. It far exceeded my expectations.

The representation from the 10-county region was tremendous. Almost every municipality was present, and it opened the door for many of those who in the past were on the sidelines. At each table, leaders from all levels of the political field, people from businesses and private citizens explored hundreds of ideas in handling projected growth over the next 20 years.

...

The top three guiding principles that the collective group identified at the event were to improve education opportunities and job creation, to improve regional transportation and leverage existing infrastructure and to promote regional linkage. And the priorities moving forward include working to foster effective regionalism and regional leadership and addressing infrastructure funding shortfalls.

The next steps plan will be driven by these results, and it has already begun with the formation of a new regional organization called Ten at the Top.  The 40-plus members of our original Upstate Together task force will be expanded to include even more people from throughout the Upstate to form a new Ten at the Top board. In addition, an executive director will be hired to ensure that there is someone dedicated to continuing the efforts of regionalism. ...

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/may/03/guest-columnist-reality-check-opened-eyes/

Regional Councils -

S.C. Appalachian Council of Government - Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg - http://www.scacog.org/main.html

Upper Savannah Council of Government - Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens - http://www.uppersavannah.com/

 Catawba Regional Council of Governments – Union – http://www.catawbacog.org/

  4. Editorial: Regional authority needed to operate Bay Area carpool, toll lanes - Inside Bay Area - Oakland, CA, USA

THE WORSENING traffic congestion in the Bay Area is having an increasingly negative impact on the quality of life in the region. The millions of people who commute to work daily lose valuable time, waste gasoline and add to air pollution. Businesses suffer and new enterprises are discouraged from locating in the area, harming the Bay Area economy.

Fortunately, there is a plan that promises to ease traffic congestion and raise revenues needed for transportation improvements. It's a regional $3.7 billion proposal for an 800-mile network of carpool and toll lanes.

The emphasis here is "regional." Too often in the past local transportation agencies have been at odds with each other and the regional Metropolitan Transportation Authority over which projects to build, how to pay for them and how to distribute funding.

Finally, there is a truly regional approach to Bay Area transportation needs. It calls for more high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes that would be open for carpools, buses and, in some places, for individual motorists willing to pay tolls.

These High Occupancy Toll, or HOT, lanes would have varying rates depending on the level of congestion. They would be collected using FasTrack transponders like the ones now used to collect bridge tolls.

The problem with much of the HOV lanes in the Bay Area is that they are not continuous. Carpool drivers too often have to merge into regular highly congested lanes in certain areas, particularly intersections of major highways.

Not only do these bottlenecks delay carpool drivers, they are a major hindrance to express buses. If the Bay Area had a continuous network of highways with HOV and HOT lanes, express buses offering monthly passes could operate far more efficiently.

…

http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_12201394

RC:   Association of Bay Area Governments – ABAG - http://www.abag.ca.gov

  5. Survey: Transportation, education top list of priorities for D.C.-area residents - Washington Business Journal - Washington, D.C., USA

Residents view transportation, education and the economy as the top long-term issues facing the region, according to a survey released Friday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. [http://www.mwcog.org]

But schools, safe streets, good jobs and access to health care are the top agenda items that area residents want their tax dollars to flow into.

“The individual jurisdictions across our region have unique personalities and needs. This survey examines some of those differences,” said Sharon Bulova, Greater Washington 2050 Chairman and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman. “But what sets this effort apart is the identification of ideas that are held in common by citizens all across the region, areas where they are urging greater regional effort to make this a better place to live for years to come.”

Greater Washington 2050 commissioned the public opinion survey to comprehend residents’ priorities and hopes for the future of the region. More than 1,300 interviews were conducted in February.

Producing high quality schools is the most urgent of the sixteen priorities for the future tested. The second top priority for the long term is locking down safe streets and neighborhoods.

Traffic is the leading long-term issue, but it is not where the public would put the most resources into.

By a large margin, traffic and transportation are listed as the top long-term challenges facing the area, and the worry is particularly acute in parts of Northern Virginia. However, when asked how much of a priority they would place on transportation if they were making decisions for the region, residents rank transportation ninth out of a list of sixteen items tested.

A large number of the region’s residents would like to see more problems addressed regionally across state and county lines, said 43 percent, and that figure goes up among people who want specific …

2050 Report: http://www.greaterwashington2050.org/eupdates.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/27/daily91.html

  6. Property tax forum promotes regionalism and 'smart growth' - Bridgeport News - Bridgeport, CT, USA

Rising property taxes in the suburbs could be what finally convinces suburban public officials that more regionalization efforts make sense, according to state Rep. Brendan Sharkey of Hamden.

That — and money — could help bring about change, Sharkey told an audience at a forum on property taxes and so-called smart growth at the Burroughs Community Center in Black Rock last week.

“Bribe them with money,” Sharkey joked, referring to a proposal to legally share taxes from certain new development among towns that agree to a regional pact.

Sharkey, a Democrat, heads up a statewide smart growth task force that include state legislators, business leaders and community representatives.

…

Grogins said having municipalities cooperate on regional issues makes sense. “It’s about cities and towns working together to cut costs,” she said, adding this would allow nearby communities to better strategize on where and how to encourage development.

Something must be done to lower taxes in Bridgeport, Grogins said, which has a limited tax base and has seen much of the commercial development in recent decades take place in surrounding towns.

“In Black Rock and Brooklawn, we pay the highest property taxes in the city and the state, and some of the highest in the nation,” she said.

…

 “We develop big houses on big lots, often with no sidewalks,” said Green, noting the amount of land covered by structures and asphalt is increasing seven times faster than the population in Connecticut.

“Connecticut isn’t growing — we’re spreading,” she said.

Begin with small steps

The legislators said regional cooperation could begin with less controversial actions such as buying items in bulk to get economies of scale; purchasing employee health-care coverage together; and sharing certain equipment, legal services and payroll software services.

…

Regional Planning Organizations (RPOs): http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2986&q=383046

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26127:property-tax-forum-promotes-regionalism-and-smart-growth&catid=147:local-news&Itemid=1429

  7. A merger or a hostile takeover? - The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com - Cleveland, OH, USA

A merger or a hostile takeover? I've been kicking that around ever since Cleveland Heights City Councilman Mark Tumeo fired the shot heard 'round the Heights March 24.

Tumeo stood up at a meeting of the University Heights Charter Review Commission and said the two cities should "start a dialogue" about merging. (Heights people never "talk." They "dialogue.")

How curious, I thought. Cleveland Heights has always sneered at its little neighbor to the southeast.

As Cleveland sputters, a few civic leaders keep rallying for regionalism, but they offer no tangible proof that it will "work," whatever that means. ...

UH Mayor Beryl Rothschild was downright suspicious. She didn't even get a courtesy call from Tumeo before he opened his mouth, and she thinks he's sniffing for a bail-out. Her city has money in the bank, while Cleveland Heights has been struggling since voters killed an income tax hike a year ago.

Some alliances do merit a bit of "dialogue," like consortiums for purchasing salt and health insurance, and Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley's call for a single regional fire department. But if you think bigger is better, then move to Cleveland.

..

At a recent dinner, I was seated with a couple who moved here from Los Angeles three years ago. When I asked them how they liked Cleveland, they plunged, unprompted, into praise for our plethora of suburbs. Having been hammered by the regionalism crowd, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You have community here because each suburb has an identity," they said. "People love and embrace their own communities."

It's not like that in Los Angeles, they said. Out in that black hole of urban sprawl, residents have no allegiance to, say, Glendale or Burbank. "You don't know how lucky you are here," they gushed.

…

Collaboration? Absolutely. Merger? No.

http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/reflections/index.ssf?/base/columnist-0/1241100453136830.xml&coll=4

  8. Baby steps' toward regionalism - Sun News - cleveland.com - Independence, OH, USA

Councilman Kevin Patrick Murphy believes suburbs interested in collaboration need to start with small steps.

To discuss a merger of cities or a regional fire district -- two recent ideas -- is premature, he said.

"For years, we've heard a lot of talk about regionalism, but nothing really ever happens," Murphy said.

"We're just not capable of undertaking a broad regional effort until we start working together, on a micro level, by taking these small steps that lay the groundwork."

Murphy has organized a meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at John Carroll University to explore regional collaboration among six eastern suburbs.

…

Murphy's goal is to apply for a share of grant money being offered by the Fund for Our Economic Future's EfficientGovNow program. [ http://www.futurefundneo.org/ ]

The program will offer as much as $300,000 to fund up to three projects that promote collaboration and efficiency among northeast Ohio governments.

"This is a great starting point," Murphy said. "We can all agree there are little things we can do together, with an eye toward saving larger dollars in the future." Apples to apples'

Murphy believes the cities should pursue shared methods of accounting, a unified system of monitoring contracts with unions, suppliers and service providers; and a policy to manage the cities' collective capital expenditures.

Those three topics will be the focus of tonight's meeting.

"Given the budget constraints most inner-ring suburbs are facing, we will, in the very near term, need to change the way our cities operate," he said.

"Right now, some cities collaborate on group purchasing programs and joint dispatch programs, but it's simply not enough."

With a shared accounting methodology, cities will be comparing "apples to apples," Murphy said.

…

http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1241104026139620.xml&coll=4

  9. SLU's RegionWise Joins Forces with Two Local Universities to Create New Research Opportunities - Saint Louis University - St. Louis, MO, USA

The Applied Research Collaborative will serve as a regional data and public policy clearinghouse.

Saint Louis University's has partnered with two other local universities to create a new regional data service center for local government and nonprofit organizations.

The Applied Research Collaborative (ARC), joins SLU's RegionWise group, the Institute for Urban Development at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and the Public Policy Research Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to serve as a data clearinghouse, provide regional indicators and perform commissioned research projects, including trend analysis reports.

The program is being undertaken by the universities as a way to provide support for community improvement through greater collaboration and more active engagement in key issues facing the St. Louis bi-state region. ARC will work together with area civic, public and nonprofit agencies that also will use the research generated by the collaborative.

Robert Mai, Ed.D., director of RegionWise, said the collaboration will provide new avenues of research for leaders seeking to respond to the needs of the metro St. Louis area.

"What community leaders from across the region have told us is that there's a great need to help organizations -- public, private and nonprofit -- not just acquire access to data, but to think with data." Mai said. "Thinking with data is what ARC aims to do, and to help planners and decision makers in our region as well."

…

"The St. Louis region has never really used our substantial academic and scholarly resources to help us address complex policy problems in a fact-based, authoritative manner," said Les Sterman, executive director of East-West Gateway Council of Governments [ http://www.ewgateway.org/ ]  , which has already begun working with the collaborative. ...

http://www.slu.edu/x30318.xml

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  Slay continues call for regional cooperation in State of the City

KWMU - St. Louis, MO, USA

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay used his State of the City address Friday to repeat his call for stronger regional cooperation. "Until we start speaking in unison, Jefferson City - both Democrats and Republicans - will continue to ignore our constituents. They will divert our tax dollars, cap our tax credits, run our police department and take our votes in November for granted," Slay told a crowd at City Hall of aldermen, administration officials, and union members. The mayor called in his inaugural address for a merger between the city and the county, and regional ownership and operation of Lambert Airport. They are not, he said, calls for help from a financially struggling city. "We're part of an overall region," the mayor said. "And in order for us to be stronger as a city, we need to be stronger as a region." ...

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1503674&sectionID=1

   .02  Groups urge regional approach for planning growth, sharing tax revenue

The Star Beacon - Ashtabula, Ohio

... the need for collaboration among northeast Ohio’s 16 counties. “We’re competing with each other, and we’re losing out,” said Akers as he rolled out the details of the Regional Prosperity Initiative (RPI), a collaborative effort jointly funded by the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association (NEOM&CMA), Fund for Economic Future and other philanthropic groups. ... The presenters frequently referred to the success of the Minneapolis-St. Paul and Allegheny County/ Pittsburgh regions in reinventing themselves through collaboration. ...

http://www.starbeacon.com/local/local_story_119193721.html

    .03  Getting Communities to Collaborate is a Challenging Task – [audio 4 min.]

90.3 WCPN ideastream® - Cleveland, Ohio, USA

An update now on a story we brought you several months back. The Fund For Our Economic Future put out a challenge to northeast Ohio communities. The group offered to give $300 thousand toward a development project, with just one catch. That project has to be a collaboration between multiple communities. 65 proposals have been submitted. The public will help decide the winner later this year. As this process rolls on, the group has brought in a nationally known expert. David Osborne is the author of several books on the topic of regionalism. He spoke with ideastream®'s Eric Wellman.

http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/news/26010/

    .04  EDITORIAL: Regionalism takes step back

Indianapolis Business Journal - Indianapolis, IN, USA

... We know it’s politically unpopular to come to the financial rescue of Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center, the venues CIB maintains, because they’re in Indianapolis. But to cast the CIB’s deficit as an Indianapolis problem is simplistic and inaccurate. It overlooks the millions of dollars in state tax revenue generated by those venues and an endless list of vendors that do business with them. We suspect the higher taxes that are almost certainly coming the city’s way won’t scare away the paying customers that make the region’s hospitality industry so important to the state. At least we hope not. Regardless, the tone of the debate has been a setback for the idea of regionalism. Restructuring CIB to give multiple counties in the region a say in how it’s operated might plant the seed for greater cooperation in the future. One way or another, they must own up to the stake they have in Marion County’s future or its economic engine will someday grind to a halt. ...

http://cms.ibj.com/ASPXPages/6iframes/FrontEndArticlesDetailPage.aspx?ArticleID=35736&NoFrame=1

    .05  User fee hikes urged to aid towns and cities

Boston Globe - United States

The communities would get to keep most of the money, although about $15 million would be placed into an account used to promote regionalization. "We're trying to encourage regionalization of municipal services, everything from public safety to public health, from education to libraries and road maintenance," said Senator Stanley Rosenberg, a Northampton Democrat and cochairman of the Special Commission on Municipal Relief. "We have 351 cities and towns, and most of them are well under 30,000 people."...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/07/user_fee_hikes_urged_to_aid_towns_and_cities/?page=2

    .06  Closer Look at Sharing Town Services

New York Times - United States

Mark Muro, a fellow and policy director at the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that Westchester towns would benefit most from collaborating on a county or regional level. “More and more of the challenges that communities face are on a regional scale,” Mr. Muro said. “Local municipalities are simply too small to provide responses to the kind of issues that are bedeviling communities. Your village cannot shape traffic patterns.” ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/nyregion/westchester/03townswe.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

    .07  DC now the hub of a region awash in ... happiness?

Washington Examiner - Washington, DC, USA

Happy days are here again, according to a new study by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, commonly known as COG. Really? Swine flu is bearing down on our Washington region. ... Yet: “The region’s residents are connected and engaged,” the study finds. And “77 percent rated the region as an excellent or good place to live.” ... I can see why COG commissioned its study for its Greater Washington 2050. Though the results are somewhat predictable, they are also enlightening.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/HarryJaffe/DC-now-the-hub-of-a-region-awash-in--happiness-44187932.html

    .08  Better Pandemic Planning

Hartford Business - USA

Connecticut and 19 other states received poor marks for failing to incorporate sufficient interoperable communication systems, bed tracking, volunteer personnel management, fatality management and medical evacuation. ... Fortunately, the Capital Region Council of Governments (CROCG) has been on top of its pandemic planning. It was the first region in New England to pool its resources to purchase emergency equipment, conduct regional training exercises, and stockpile medications. The state should take a cue from CRCOG and satisfy the federal standards for a comprehensive pandemic flu plan. ...

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news8787.html

    .09  Pleasant Prairie balks at planning document

Kenosha News.com - Kenosha, WI, USA

The Village Board will consider approving a planning document Monday, even though local officials have called it “lame” and “a train wreck.” Specifically, the board will consider the “Intergovernmental Cooperation Element” of the Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan for Kenosha County, required under the state’s Smart Growth legislation and advanced by the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. The chief concerns with the document, ... Comments: ... Why doesn't the Village of Precious Prairrie MOVE away from Kenosha County? You know, move their whole village? Try to get 5 or 10 miles away from the city, out where the air is as pure as the their actions? ...

http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/pleasant_prairie_balks_at_planning_document_4872876.html

    .10  Memphis Conversation: Trust at issue when leaders talk merger

Memphis Commercial Appeal - Memphis, TN, USA

In spite of their misgivings about consolidation, the suburban mayors suggest there are opportunities to expand cooperation between local governments on a smaller scale, such as a joint commission that could alleviate the need for businesses to work with separate governments when they are considering locating in Shelby County. The example that comes to my mind is the European Union. Today the European Union represents the most far-reaching example of nation-state cooperation in history, but it started out on a much smaller scale, as the European Coal and Steel Community, a free-trade union for limited commodities. As the countries involved saw the benefits, they expanded the organization's responsibilities. ...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/03/memphis-conversation-lisa-huffstetler-trust-at/

    .11  In Hard Times, Rhode Island's Capital Hopes New Slogan Proves Providential

The Wall Street Journal - New York, USA

A bright orange P decorates the business card of Mayor David Cicilline. He is the man who decided that Providence, previously touted as "Renaissance City" but suffering a jobless rate of 11.4%, needed a new image.  ... As recession wallops cities and towns across the country, many are paying for image makeovers in the hope of attracting tourists and business investment. ... Just down the highway in Pawtucket, which started calling itself "Rhode Island's Creative Community" at least a year before Providence settled on the Creative Capital moniker, officials say there's enough creativity for everyone. "We took no offense," says Herbert Weiss, Pawtucket economic and cultural-affairs officer.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124164771281893315.html#mod%3Digoogle_wsj_gadgv1%26articleTabs%3Darticle

    .12  Piedmont Triad Partnership To Lead Regional Aerotropolis Initiative

dBusinessNews Triad  - NC, USA

The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP) has announced that it will lead a new regional initiative to position the Piedmont Triad as the global logistics center of the United States East Coast.  This new initiative will combine two existing initiatives—the Global Logistics Task Force of the Piedmont Triad Leadership Group and the Logistics and Distribution Roundtable of the Piedmont Triad Partnership. ... David Congdon, President and CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line, will chair a new Aerotropolis Leadership Board of approximately twenty-five Piedmont Triad leaders, ...

http://triad.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?newsid=182406&type_news=latest

    .13  New Study Shows Airport's Impact

Memphis Daily News - Memphis, TN, USA

The study's findings bolster business and civic leaders' concept of Memphis as an aerotropolis, the catchy phrase coined by University of North Carolina business professor John Kasarda. An aerotropolis is an “airport city” in which a region’s commerce largely depends on the airport. Kasarda for a few years has called Memphis a true aerotropolis, and the Greater Memphis Chamber has recently trademarked a new slogan for promoting the city as “Memphis: America’s Aerotropolis. Where Runway, Road, Rail and River Merge.” ...

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42249

    .14  Local suburbs and Cleveland are studying the creation of an aerotropolis

News Sun - Cleveland.com OH, USA

Cleveland Hopkins' neighboring communities are hoping to use the airport to land lucrative developments. Much like a metropolis and its surrounding suburbs, an aerotropolis features a core airport with outlying aviation-linked businesses. Berea, Brook Park, Olmsted Falls, Parma, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Hopkins, the Cleveland Department of Economic Development, and the Cleveland Department of Port Control are looking to create an aerotropolis here. ...

http://blog.cleveland.com/newssun/2009/04/local_suburbs_and_cleveland_ar.html

    .15  Anti-poverty ‘road map' unveiled

Buffalo News - NY, United States

... Rather than laying out a policy agenda, the 77-page plan largely focuses on expanding or improving many of the 129 programs the city runs to help low-income residents, with “collaboration” and “partnerships” the buzzwords to improve coordination between groups. Henry Louis Taylor Jr. of the University at Buffalo's urban and regional planning department, who was introduced as the coordinator of the new task force, said models of collaboration would be a significant step forward if accomplished. “What’s radical is getting people to work together — to come out of their silos and form real collaborations,” ...

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/656428.html

    .16  Agenda '09: Area cooperation, development key

GoErie.com - Erie, PA, USA

Early on, Cuneo asked the panelists a question raised by Mercyhurst College educator Robert Heibel: Should consolidation of regional governments happen, and how should it happen? Susan Breon, former president of the Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology, talked about functional consolidation of services as something the community should focus on. Others agreed, with lawyer and Erie civic leader Jim Walczak saying consolidation of larger municipalities "may be a bridge too far.'' Walczak said several authorities already successfully work regionally, and he suggested a regional police force as another example of something Erie could do. ...

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090507/NEWS02/305079916

    .17  Chattanooga: Mayor faces upstream swim to win over water districts

Chattanooga Times Free Press - Chattanooga, TN, USA

Convincing Hamilton County's water utility districts to agree to consolidation will prove difficult for ...  Mr. Littlefield set the goal of creating a regional water and sewer authority that would eliminate “unnecessary complexity and sometimes confusion about who provides service.” ... Hamilton County has 10 water utilities — eight local water districts with boards appointed by County Mayor Claude Ramsey, one private company and one owned by the city it serves, Signal Mountain. ...

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/03/chattanooga-mayor-faces-upstream-swim-win-over-wat/?local

    .18  MSBA official: Now is the time to regionalize

Fall River Herald News - MA, USA

The MSBA approved beginning negotiations for a Model School program last week that would build a new regionalized Somerset-Berkley high school. In the Model School program, the district would use an existing design of a recently built state high school, using it as a plan for another new school to cut down on design and construction costs. Craven said the model school, because it uses an existing plan, bypasses the design process and allows construction to begin quickly. “If Somerset and Berkley decide to regionalize, the new school could be beginning to be built this fall,” she said. ...

http://www.heraldnews.com/news/x1931071119/MSBA-official-Now-is-the-time-to-regionalize

    .19  Town selectmen resist regional dispatch center

The Salem News - Beverly, MA, USA

By Mike Stucka DANVERS — Selectmen argued for three hours last night against joining a regional 911 dispatch center planned for Middleton. ...  "We do support something. Just at this time, this project, we can't support," Selectman Dan Bennett said. Distrust was also evident, as selectmen criticized the selection of Sheriff Frank Cousins as the administrative overseer of the dispatch center. Selectman William Clark Jr. described Cousins as a "massive ego" building a "mini-empire," a theme echoed by others. ...

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_118234642.html

    .20  State officials get earful from locals in Melrose

Melrose Free Press - Beverly, MA, USA

Murray said that the Patrick administration has attempted to be more aggressive in pushing regionalization efforts, such as the bill included in the governor’s Municipal Partnership Act that would allow cities and towns to enter into intermunicipal agreements without union approval. As examples, he pointed to the state of California having only four regional 911 dispatch centers, while Massachusetts has 270. The administration and Legislature changed the formula that assists municipalities with 911 costs, providing a higher reimbursement to communities that regionalize.  A more local example, Murray pointed out, is the Franklin Regional Council of Governments that provides the 26 towns in Franklin County with various services such as regional health programs, engineering services and planning for economic development and land use. “We think it’s a model that can be emulated in many ways,” he said. “We’ve attempted, through laws, regulations and financial incentives, to encourage that.” ...

http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/news/x1515814409/State-officials-get-earful-from-locals-in-Melrose

    .21  CAFA draws the line between millage and regional fire service

Dexter Leader - Chelsea, MI, USA

Participants in the CAP/DART meeting from eight western Washtenaw municipalities discussed the topic of regional fire service feasibility. During that discussion, consultant Dave Boerger, of Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, presented the first steps in combining the Chelsea Area Fire Authority, Dexter Area Fire Authority and the Scio Township Fire Department. Boerger concluded that the project was "complex" and was asked to measure the savings of a regional fire department. ...

http://www.dexterleader.com/stories/043009/loc_20090430011.shtml

    .22  South Portland Votes To Combine SWAT Forces

WMTW.com - Portland, ME, USA

Twenty members will combine to form the Southern Maine Regional SWAT Team, which will consist of 10 members from South Portland, two from Cape Elizabeth and eight from Scarborough. I think we are always looking at ways that regional efforts will help everybody with the quality of service we provide and also financially with tax breaks. So, it just seems like a natural progression of something we've actually been doing for some time," Scarborough Police Chief Robert Moulton said....

http://www.wmtw.com/news/19368660/detail.html

    .23  Economic leaders work on working together more

Natchez Democrat - Natchez, MS, USA

Regionalism, a fancy word for working with your neighbors, will be the buzzword today as state and regional economic developers descend on Franklin County. Members of the Southwest Mississippi Partnership — a consortium of economic developers from 10 counties in the region — will meet at a summit of local and state leaders to discuss upcoming plans. ...

http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2009/apr/21/economic-leaders-work-working-together-more/

    .24  Workforce Development Key For Calhoun

Calhoun County Journal - Bruce, MS, USA

Moon and John Baas, director of governmental affairs for the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, were featured speakers at the CEDA meeting last week at the courthouse in Pittsboro. The Calhoun County Republican Party provided refreshments. Moon said “regionalism” is the second key to achieving success. “You can't make it on your own,” Moon said. “You have to reach out and form a multi-county area.” Moon said Calhoun County needs to determine what it can offer that no one else can. then market that and sell it to the world. ...

http://www.calhouncountyjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1172:workforce-development-key-for-calhoun&catid=1:latest-news

    .25  Grocery plays up regional products

WatertownDailyTimes.com - Watertown, NY, USA

Besides dairy products, Hannaford will feature other local and regional foods in the "Close to Home" event. ... Some dairy representatives and producers of the products will attend to give out samples and answer questions. Throughout the store, regional products are highlighted by Close to Home signs.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20090429/NEWS03/304299991/-1/NEWS

    .26  Tri-state area leaders brainstorm how to revive economy

WREX-TV - Rockford, IL, USA

The key to reviving the Rockford area's economy may be collaboration with communities in other states. That's the focus of a two day conference titled "Rebuilding the Economy of the Tri-state area." About 60 political and business leaders from northern Illinois, eastern Iowa, and Southern Wisconsin are at this conference, sponsored, in part, by the American Assembly. ...

http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=10276441

    .27  Editorial: A call to regionalism

Central Penn Business Journal - Harrisburg, PA, USA

Five bridges span the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg to Cumberland County, and whereas most businesses have customers on both shores, they are asked to align with a chamber of commerce on one side of the river or the other. ... The move for a regional chamber has surfaced at least a half-dozen times over the years but has failed because it has been viewed as a power play for one side rather than an opportunity for both. ...

http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/weekly_article.asp?aID=02998323.9085895.923780.792462.1979125.247&aID2=71051

    .28  Pinched cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth argue for revenue fix -- but not through property taxes

TwinCities.com - MN, USA

Armed with statistics from a just-completed study, a coalition of governments from three of the state's biggest cities is pushing "the revenue side of the equation" as the key tool to fix a cascade of budget crunches from the state level down to local libraries. ... The coalition — St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth — is taking its case to newspaper editorial boards as state budget discussions move forward at the Capitol. However, the members aren't pushing a specific plan. Rather, they're making the case that cuts at the state level haven't reduced state spending, or hurt owners of commercial real estate, but have trickled down to average homeowners. ...

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_12277420?source=rss

    .29  Fire districts join forces to save

Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA

Seven years after approving a merger of the Grand Mound and Rochester fire districts, voters will decide in August whether to approve further consolidation. If voters approve, the Grand Mound-Rochester and Littlerock fire districts, which have been partnering for the past decade, will be combined to form the West Thurston Regional Fire Service Authority. It would provide emergency services to almost one-quarter of Thurston County. ... The potential mergers are just two of many examples of how limits on revenue and increased growth have prompted rural fire districts to consolidate, changing the landscape of fire protection and emergency medical response in Thurston County. …

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/839138.html

    .30  Army goes green for community

FayObserver.com - Fayetteville, NC, USA

More than 300,000 Fort Bragg soldiers, family members, civilians, retirees and on-site contractor partners consider the Sandhills communities their home. Sustainable Fort Bragg has taken a proactive stand to ensure the long-term viability of the installation and build a healthy and thriving region. ... Further, the Sustainable Sandhills initiative goes a long way toward complementing the important ongoing work of the Fort Bragg BRAC Regional Taskforce. …

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=325043

    .31  Regional ambulance idea gains traction with decision by Berlin

Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre, VT, USA

Acute interest in participating in a regional discussion of public safety services with all three of the communities vying for Berlin's business. ... discussions will include ambulance service, but regionalizing firefighting and law enforcement, two other expensive municipal services, are also strong possibilities. ...The Berlin board's patience and willingness to participate in a candid discussion of regionalization is a positive sign. ...

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090422/NEWS01/904220352/0/SEARCH

    .32  My View: Regional dispatch is regionalization done wrong

The Salem News - Beverly, MA, USA

The biggest problem with this plan is that it does not represent regionalization. It's no different than a city or town hiring a subcontractor who, in this case, will be state employees managed by the sheriff, to perform a job with which this agency has no experience. This current proposal results in a single dispatch center, with no plan for redundancy. …

http://www.salemnews.com/puopinion/local_story_118222331.html?keyword=secondarystory

    .33  LEED V3 Adds New Grading Scale, Regional Certification

Environmental Leader - Fort Collins, CO, USA

A new component of the ratings system includes LEED 2009 credits for regional environmental priorities.  “Because environmental priorities differ among various regions of the country-the challenges in the Southeast differ from those in the Northwest, for example-regionally specific credits give LEED a way to directly respond to diverse, regionally grounded issues,” said Brendan Owens, Vice President of Technical Development, USGBC ...

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/07/leed-v3-adds-new-grading-scale-regional-certification/

    .34  Editorial: A region on the fast track

Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia, PA, USA

Even though President Obama said it wasn't pie-in-the-sky stuff, most regions around the nation can only dream of a future in which high-speed rail plays a significant role. But then there's lucky Philadelphia. This region is uniquely positioned to benefit from the president's plan - announced last week - to spend as much as $13 billion over five years to upgrade passenger service and build high-speed rail corridors. ...

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090423_Editorial__A_region_on_the_fast_track.html

 

    .35  Our View: Georgia can't afford to miss this train

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta, GA, USA

The Obama administration has committed to spend $13 billion over the next five years jump-starting high-speed rail projects. But it’s an opportunity that Atlanta is likely to miss, at least this time around. Geographically speaking, the metro region is situated perfectly. ... But politically and bureaucratically, we’re located far from the real action. California and Florida, among other states, are well ahead of Georgia in planning and preparation for high-speed rail. Virginia and North Carolina, for example, created the Virginia-North Carolina Interstate High-Speed Rail Commission in 2001. … By comparison, Georgia’s preparation hasn’t gotten much beyond feasibility studies. ...

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2009/05/10/hispeeded_0510.html

    .36  Equal Time: Transportation hype inflates facts and figures

Atlanta Journal Constitution - Atlanta, GA, USA

The prospect of a time-saving bullet train between Atlanta and Charlotte or Atlanta and Raleigh is thrilling. ... But why? Why would hard-working taxpayers of Georgia and North Carolina — indeed, any taxpayer — want to foot the billion-dollar bill on a 244-mile project between Atlanta and Charlotte? Georgia already struggles to meet its transportation needs with a $2 billion annual budget. And why, especially, when flights and road capacity are already adequate? Would passenger trips justify this megaregion “investment” or is this a money pit of a make-work project? Policy-makers need to approach with caution feasibility studies in which consultants with a romance-the-rail agenda also “romance” ridership projections and economic potential. Americans also need to know the cost of a national high-speed rail network. The $8 billion is described as a jump-start, but it’s more an inch-forward. ...

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2009/05/10/equaled_0510.html

    .37  Gorge Local Currency Cooperative (GLCC) River HOURS

American Chronicle - Beverly Hills, CA, USA

River Hours is a vibrant community currency for the Columbia River Gorge area. Patterned after Ithaca Hours, member of this community feel their currency project has had a great deal of success in the years it has been in operation. ... Your mission statement from the bylaws reads: The Gorge Local Currency Cooperative (GLCC) seeks to create and sustain a local currency system in order to build community, promote regional economic independence, support local business and trade, encourage entrepreneurship, honor diversity, and enhance the local minimum wage in the Mid-Columbia region.  ...

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/99452

    .38  West Michigan receives mixed marks at regional conference

Muskegon Chronicle - MLive.com

When stacked up against similar regions throughout the country, West Michigan comes up strong in some areas and weak in others. A newly released study by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance compared the eight-county West Michigan region -- including Muskegon, Ottawa and Newaygo counties -- with 26 similar sized and configured counties across the country. ...

http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/05/west_michigan_receives_mixed_m.html

    .39  Road-use Fees Could Solve Our Transit Woes

Brookings - Washington, D.C.

... solution that would address both the congestion and financing problem would be road-use pricing that varies with congestion. Drivers would directly pay for the costs they impose on others. These charges would vary with VMT, the level of congestion, and the type of vehicle. ... The federal government should test a road-use pricing program in a major metropolitan area before introducing it nationally — and the Washington area would be ideal. Federal employees would be able to get to work more efficiently, and the national capital would become even more attractive as congestion and pollution fell, and transportation infrastructure improved. ...

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2009/0501_congestion_pricing_rivlin.aspx?emc=lm&m=225054&l=6&v=1034753

    .40 Identity Crisis? City-County Boundaries Confuse SCV Residents

LAist - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Mike Murphy, the city’s intergovernmental relations officer, explains the boundaries for the City of Santa Clarita, which are: ... Many residents of unincorporated areas feel they belong to the Santa Clarita community, although they are technically affiliated with Los Angeles County. It comes down to taking a moment to determine what jurisdiction your address falls under. According to Tony Bell, spokesman for Michael D. Antonovich, this is an example of “the basic civics lesson” which "is that everyone should be informed about their city, county, state and federal government." ...

http://laist.com/2009/05/04/identity_crisis_city-county_boundar.php

11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet   Contents

    .01  The Revenge of Geography

Foreign Policy

... , to embrace geography is not to accept it as an implacable force against which humankind is powerless. Rather, it serves to qualify human freedom and choice with a modest acceptance of fate. This is all the more important today, because rather than eliminating the relevance of geography, globalization is reinforcing it. Mass communications and economic integration are weakening many states, exposing a Hobbesian world of small, fractious regions. Within them, local, ethnic, and religious sources of identity are reasserting themselves, and because they are anchored to specific terrains, they are best explained by reference to geography. Like the faults that determine earthquakes, the political future will be defined by conflict and instability with a similar geographic logic. The upheaval spawned by the ongoing economic crisis is increasing the relevance of geography even further, by weakening social orders and other creations of humankind, leaving the natural frontiers of the globe as the only restraint. ...

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4862

    .02  Like it or not, regionalization is coming - Court

Telegraph-Journal - Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

In five years, Saint John Mayor Ivan Court sees the city sharing police and fire services with Quispamsis and Rothesay with or without the support of the mayors of the two towns. "This is going to happen," Court said. "It has to happen if there's going to be sustainability." Both mayors in the Kennebecasis Valley say there's no reason to change existing emergency services, which is one fire and one police department that serve both towns. ... Court said soaring infrastructure costs have made it impossible for the City of Saint John to meet demands. "Making police and fire (a regional service) will have to happen for our very survival and to meet the needs of our citizens," he said. "We're not saying amalgamate (the towns with the city), this is just economy of scale. It will benefit all communities I believe." ...

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/645784

    .03  Communities in Upper East asked to develop database on “Sources of Conflict"

ModernGhana.com

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Wayongo on Tuesday asked communities in the region to discuss and identify the potential sources of conflict to help them develop a database on it. He stated this during a two day workshop on the theme; “Sustainable Peace for Sustainable Development,” organised by the Tamale Ecclesiastical Provincial Pastoral Conference of the Catholic Church and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a German Political Organization working to promote political development and good governance. ...

http://www.modernghana.com/news/212372/1/communities-in-upper-east-asked-to-develop-databas.html

    .04  The road headache in Mahalapye East

Mmegi Online - Gaberones, Botswana

Once upon a time, there was so much fascination with socialism, capitalism and even internationalism. But with the Cold War era gone, many believe that the ashes from the smouldering fire have now gone cold. Nobody cares about isms anymore! In Mahalapye East, if all isms are dead, regionalism is the one oddity. Regionalism is alive. English writer John Priestly must have had Mahalapye East in mind when he observed that the real flowers belong to regionalism. "The mass of people everywhere may never have used the term. They are probably regionalists without knowing it. ...

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=6&aid=27&dir=2009/April/Thursday30

    .05  Going glocal

Times of India - India

The verdict is in before the verdict is in: before the five-phase polling process is over, most political commentators have predicted — surprise, surprise — a fractured mandate yet again. ...

The villain of the piece is generally acknowledged to be regionalism. ... The growth of regional parties or legional parties, as their number seems to be legion has been a process parallel to that of the formation of new, smaller states. Smaller states were largely welcomed as they would lead to a devolution of centralised power and provide for more responsive local governance, which is the aim of genuine federalism. ...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Editorial/SUBVERSE-Going-glocal/articleshow/4431403.cms

    .06 'Intellectuals should play active role in poll campaign'

Indopia - India

... N L Tiberewal, former Chief  Justice of  Rajasthan High Court ... At an interactive session with a group of intellectuals, Tiberewal said the country was passing through critical situation due to terrorism, regionalism, communalism, poverty and economic meltdown and in such crisis the need of stable government was a must. Tiberewal said forty to sixty per cent of intellectuals even do not cast their votes which was most unfortunate. ...

http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/560511/National/1/20/1

    .07  New train design agreed - let the building begin!

Scoop - New Zealand

Wellington's Matangi train project has reached a milestone with formal sign-off of the design aspects by all partners - KiwiRail, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, Rotem-Mitsui and Greater Wellington Regional Council. ... a mock-up of a Matangi cab and half a carriage, based at the Woburn railway workshops, was an enormous help in approval of the design process. "We were able to change certain features and introduce some new ones first-hand, which was really useful." ... While the trains are being built in Korea, a great deal of preparatory work is going on around the region. ...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0904/S00368.htm

    .08  Back to nature

Windsor Star - Windsor, Ontario, Canada

"In 1983, the United Nations stated that within each bioregion, a minimum of 12 per cent of the landscape must be kept in its natural state," says Phil Darrell-Smith, acting coordinator of communications and event organizer at ERCA. Presently, in Essex County, "only 7.5 per cent of our landscape is in its natural state. We're working toward the goal of 12 per cent to ensure that our region is healthy and sustainable." ...

http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=79159f5a-9039-4683-b836-c6006073df84

    .09  Russia, Japan seek to bolster economic ties

Reuters - India

Russia, facing a recession after a decade-long boom, is also eager for Japanese investment to develop its Far East region. "Regional cooperation is an important factor which can stimulate economic development, help overcome the consequences of the global economic crisis," Putin told a meeting of regional governors from both countries ...

http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINT3428120090512

    .10  An Era of Unprecedented Opportunity?

UN Chronicle - New York, NY, USA

... The oil price shock also affected agricultural markets via the transportation sector. Average freight rates doubled within a one-year period beginning February 2006. Ocean freight rates for grains from the United States to Europe almost tripled, surging from about 34 to nearly 90 Euro per tonne. This effectively re-regionalized international agricultural markets, particularly for bulk commodities. It also created substantial regional price variations, which meant that trade could no longer fully play its vital role in international food security by matching regional deficits with regional surpluses. ...

http://mail.google.com/mail/?account_id=regional.tom%40gmail.com#inbox/120eac31daed5922

    .11  ADB to set up 3 bln dlr fiscal spending fund

AFP

The Asian Development Bank said Saturday it will establish a three-billion-dollar fund to boost developing member countries' fiscal spending capacity amid the global economic crisis. ... "A number of governments in the region have boosted spending to spur domestic consumption to counter falling offshore demand, but not all governments are able to do so," it said. "Moreover, with the global downturn likely to be deeper and longer than previously expected, economies in the region are likely to come under increased pressure." ...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jr9IzNtEI_7xWNh1iILeTDO6k-BQ

    .12  [Editorial] By-elections Show Korea's Backward Politics

The Dong-A Ilbo - South Korea

The by-elections also showed that Korea's regionalism has not improved at all. Certain candidates even ignored market principles to lure voters with popular policies. The ruling party’s slogan of economic recovery and the opposition party’s slogan of "judgment of the ruling party" rang hollow.  ...

http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=080000&biid=2009043021768

    .13  Audit Office asked to investigate council

Business Day - Stuff.co.nz

The battle between Northland Regional Council (NRC) and Mike Daniel, the former chairman of Northport, took a new twist this week with Daniel asking the Auditor-General to investigate the council's investment policy, including its majority stake in publicly listed Northland Port Corporation. ... NRC holds a 52 per cent stake in the port company. Daniel, as chairman, had long urged the council to sell this shareholding, arguing it was the safest strategy for ratepayers. ...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/2358511/Audit-Office-asked-to-investigate-council

    .14  Controversial sewage plant part of Region's wish list for stimulus funding

The Standard - St. Catharines, ON, CA

Niagara Region will chase $167 million in stimulus money meant to fast-track building projects, including a controversial sewage plant proposed for Niagara-on-the-Lake. Regional staff have identified 22 projects that can be built quickly enough to qualify for provincial and federal money under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. ...

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1547035

    .15  Fiji needs help, not hindrance

Stuff.co.nz - New Zealand

... back to the same old megaphone diplomacy, threatening Suva with the same tired agenda of economic penalties. These sanctions continued at the weekend with Fiji's suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum. That will no doubt be followed by suspension from the Commonwealth. This enables governments in Australia and New Zealand to claim to their voters that they are doing something to combat the bad guy. The problem is that it does not bring us one step closer to a solution; it increases economic hardships on poor Fijians, and will eventually turn the Pacific's great success story into a basket case. And that is not in our interest, or Fiji's. ...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/columnists/2384967/Fiji-needs-help-not-hindrance/

    .16  Asian regionalism: How does it compare to Europe’s?

East Asia Forum

... history shows that major steps to enhance regionalism are usually taken as a reaction to shocks—while the Second World War prompted the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, the ASEAN +3 Finance Ministers Meeting was established in response to the crisis of 1997/98. And while a global crisis requires a global response, closer regional cooperation can be useful to enhance the effectiveness of global action. ...

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2009/04/21/asian-regionalism-how-does-it-compare-to-europes/

    .17  Despite Setback, Asean Has Important Role

YaleGlobal Online - CT, USA

Asean should not pretend to drive the region ahead regardless of these obstacles. It can, and has, instead to manage the difficulties and differences, and move ahead as and when politics permits. Socializing the states to a greater sense of regionalism is a long haul and a difficult undertaking; one that Asean takes seriously. Those who recommend abandoning Asean must bear the burden of showing that there is a ready alternative. They risk pulling apart a truly indigenous effort at regionalism and pushing Asean closer to those, like China, which has said it will still support Asean. ...

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=12303

    .18  U.S. Government program strengthens local authorities in the East

FirstLanka.com

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding a two-year program called Supporting Regional Governance (SuRG) to strengthen local governance in conflict-affected areas of the East. Participating local authorities from the Eastern Province recently signed a memorandum of understanding with SuRG to launch the partnership. ...

http://firstlanka.com/english/defence-news/us-government-program-strengthens-local-authorities-in-the-east/

    .19  The Regional Response to Disasters

Platinum News Online - Virgin Islands

... The regional body that supports Caribbean States in disaster management is the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA). The agency’s main function is to make an immediate and coordinated response to any disastrous event affecting any Participating State, once the state requests such assistance. ...

http://www.bviplatinum.com/news.php?section=article&source=1242052158

12. Blogging about Regional Communities   Contents

    .01  Regional Failure by Local Design

By Bruce Fisher

... Town of Boston politicians don’t want it. The Lackawanna politicians who listen to the Boston politicians don’t want it. The county executive doesn’t want it. Yet the movement toward regional governance persists. If Whyte convinces another one of her colleagues that the objections to regional planning are as laughable as opposition to model airplanes in the field already used by snowmobilers, perhaps this could be the last spring of our localist infancy, and the beginning of maturity.

http://artvoice.com/issues/v8n18/regional_failure

    .02  Ed Morrison · BFD Learning Moment: Milwaukee’s water cluster

Brewed Fresh Daily

We’ve been using Strategic Doing with a number of different initiatives in Milwaukee. One of our most successful: The Milwaukee 7 Water Council.   “The United Nations on Tuesday will designate Milwaukee as a U.N. Global Compact City, making it one of 13 such cities worldwide, in a move that will help the region promote its image abroad as an international hub of water technology.”...

http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/

    .03  Atlanta LINK delegation lands in Minneapolis

SaportaReport

A delegation of 100-plus Atlantans just landed today in Minneapolis-St. Paul for the annual LINK where local leaders will explore how other cities address a variety issues facing the region. ... The Atlanta Regional Commission, which organizes the trip, puts the flight out for bid; ...

http://saportareport.com/blog/?p=756

    .04  Minnesota — Does a higher Quality of life and better education justify higher taxes?

SaportaReport

Imagine a state with exceptionally high taxes and almost no economic development strategy — that’s Minnesota. But here is the kicker. Minnesota has been a favorite state for Fortune 500 companies. “There’s a direct link between jobs and a good quality of life,” said Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership. “We want the best quality of life possible.” Weaver spoke to a delegation of more than 100 Atlanta leaders visiting Minneapolis-St. Paul ... Weaver said education is “by far” the reason companies come to state that’s so cold and the middle of the country. Minneapolis-St. Paul also have “a vibrant cultural” community, which contributes to the region’s quality of life. ...

http://saportareport.com/blog/?cat=5

    .05  Maybe regional government isn't the Answer.

Tucson Choices

One of our favorite blogs Antiplanner.com is often referenced here on Tucson Choices. The author brings forth great arguments and ideas.  He tackled regional government a while back and I thought it would be worth posting it.  I’m not sure if regional government is the answer here in Southern Arizona or not. Given our lack of leadership I doubt real discussions will take place. The large portion of unincorporated areas is probably the biggest barrier we have to success. Let’s solve that one first then discuss regional government.

Glaeser Stumbles on Regional Governments ...

http://tucsongrowup.com/2009/04/29/maybe-regional-government-isnt-the-answer/

    .06  Capital Region Board: Growing Forward

connect2edmonton

I wondered why more people are not discussing the Capital Region Board. Seems like this board is making great strides in the last 6 months, but the news is rarely talked about. I consider the development of this board a huge cornerstone for Edmonton and the Alberta Capital Region. … Will these plans for the region work? It seems that attitudes of many politicians in this region are very positive and optimistic about working together, about sharing a common future. This is something we haven't seen in a long time in Edmonton, if ever. …

http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=12765

    .07  When is Destination Branding Really Destination Blanding?

BrandCulture Talk

... Turning your location into a brand isn’t simply a marketing effort. It’s the product of deep soul-searching, consensus-building, defining what your community really is all about, and aligning what you really are with what visitors really want. You may not figure it out overnight, and you may not end up with a clever slogan. But take your time, do it right, and you just might get a brand.

http://brandculturetalk.com/2008/06/02/destination-blanding/#more-11

    .08  High-Speed Rail: Richard Florida Weighs In

TreeHugger

In the main, the proposed high-speed rail routes map pretty well to U.S. mega-regions. Given the fact that megas are dense and interconnected centers of population and economic activity, it makes sense to develop high-speed rail ...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/richard-florida-high-speed-rail.php

    .09  Comment: Should Gordon Brown Hold a Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty?

Citizen Europe

... This doesn't excuse the democratic deficit and public relations failures of the EU, but I genuinely think it's time for academics and politicians to start talking honestly about the chronic and arrogant lack of engagement on the part of much of civil society. ...

http://citizen-europe.blogspot.com/2009/04/comment-should-gordon-brown-hold.html

    .10  Rob Thomas: Taking the Local out of Local Government

The Standard

Auckland faces some serious challenges. Over the next 100 years we will face global environmental, economic, social and political needs that we can’t manage as effectively under our current regional structure. It’s Auckland’s regional governance structure that is poor. The way we manage regional infrastructure and provide regional services - in particular Transport, Water and our Regional Assets - is complex, confusing, and ineffective. The region lacks effective leadership, transparency and accountability. ...

http://www.thestandard.org.nz/rob-thomas-taking-the-local-out-of-local-government/

    .11  That could save something in the region of…

The Local Government Officer

... My general view is that at the moment the “regions” (RDAs, GORs, SHAs, and assorted other smaller regionalised Quangos) generally do the job they’re given adequately, but there’s no particular logic to them. Certainly there’s no reason it couldn’t mostly be accomplished either at a county level without spending any extra money (and sometimes by spending less) or centrally, since the limited devolution that the regions represent often doesn’t add anything in terms of real accountability. ...

http://thelocalgovernmentofficer.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/that-could-save-something-in-the-region-of/

    .12  Ontario's Competitiveness Strategy Provides Opportunity for Input

ThunderBayTourismPartners

A few month's back, the Ontario Ministry of Tourism unveiled the blueprint to revitalize Ontario's tourism industry and improve its competitiveness on the global stage. If you haven't read this yet, its a must read for the industry and can be accessed at http://www.tourismstudy.ca/en/index.php  The report's 20 recommendations are all solid although there are not a lot of surprises with respect to the elements of the tourism economy we can improve upon. One thing is for certain. Its great to see them spelled out and movement being made to implement them. …

I encourage industry representatives to submit their input … To help you craft your submission, follow the following questions that have been posed at the various input sessions.

Determining criteria for regional boundaries resulting in successful regional tourism management.

Think about: A region being destinations that work together.

Question 1: What criteria should be used to determine regional boundaries?

Think about: Iconic attractions within an area, A well established brand, Tourism travel patterns, Minimum level of tourism activity, The potential for travel packaging ...

http://thunderbaytourismpartners.blogspot.com/2009/05/ontarios-competitiveness-strategy.html

    .13  What is in a name?

DJ's Growers

Originally the area which we now call the McLaren Vale Wine Region had many different names, one for each of the hamlets or groupings of farms that were settled in the 1800 and 1900’s. Overtime these names have been swallowed up into the towns we now call McLaren Vale, McLaren Flat and Willunga, but for those with a sense of history they live on if you look closely. ... What is in a name? A lot of the history of this region.

http://djsgrowers.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-in-name.html

   .14  The Importance of Network Time Synchronization

Insurance & Technology

Computer clocks are notorious for drifting. They are typically based on inexpensive oscillator circuits or battery backed quartz crystals and can easily drift seconds per day, accumulating significant errors over time. With increasing distributed computing and our interdependence on network infrastructures, having many clocks continuously drift apart puts the networ infrastructure and the applications that run on it at risk. In particular, network operations and application related activities are most susceptible to problems related to the lack of time synchronization. ...

http://www.insurancetech.com/whitepaper/Infrastructure/Network-Systems-Management/the-importance-of-network-time-synchronizatio-wp1242237504372;jsessionid=B4U5V2QHVWFY4QSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=78300003&cid=well1_wp_null

13. Announcements and Regional Links.   Contents

    .01  Global Recession: Regional impacts on Housing, Jobs, Health and Wellbeing -  Regional Studies Association Winter Conference 2009 - Friday 27th November 2009, London UK

Call for Papers now available online at:

http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/events/winter_conf09/cfp.pdf

Deadline for abstracts is Tuesday 30th June 2009 

Register at:  https://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/ei/getdemo.ei?id=11&s=_4G80XDGS9

Regional Studies Association:  http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk

    .02  Postgraduate Programmes In Local And Regional Development - Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Local and regional development is undergoing a period of unprecedented change. New debates about the 'knowledge economy' and 'learning regions', 'globalisation', 'competitiveness', 'inclusion', 'sustainability' and 'wellbeing' are profoundly changing the nature of local and regional development processes, institutions and policies. International trends towards devolution, 'regionalisation' and city-regionalism are changing administrative and governance structures at the national, regional, sub-regional and local levels.

The current recession has focused the minds of local and regional policy-makers in shaping their responses and building the resilience of local and regional economies. Together, these inter-related developments are generating new challenges and a demand to build capacity for analysis, strategy and policy-making for local and regional development amongst individuals and institutions in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors.

Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS):  http://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/

    .03  Portland: Quest for the Livable City, a documentary film chronicling struggle for sustainability - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Portland: Quest for the Livable City, a documentary film of triumph and conflict as one city attempts to reduce its carbon footprint and grow more densely within an urban growth boundary, begins airing on public television stations around the country this month.  The 57-minute film, which will be available on DVD, is the third in the documentary series Making Sense of Place, a collaboration of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Northern Light Productions; the first two films were on Phoenix and Cleveland. Over the coming months in Oregon, an outreach effort will focus on community screenings and discussions of the issues raised in the film. ...

http://atlincolnhouse.typepad.com/pressroom/2009/05/portland-quest-for-the-livable-city-a-documentary-film-chronicling-struggle-for-sustainability-debut.html

    .04  Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration

The Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration shall develop recommendations on ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of local government operations, to achieve cost savings for taxpayers, and to facilitate economic development in this state. In developing the recommendations, the commission shall consider, but is not limited to, the following:

 

(1) Restructuring and streamlining local government offices to achieve efficiencies and cost savings for taxpayers and to facilitate local economic development;

...

http://www.cpmra.muohio.edu/otaohio/commission/ota/about.html

14. Financial Crisis.   Contents

    .01  Summary Version - Global Financial Stability Report: Responding to the Financial Crisis and Measuring Systemic Risks - April 2009 - International Monetary Fund - Washington DC - PDF

The Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) assesses key risks facing the global financial system with a view to identifying those that represent systemic vulnerabilities. In normal times, the report seeks to play a role in preventing crises by highlighting policies that may mitigate systemic risks, thereby contributing to global financial stability and the sustained economic growth of the IMF’s member countries. In the current crisis, the report traces the sources and channels of financial distress, and provides policy advice on mitigating its effects on economic activity, stemming contagion, and mending the global financial system. …

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/2009/01/pdf/text.pdf

    .02 CSPAN Q&A with Janet Tavakoli - Author of "Dear Mr. Buffett: What an Investor Learns 1,269 Miles from Wall Street" explains derivatives - Video

Janet Tavakoli is founder and president of Tavakoli Structured Finance, a Chicago-based firm that provides consulting to financial institutions and institutional investors. Her book is the story of her meetings with Warren Buffet prior to the economic downturn and how that impacted the way she views investing. She is a former adjunct professor of derivatives at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. She has also worked for Westdeutsche Landesbank in London, Bank One in Chicago, Merrill Lynch, PaineWebber, and Bear Stearns.

 

Link to video:

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=285329-1

 

CSPAN Podcast site: http://www.c-span.org/Podcasts.aspx

 

 

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

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Thomas J. (Tom) Christoffel, AICP - http://regional-communities.com/