A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
1. Study reports MSA group benefits - Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - Clarksville, TN, USA
Clarksville is no longer a city unto itself.
Nor is Hopkinsville, Ky., Oak Grove, Ky., Dover, Cumberland City, or Cadiz, Ky.
The federal government has identified a significant economic and even cultural bond between these communities.
Collectively, they represent the municipalities of four counties that form a U.S. Census Bureau-solidified metropolitan statistical area — the "Clarksville, TN-KY MSA" to be exact.
How the four counties of Montgomery and Stewart in Tennessee, and Christian and Trigg in Kentucky, work together as a single unit after a history of turf wars aggravated by a state line between them, is one of the local challenges of the modern era.
A study group of Leadership Clarksville thinks it might have a solution, however.
...
Shifting focus
"Shifting focus to the MSA would benefit the region as a whole, making the value of the combined area greater than a sum of its parts, " Green and his team concluded.
Their position is reinforced by accepted experts in the field of community development.
"The development of community leaders with a regional perspective is the right thing to do, " said David Mills, of Perry, Ga.-based Mills and Associates Inc., a leadership and community economic development consulting group.
"The community of the 21st century is the region, and is not defined by our traditional geopolitical boundaries, or even state lines, " Mills said.
"The watch word for cities and counties, and even states in the 21st century is not 'competition' but 'collaboration.'"
The study group determined that an MSA Leadership program would be an "effective way to foster communication and understanding, and a shared vision among the four counties."
In a survey, the study group found that the majority of respondents see the value of a regional Leadership program, but many doubt their employers would be willing to help finance ...
RCs: Greater Nashville Regional Council - Montgomery and Stewart Counties, TN
Pennyrile Area Development District – Christian & Tigg Counties, KY
2. Hidden in Plain View - Inside Higher Ed - Washington, DC, USA
A lot of ink has been spilled over the years about “America’s Best Colleges, ” the annual rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. We read periodic complaints that the rankings improperly rely on inputs, resources, and a reputation survey of questionable validity. The rankings are in the news again, with fresh complaints about punitive actions against institutions that withhold data, and a fresh call for collective acts of resistance against the rankings juggernaut.
Surprisingly, a fundamental aspect of the rankings has gone relatively unquestioned — the composition of the comparison groups. Because the groups are derived from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s classification of colleges and universities, and because I direct that work, I have a special interest in the question of who gets compared to whom. It turns out to be a questionable use of the classifications that can have significant consequences.
The U.S. News rankings framework asserts that there are two kinds of higher education institutions — universities and colleges — and they compete in national or regional markets. Consequently, there is not one set of rankings, but ten: national universities and (national) liberal arts colleges, four regionally differentiated sets of master’s universities, and four regional sets of comprehensive colleges. To a considerable extent this reflects the reality of the higher education admissions market. It also makes good business sense: multiple rankings mean multiple sets of “top” performers who will be happy with the results and proclaim their distinction, and who will be eligible to display the America’s Best Colleges award badge on their Web sites and in their promotional materials.
But it leads to big definitional challenges. What’s a university? What’s a college? What’s national and what’s regional? There is no consensus, to be sure. ...
3. Area could see new fertilizer, watering rules - The News-Press - Fort Myers, FL, USA
Proposed governmental guidelines for fertilizing and watering yards might improve water quality, but they also could leave Cape Coral homeowners with a brown ring around part of their property.
The guidelines prohibit fertilizing and irrigation with reclaimed water in a setback area yet to be determined for properties next to a body of water. That would apply to thousands of homes lining nearly 400 miles of canals plus lakeshores in Cape Coral. They are pending before the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.
The goal is to protect canals and other water bodies from the harmful affects of nitrogen and phosphorus, said Mick Denham, Sanibel’s mayor and the chairman of a planning council subcommittee on water quality issues. Nitrogen and phosphorous are known to encourage the growth of red drift algae, which has been a problem on Sanibel’s beaches. But there are other water quality threats that can’t be blamed on releases from Lake Okeechobee, Denham said.
“People are beginning to understand that they have a serious problems with their waterways, ” Denham said.
The proposals ares the first of a series the regional council will consider to address water quality problems related to sources such as wastewater discharges, stormwater runoff and septic tank leakage.
Once the regional planning council adopts the guidelines it will be up to local cities and counties to adopt their own version, Denham said.
...
4. Urban policy expert: Regionalization the key - The Saginaw News, MI
If Michigan has a life line in Saginaw County, residents must start thinking regionally, a national expert on urban policy says.
The Ezekiel Project, a multifaith, multiracial coalition of 13 Saginaw County congregations, sponsored a Wednesday address featuring David Rusk at First Congregational Church, 403 S. Jefferson. About 30 people attended.
Rusk -- an author and independent consultant on urban policy -- advocates fusing small governments into metropolitan frameworks with strong core communities as a strategy for a vital quality of life.
It'll take a lot of mind-changing to save Saginaw County, Rusk said.
"You can forget about merging governments, " Rusk said, explaining that no community is likely to let itself get absorbed by the city. "And (the city) can't annex (parts or all of neighboring townships)."
The best option, then, is for the Saginaw metropolitan area to act as a cohesive unit. "You don't have to become one community, but you can act as one, " he said.
"Fragmentation of government inhibits a community's ability to respond to changes and challenges, " Rusk said. "Fragmentation retards development. The shift from core communities to the periphery is detrimental."
The first shift occurred when the economic boom took off in Saginaw Township, Rusk said. Since then, Saginaw County has seen suburban sprawl and abandonment of the city.
The tide is shifting, he said. Saginaw Township, a community Rusk called "the top dog, " now has to jockey for position with the other big dogs in town: Kochville, Tittabawassee and Thomas townships.
...
RC: East Central Michigan Planning & Development Regional Commission
5.10 Town Hall finding: Keep talented people here; attract more; spend what's needed
Tucson Citizen - Tucson, AZ, USA
Cheerleaders and cynics alike had a say at the Tucson Regional Town Hall, where touting the "small-town feel" was balanced by realizing Tucson leans toward an "economy of minimums."
That was the consensus-building process at the Town Hall, where two days of exhaustive discussion by 165 delegates produced an overnight 42-page preliminary report.
The report opens with generic acknowledgments of "great natural beauty" and people's "love it" feel for Tucson but didn't shy away from no-holds-barred appraisals across the board.
"While the Tucson region prides itself on its friendliness . . . it has allowed a portion of the population, including the undocumented and economically disadvantaged, to languish behind both physical and economic walls that screen them from public view and attention," said the report delivered at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
That was true right down to the Town Hall itself, which was promoted as seeking a socio-economic mix but is almost entirely composed of executive-level delegates.
The report combines the observations of the delegates during the Monday and Tuesday discussions and the recommendations from the Arizona Town Hall staff that moderated the event and wrote the report.
The report repeatedly hammered away at Tucson's tight clutching of purse strings, whether in regional matters, the arts, education or labor wages.
"The Tucson region has not adequately developed its attributes due to the region's 'economy of minimums.' Historically, the resources necessary to fully enhance the region's attributes have not been made available. . . . This needs to change."
...
.20 Feedback from participants helps to start community-building process - Tucson Citizen - Tucson, AZ, USA
As 159 weary citizens completed the final report of the Tucson Regional Town Hall on Wednesday, concluding almost 30 hours of serious discussion over four days, both participants and observers were eager to evaluate the outcome immediately.
The success of the Town Hall should, however, not be evaluated on the basis of the warm feelings of common community values generated among the diverse participants or by the clear reflection of those values in the final report.
The true measure of success must be documented progress toward declared goals that arise from the Town Hall report.
I am deeply gratified by the performance of the Town Hall participants and more than satisfied with the work they have earnestly completed. They have done the job they were asked to do and properly earned the appreciation of their community.
They were not asked to crystallize a noble vision for the region, nor were they asked to solve all of our problems. They were not expected to draft a plan that would define our future and tell us how to get from here to there.
The primary purpose of the Tucson Regional Town Hall was to accelerate the evolving process of community building that extends beyond our treasured neighborhoods and jurisdictional domains to embrace the full extent of our region.
We all know regional approaches must be adopted as we confront challenges in transportation, water management, environmental preservation, health care, education, recreation and cultural enrichment.
But somehow we have struggled to develop the spirit of regional community that is required to meet these challenges.
…
RC: Pima Association of Governments
6. McCrone to lead RSE inquiry into future of hill and island regions - Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
THE Royal Society of Edinburgh yesterday announced that it is to conduct an inquiry into the future of Scotland's hill and island areas.
The aim is to help secure a prosperous and environmentally sustainable future for the rural areas, especially the more economically fragile and remote communities.
The inquiry will be chaired by the distinguished economist Professor Gavin McCrone.
He said: "Issues affecting Scotland's hill and island areas create uncertainties about the future of the communities, maintenance of environmental quality and prospects for economic development. Major challenges and opportunities exist, especially to and for agriculture as the Common Agricultural Policy is reformed, but also with the proposed large expansion in forestry and the potential for recreation and tourism."
Since the 2003 reforms of the CAP when support was decoupled from production there has been a significant reduction in the national sheep flock. …
There has been a massive increase in the area of land under trees over the past 60 years. Today 17 per cent of Scotland is planted, with the Scottish Executive setting a target of 25 per cent in the not-too-distant future. Some of this timber may be used for developing renewable energy. Consideration will also be given to the promotion of biomass plants.
Prof McCrone was keen to dispel the popular conception that all rural areas were economically backward. He said: "In many parts of Scotland where the population was in decline it is now expanding, even in the north and west. However, future prosperity will depend on flexibility and diversification, but it will still lean heavily on land-based industries."
…
7. Rebirth of MORE: a story of leadership - Worcester Telegram - Worcester, MA, USA
Regionalism has been a hard sell in Central Massachusetts, where local control has been ancient tradition.
Few organizations have a second chance to succeed once the first attempt has fizzled. Municipalities Organized for Regional Effectiveness is an exception. Its rebirth was made possible by another agency that has failed to live up to expectations over the years, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission. Now that they’ve found each other, can MORE and CMRPC live happily ever after?
One person who thinks they can is Roberta Schaefer, executive director of the Research Bureau, who has championed the cause of regionalism for many years and has been instrumental in creating a fragile collaborative of local communities in the late 1990s. “MORE is starting all over again, ” she told me.
A bit of background: As Worcester County government was suffering a slow and agonizing death during the past decade, the idea of needs-based regional cooperation, replacing that discredited political system, gained recognition. With the help of The Research Bureau, the Worcester Area Regionalism Education Project Inc. was formed to explore the possibilities of various communities working with each other. In 1998, it spawned MORE, a nonprofit corporation, designed to foster and enhance voluntary partnerships among municipalities of the region and to create a platform for regional identity. It was to serve as the bridge between municipal independence and regional collaboration.
... renaissance was made possible by the arrival in 2005 of CMRPC’s new executive director, Lawrence Adams. Suddenly, there was leadership again, and a sense of mission. “There was no need for study, ” he recalled. “It was easy to recognize that MORE belonged with us.”
...
8. ACCE Introduces The Ford Foundation Regionalism and Sustainable Development Fellowship – ACCE News
The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the Ford Foundation have teamed together to present the Sustainable Regional Development Fellowship (SRD) — a multi-year educational experience for chamber of commerce leaders seeking to sustain, grow and share economic prosperity through regional strategies. FutureWorks, a Boston research and consulting firm, is a partner in this Fellowship.
The 18-month Fellowship, which is funded by ACCE and the Ford Foundation, is limited to thirty participants. The program’s goal is to immerse current and future leaders of influential business and civic organizations in a study of sustainable development. This initiative will assist builders of communities and economies in understanding the full impact of regionalism on lifestyle, work and investment. The first thirty Fellowship participants will be chosen by June 2006.
"Ford Foundation’s funding of this program presents an exciting opportunity for ACCE and our members, " said Mick Fleming, ACCE President. "It is a chance for us to help those who are dealing with both regionalism and inner city issues to address development in both creative and proven ways. Ford Foundation’s support, along with help from our program partners at FutureWorks, will make this the most comprehensive learning experience ACCE has ever offered."
…
9.10 Division Of Croatia Into Three Statistical Regions – Javno-hr - Zagreb, Croatia
The representatives of the northwestern counties expressed their dissatisfaction with such division because, as they say, being in the same region as Zagreb could leave them without significant means from the EU structural funds.
The debate did not end with any particular conclusions and the committee president Zvonimir Mrsic (Social Democratic Party) announced that he would recommend that the Parliament discuss this at the plenary session.
Most members of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the counties had not been consulted on such division and the County of Primorje – Gorski Kotar prefect Zlatko Komadina (SDP) pointed out that the Croatian counties' union had also not offered its opinion on the suggestion because “no one asked them anything about it.”
“The centralist way of thinking has captured the minds of our state officials, ” said Komadina, adding that, so far, not a word could be heard from the relevant institutions about an efficient regional development policy.
He stressed that the proposal had no mention at all of the criteria based on which the means would be distributed within a single region and that, when statistical regions were being established, more attention should have been paid to having them better represent the traffic and historical units.
…
Croatian Democratic Union members Ivica Klem and Krunoslav Markovinovic said that the division of Croatia into three statistical regions was a good one and that, regardless of the solution, there would always be those who were displeased.
“With this division, we ensured that the entire territory of Croatia is suitable for financing, ” emphasized Branko Grcic, professor at the Faculty of Economics in Split and head of the task force for Chapter 22 of Croatia’s negotiations with the EU.
.20 Croatia´s Officials Confirm Opting for Cooperation – Javno-hr - Zagreb, Croatia
Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, parliament president Vladimir Seks and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Friday addressed participants of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Zagreb, confirming Croatia’s opting for further development of regional cooperation and accession into the EU, not failing to mention current events in Serbia with a message that the neighbouring country must persevere on its democratic changes and path to the EU.
President Mesic said that in relations with the EU, the regional dimension had become as significant as bilateral cooperation, so Croatia continually applied significant efforts in cooperation with all countries in the region.
...
10. U.S. regional communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles. Highlighted words are Google search terms. In this and the following section, links to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in the
.10 Local mayors get taste of planning commission
The Leaf-Chronicle – Clarkesville, Tenn.
After four months of serving on the Regional Planning Commission, Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper has appointed a replacement to serve in his stead. … It is common for the city or county mayor, who are entitled to serve on the commission if they choose, to appoint replacements. … "It is very time consuming, it's also controversial, " said David Riggins, director of the RPC. … The nine-member commission meets twice a month, sometimes for more than three hours at a time. "There comes a time that I'm going to have to allow people to be involved so I can focus on the bigger picture, " Piper said. "I enjoyed that it (serving on the RPC) allowed me to get a feeling as to what people were looking for in zoning and planning."… "The county mayor serves on about 65 boards and committees, " Bowers said, adding the figure was not an exaggeration.
.11 Director promotes regionalism
Youngstown Vindicator - Youngstown, OH, USA
Regionalism is the key to promoting tourism in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, Mahoning County's new convention and visitors bureau director said. "We need to create a bigger, more interesting pie together to be able to attract more people and give them more diversity [of attractions[ where they have a reason to stay longer, " …
...
.12 Power shift likely at airport
Asheville Citizen-Times - NC, USA
“We talk a lot about regionalism, but usually regionalism means the city of Asheville giving something up, ” Mumpower said. ...
.13 Visioneering's annual meeting set for Tuesday
Kansas-com - KS, USA
Visioneering Wichita, a regional community and economic improvement initiative made up of business and government leaders, will hold its annual meeting at 7 ...
RC: South Central Kansas Economic Development District
.14 What it means for the region to be first
Daily Press - Newport News, VA, USA
Hampton Roads is the center of media and public attention as the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Godspeed, Discovery and Susan Constant at Cape Henry and establishment of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown commences. The Hampton Roads Partnership, which we are pleased to co-chair, encourages all of our residents to attend activities across the region that are associated with this celebration. ...
.15 Regionalization is one election issue that shouldn’t be debated
Williamsport Sun-Gazette - Williamsport, PA, USA
When a forum was held for Muncy Borough Council candidates Monday night, all eight expressed an understanding that regionalization will be necessary to the historic borough’s future vitality. ... Hopefully, that concept is finally taking hold in our region, ...
.16 Commission Recommends Regional Policing Study
Jamestown Post Journal - Jamestown, NY, USA
5/10/2007 - The city’s Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission wants City Council members to investigate the possibility of building a regional police ...
.17 Are we ready for a boom in population?
Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL, USA
... were relocating from the western suburbs” of Chicago, said John Lewis, director of the Regional Development Institute at Northern Illinois University. ...
.18 Experience an issue in race
York Daily Record - York, PA, USA
She said issues of economics and regionalization are most important to her. And to Smith, a holistic approach is needed to help the safety problems in the ...
.19 County considers public transportation between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal
Bloomington Pantagraph - Bloomington, IL, USA
But the cost of more research hasn’t been calculated, and that’s key, said Terry Kohlbuss, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission director. ...
.20 Miami County Joins Regional Planning Group
KC Community News - Overland Park, KS, USA
With Mid-America Regional Council approval April 25, Miami County was the first new addition to a group formed 35 years ago by nine counties and 120 cities ...
.21 Polk Commission Wants Regional Impact Review of CSX Project
The Ledger - Lakeland, FL, USA
... Department of Community Affairs to press the issue of whether the proposed CSX freight terminal should be reviewed as a development of regional impact. ...
.22 Reno Mayor Bob Cashell Honors Regional Gang Unit
KRNV - Reno, NV, USA
... Cashell said the Regional Gang Unit "recently interrupted three drive-by shootings in our community limiting the potential for injury or death to ...
.23 $400000 to fund pollution cleanup
Rutland Herald - Rutland, VT, USA
Other grants will go to the Addison Regional Planning Commission; the Northeastern Vermont Development Association; the Northwest Regional Planning ...
.24 Public Invited to Comment on Regional Bike, Pedestrian Plan
CummingHome.com - GA, USA
The plan is being revised by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the official planning agency for the Atlanta region. Participants at the workshop will ...
.25 Letter: County urged to support proposed sales tax
Siftings Herald - Arkadelphia, AR, USA
Clark County is not currently able to compete locally, regionally or globally, and we can not expect results with the current resources. ...
.26 Public open houses scheduled for regionally significant routes
Casa Grande Valley Newspapers - Casa Grande, AZ, USA
The study will result in a map of locations of regionally significant routes as well as road characteristics such as recommended widths and intersection ...
.27 County leaders set tone for the future
Chambersburg Public Opinion - Chambersburg, PA, USA
The Council of Governments is a step in the right direction but is not a comprehensive strategy. Undoubtedly, there will continue to be public pressure to ...
.28 A vision for Uptown: Artists are key in city's plans for neighborhood's revival
Journal Times - Racine, WI, USA
Also, artists can sell their work in many ways and places, so they're not tied to a geographic area. And their own work becomes an attraction for shoppers. So, while artists are bettering a neighborhood as residents, they're also bringing in outsiders. "We were trying to make a national cultural destination, " …
.29 FEMA forms incident management teams
Washington Technology - Washington, DC, USA
The largest new team, a 26-member national incident management team, along with a 15-member regional team will be operational by June 30, and two additional ...
.30 Planning panel on the cusp
Contra Costa Times - CA, USA
Behind the scenes, critics of the regional commission say that some of its members have verbally abused the county staff and are far too eager to force ...
.31 Editorials: Trolleys that bind
Sacramento Bee - Sacramento, CA, USA
If the governments can actually pull this off, a streetcar between the capital city and West Sacramento would be one of the cleverest and most cost-effective public works projects in the region. ...
.32 Regional Op-Ed | Virginia Moran: Democracy, Land use and Mass Extinction
YubaNet - Nevada City, CA, USA
... abandoning the Board of Supervisors type government in California for something far more representative (such as local and regional community councils); ...
.33 Pittsburgh region lags in industrial space
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Meanwhile, the smaller Columbus, Ohio, region -- less than 200 miles away -- has 90 million square feet of Class A industrial distribution space to the ...
.34 New bus station on track for summer 2008 completion
Reno Gazette-Journal – Reno, NV
The Regional Transportation Commission has that fact in mind with its $20.5 million transit station being constructed on Victorian Avenue, Sparks and regional leaders were told at a joint meeting earlier this week.
11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 Historic day as new carriages launched
Wairarapa Times Age - Masterton, New Zealand
… arrival of the first four of 18 carriages making up a revamped $25 million rail fleet for use in the greater Wellington region, … "Although initially few in number, the arrival of these carriages is something of a watershed for the city's public transport network. They really show the shape of things to come, " … See also 12. Blogs item .27
.11 Middle East tourism forum for people with special needs to highlight infrastructure development
AME Info (press release) - United Arab Emirates
The Third International Tourism Development Forum for People with Special Needs in the Middle East will once again highlight the need for developing infrastructure to support tourism for special needs people in the region. …
.12 DARYL McLURE: Geelong needs a directly-elected mayor
Geelong Advertiser - Geelong, Victoria, Australia
It disbanded the Geelong Regional Commission, which had provided a broader regional framework in which to make decisions. ... The cities Geelong competes with within Australia, let alone outside, to attract new generation industries, such as biotechnology, for example, already have municipal structures, including directly-elected mayors, which provide vision, continuity, a focal point for community leadership and dealing with governments and industry. ...
.13 City, Region won't increase funding for Niagara Symphony
St. Catharines Standard - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
The Niagara Region does not fund arts and culture and has no plans on changing that policy, said Pelham Regional Coun. Brian Baty, the Region’s acting ...
.14 Region's gain, nation's loss?
Daily Pioneer - New Delhi, India
But the BJP must pick up the gauntlet, or else rampant regionalism may pose an insurmountable danger to the nation's cohesion and hopes of making the 21st ...
.15 Winning the Battle for Talents - ScanBalt Campus
Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (Pressemitteilung) - Bayreuth, NRW, Germany
By pooling together resources within Life sciences and biotechnology in the 11 countries around the Baltic Sea - the ScanBalt BioRegion - global competitiveness can be achieved. …
.16 Italy to mop up wine mess and woo world
Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
"What we need to do is set up a national plan, " he said: the regions rarely coordinate their promotional campaigns. "We will lose out to the competition (if we don't)." Serra's resolve to clean up the marketing mess strengthened during a recent trip to Japan where he found French wine dominating restaurant menus. …
.17 Polish editions help regional press reach out to new readers
Press Gazette - UK
Like all regional newspapers we try to represent the widest section of the community that we can. "The biggest growth in the American press has been foreign ...
.18 Britain and Australia step on the accelerator
Northwest Regional Development Agency (press release) - Warrington, England's Northwest, UK
The new contract comes a year after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the State of Victoria, Australia, (in May 2006). This is tangible evidence of the economic collaboration and mutual business interest being fostered between the two regions. …
.19 Asia Must Respond Immediately to Needs of Ageing Populations
Davao Today - Davao City, Philippines
Speaking on the impact of ageing on regional development, Professor David Canning, of Harvard University, emphasized that the underlying message for ...
.20 Think globally, co-operate regionally
Chatham Daily News - Chatham, Ontario, Canada
Chatham-Kent will have a key role as regional municipalities band together to collectively boost the economy, says Mayor Randy Hope. ...
.21 Increased Tourism Infrastructure Needed for W'gton
Scoop-co-nz
Today’s guest accommodation data from Statistics New Zealand demonstrates clearly Wellington’s tourism potential and shows the need for continued investment in the region’s infrastructure, according to the Wellington Regional Chamber of ...
.22 A new way to build a school
Nova News Now - New Minas, Nova Scotia, Canada
The meeting was called by the South Shore Regional School Board, which wanted to obtain community feedback on the proposal. ...
.23 EU launches major new initiative to protect biodiversity in EU's tropical regions
innovations report - Bad Homburg, Germany
The EU's outermost regions (ORs) and overseas territories (OCTs) are among the richest reservoirs of species and ecosystems in the world, encompassing 5 of of the 34 biodiversity "hotspots" of the planet and spanning three different oceans....
.24 Town 'betrayed' by college move
BBC News - UK
Campaigners trying to save a Devon arts college have met with the Regional Development Agency (RDA) in a bid to prevent it moving to Cornwall. ...
.25 11 Balkan leaders meeting in Zagreb to pledge regional cooperation
International Herald Tribune - France
Before the meeting, Barroso said that "regional cooperation is fundamental to ensure lasting political stability, security and economic prosperity in a ...
.26 Aid dollars currency of power in Pacific
New Zealand Herald - Auckland, New Zealand
Beneath the swaying palms of the Pacific a new power struggle is emerging. It is the best kind of power play, revolving as it does around the provision of billions of dollars to improve the lives of some of the poorest people on the planet. But altruism is more than matched by national self-interest and a range of ambitions for a region that can provide real value to much larger players. This is competitive diplomatic sport.
.27 Globalized Corporations and the Erosion of State Power
Center for Research on Globalization - Canada
While Robinson argues that the interpenetration of FDI between the triad regions (US/EU/Japan) serves as an example against regionalism, 37 a third major ...
.28 The Imperative of an International Guaranteed Income
Monthly Review - Herndon, VA, USA
... have all chronicled capitalism's relentless drive to expand beyond national or regional boundaries in search of cheap labor, markets, and raw materials; ...
.29 And now to trilateralism
The Japan Times - Japan
... that affect them without consultation and that all three remain committed to existing multilateral mechanisms, especially the ASEAN Regional Forum. ...
12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 A New Way To Look At Regionalism: The City As Boutique
By Chris Varley(Chris Varley)
In The New Geography, writer Joel Kotkin examines a number of different ways in which major (or once major) cities have been affected by the shift from the industrial age to the information age. Perhaps the most interesting analysis he ...
.11 Where do we live?
By Mark McGuire
Others, like the Times Union, say the Capital Region, a term that came into vogue when regionalization efforts took flight in the 1990s. Oldtimers might still call it Capitaland, but the phrase is archaic. ...
.12 Interactive Chart for 18 housing regions
By jmf(jmf)
click on the headline to start the chart for 18 metro regions. The supply of houses and condominiums available for sale continues to grow quickly in much of the U.S., reflecting weak sales. ...
.13 30 States and Two Provinces Join California In Climate Registry
By WattHead(WattHead)
The new registry will be based in Washington, DC, and will have regional offices. It will begin tracking data in January. Bob Malone, chairman and president of energy giant BP America, said: "We believe a credible reporting system of ...
.14 Can South India become a world class tourist destination
By suryamurthy
Drafting South India ‘tourism policy’, emergence of uniform tax regime, revenue sharing amongst regions and developing strategies to replicate best practices of one region across other places would be on the priority list of the council ...
.15 Regional cooperation in the Charlotte metro area
By paholler
What would be the fesability of consolidating the various MPOs that make up the Charlotte region? I know it would have to be legislated at the state level, but would anybody go for it? This would allow for a more regional focus on ...
.16 Time and persistance
By Göran Hansson(Göran Hansson)
In 1998 the undersigned participated in a conference on regionalism in Copenhagen. In the speech I predicted the following:. "The movement in Flanders started in the late sixties and obtained their self- determination - a federal form ...
.17 Europe Day
By Jak Boumans(Jak Boumans)
It has been difficult for the European Commission to execute a coherent policy. This has to do with the division of tasks. ICT and especially digital media have different programmes: research, media and regional programmes. ...
.18 Workshop Result Synthesis: ASEAN Regional Integration in Agriculture
By jun
c. Should ASEAN countries be regionally integrated? Why or why not? If so, how should it be integrated, hearing in mind the experiences of other continental regions? ASEAN countries should be regionally integrated- it’s about time. ...
.19 Life in Yorkshire
By andyb56(andyb56)
In position 1, on the listing, I was beaten by the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire, Yorkshire Forward. More interesting was the page that greeted me, Quality of Life, full of facts about the county, for example. ...
.20 Pay No Attention to that Economy Behind the Curtain!
By La Russophobe(La Russophobe)
One reason for the discrepancy in regional development is resource distribution. According to government statistics, 54 percent of all resources are extracted in the Tyumen region, and two-thirds of resource wealth is concentrated in ...
.21 North Texas Regional Library System
By Adam(Adam)
The North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS) seeks responses from proposers offering web development services to build a website for the Library Technology NOW website. ...
.22 Regulating Fibre A Global Issue
By Your (optional) podcast author email address...
Regulating this market, both nationally and regionally, is fraught with complexity, but consumer demand for high bandwidth applications has led to a snowball effect in fibre development, which will compel national regulators to expedite ...
.23 Podcast: 2007 Western Regional Conference Opening Keynote by Linda Thor, President, Rio Salado College
By gbayne
Four distinct generations, from the tech-savvy to the tech-challenged, are enrolled in higher education today. Are we as educational leaders in tune with their wants and needs? In an era where students can text message their registrations, how many bells and whistles should we offer them? How do we manage to track trends? This presentation will explore possibilities and innovative solutions for the digital age.
.24 Thoughts from Galicia, Spain
By Colin(Colin)
Some readers will know I’ve struggled over the last 3 years with the definition of Nationalism, one problem being that a more accurate label might well be Regionalism. … The two macro forces at work are post-Franco decentralisation and EU regionalism. …
.25 ST - Title: Think Asean! Rethinking Marketing Toward Asean Community 2015
By moobalalala
Forget the world, think Asean … The book shows the common man has gained from regional integration. More people can now fly from one Asean country to another on regional budget airline AirAsia, for example, ...
.26 World Economic Forum on the Middle East - Interview with Tatweer’s Saeed Al Muntafiq
By World Economic Forum
... the adoption of sustainable development models and creating new systems to comply to this sustainability. I also believe it is a great field for regional companies to take the lead in, and that there is a need for a regional champion.
.27 Poor cycle facilities on new Wairarapa trains
Regional cycling group Cycle Aware Wellington is unhappy that new rolling stock for the Wairarapa service stock unveiled yesterday does not provide proper facilities for carrying bicycles, despite earlier representations to Greater ...
.28 In Hive or Castle, Duty Without Power
By Matt Dowling(Matt Dowling)
Power is disseminated through the hive, and daily decisions about, say, whose turn it is to feed the larvae, take out the trash or fan the nectar into honey are made consensually and regionally, through a constant exchange of chemical, ...
.29 My Take on New Models
By Nancy Robertson(Nancy Robertson)
Library cooperatives or regionally distributed service to public libraries can still play a significant role in the success of our public and other types of libraries, but only if new aspects of that role are discovered and defined. ...
.30 Scene from "What's Right with the Region" Award
By Old North St. Louis Restoration Group(Old North St. Louis Restoration Group)
... the awardees in the "Fostering Regional Cooperation" category at the Focus St. Louis "What's Right with the Region" Awards ceremony last ...
.31 Undermining Canada
By ape(ape)
The Tilma provisions go one further than Chapter 11, disallowing municipal and regional development plans on such things as building height restrictions, heritage designation, and in British Columbia, denying the Agricultural Land ...
.32 Erie PA News and Events for Friday May 11, 2007
By Dennis
Established in 1967, the Northwest Commission is a regional resource for business and economic development as well as community development and planning. The non-profit agency is composed of a team of skilled professionals dedicated to ...
.33 UK: regional newspapers remain primary source of local news
A survey conducted by Press Gazette shows that the regional press is still the most popular medium through which adults across the UK get their local news. 52% of respondents choose newspapers for regional news, more than three times ...
.34 The Salvation Army: Regional Development Manager
Regional Development Manager.
The Salvation Army, United Kingdom Territory is seeking a Regional Development Manager to work at our Newport Gwent Regional Office. ...
13. Announcements and Regional Links
.10 Hundreds gather to hear about ‘Cities on the Edge’ - June 26 – 29, New Zealand
North Shore City will next month play host to hundreds of people with an interest in the design, development and maintenance of cities and town centres. It will be the first time the International Cities, Town Centres and Communities Society Conference (ICTC) – titled Cities on the Edge - has been held in New Zealand.
.11 California Environmental Resources Evaluation System - CERES - Information by Geographic Area
CERES is an information system developed by the California Resources Agency to facilitate access to a variety of electronic data describing California's rich and diverse environments. The goal of CERES is to improve environmental analysis and planning by integrating natural and cultural resource information from multiple contributors and by making it available and useful to a wide variety of users.
.12 Detecting the Atmospheric Response to the Changing Face of the Earth: A Focus on Human-Caused Regional Climate Forcings, Land-Cover/Land-Use Change, and Data Monitoring - 27-29 August 2007, Boulder, Colorado
Human activities have modified the environment for thousands of years. Significant population pressures, migration, and accelerated socio-economic activities have intensified these environmental changes over the last several centuries. The impacts of these changes have been highlighted in local, regional, and global trends in modern atmospheric temperature records and other relevant atmospheric indicators. One of the influences on temperature trends is extensive land-use/land-cover change and its forcing. ...
14. Subscription
.10 Visitors eye Vancouver's density plan - Vancouver Province (subscription) - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver's EcoDensity initiative is attracting admirers from abroad -- 115 U.S. politicians and planners from Georgia, to be exact.
A delegation from Atlanta is in Vancouver this week to learn how to cope with a boom in their city by following our example.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said she chose to study Vancouver because of the city's international reputation for city planning.
"I went to the World Bank to talk about which cities in the world were doing the best long-range and sustainability planning, who was most innovative and likely to have a business model that might be replicated in Atlanta.
"They immediately said Vancouver. Vancouver was a city worth studying, " Franklin said yesterday after touring Granville Island and False Creek and lunching with Mayor Sam Sullivan.
After decades of declining population, Atlanta began booming in 2000. There are now five million people in the region.
Much of the growth has been downtown, putting pressure on transportation and raising concerns about condo development.
"We're getting a lot of highrise development, a lot of redevelopment, " said Charles Krautler, director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, the city's planning body.
"And we still have a lot of people who are afraid of the concept of density. Vancouver is a very dense city, but we know it is also a very beautiful city.
...
.11 To lift area, let's pull together – commercialappeal-com (subscription) - Memphis, TN, USA
Political leaders in Memphis were put in a quandary earlier this year when Toyota Motor Corp. was looking for a location for its newest U.S. plant. Three sites were being considered: Tupelo, Miss., Marion, Ark., and Chattanooga.
The issue was whether economic development in Memphis would best be served if political leaders supported locating the plant in their home state of Tennessee, even though the economic benefits to Memphis from a Chattanooga site would be negligible. Or should they support Marion's bid to Toyota, which would bring the car giant to a site in another state -- but one close enough to Memphis to produce very tangible results in terms of job growth and other economic benefits? Would Memphis get better mileage from a Toyota plant more than 300 miles east of here in Tennessee, or one just across the Mississippi River in Arkansas?
While U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the congressman from Memphis, was clear in his support for Marion's bid, many other local elected officials never publicly expressed an opinion. In the end, Toyota announced that the plant will be built at the site near Tupelo.
This issue illustrates the need for comprehensive regional economic cooperation and development throughout the Tri-State area of East Arkansas, North Mississippi and West Tennessee, with Memphis -- with all its resources and infrastructure -- as the hub and overall coordinating point.
It is a truism in economic planning that regional economic and social development are best handled and implemented when regional cooperation and planning take priority over competition.
This cooperation becomes very necessary when one takes into consideration the finite resources available for economic development. Consequently, there will be a need for a coordinated effort for efficient land use, superb human and material resources management, and a very well-thought-out infrastructure systems management.
...
RC: Memphis Area Association of Governments, 1420 Union Avenue, Suite 420
Memphis, TN 38104
.12 Agency opens dialogue with area towns - New Haven Register (subscription) - New Haven, CT, USA
In an effort to include residents’ feedback in its newest economic development strategy, the Regional Growth Partnership will hold public forums in each of the 15 area towns it represents, beginning with one tonight in North Branford.
Though the partnership develops a new comprehensive economic development strategy, as required by federal law, every five years, this is the first time it is reaching out to local communities at public forums in the process, said David Silverstone, chairman of the partnership’s strategic planning committee.
…
"We as a region think it’s a good idea that we look back periodically" and gauge whether past development strategies have worked or remain effective, he said.
In another first-time venture, the Regional Growth Partnership will hold meetings for business leaders within certain industry sectors to discuss their goals, needs and concerns in the state. One meeting, for example, will bring together health care executives, while another will convene manufacturing leaders. The industry-specific meetings will take place over the next few months, Silverstone said.
The partnership also will send questionnaires to area business owners, as it has done in the past, asking them about the benefits and disadvantages of doing business in the region, and whether they plan to stay here, expand or relocate.
Each outreach effort is part of the partnership’s over-arching goal to devise the most comprehensive regional development plan possible, Peter Stein, the partnership’s director of strategic planning, said in a written statement.
"This is a prime opportunity for public input into the region’s plan for the next five years to foster economic development, " he said.
RC: South Central Regional COG
15. Google News for “Regional Community”
Other menu sections available from this link include: Regional Development; Regional Council; Regional Commission; Regional America; Regional Asia; Regional Europe; Regional Competition; Regionalism; Intergovernmental and other search terms. They can be sorted by date or relevance. These are among the 50 search terms I use to produce this newsletter.
My name is Tom Christoffel. I've worked in the field of intergovernmental cooperation since 1973. As a consequence, "I see regions work." Regional Community Development News is published weekly based on news reports as of Wednesday.
Making visible analysis and actions at multi-jurisdictional regional scales is its purpose. "Think globally, act locally" was innovative in its time. Today the local scale is often too small to address today's needs and opportunities. "Think local planet, act regionally, " is my candidate paradigm. (No one said we're only allowed one paradigm.)
We can see that “regional communities” are organized locally and now act both to avoid tragedy in the commons and gain benefits. An effective multi-jurisdictional regional community has DNA: it is geographically Defined; has a common Name and its Alignment is inclusive of smaller communities and participatory in larger communities. So, by scanning this compilation, reading articles and checking organizations - you too will be able to see the regional communities that already exist.
News references are found using the Google News search service. Media article links are “fair use” to transform globally scattered reports to make regional approaches visible. Links go to the publisher and do not compete with it. Such publishers are likely to have related stories and thus be seen by new customers. “Regional” is an emerging news category. There is no charge for this service and no profit is made from its use, though any user can become more aware of the topic itself.
To read and search previous issues go to: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/
The term “Development” was added to the name in January, 2006.
For a free subscription use this email link – no additional information required:
regions_work-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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@comcast.net or Tom.Christoffel@gmail.com
Thomas J. (Tom) Christoffel, AICP Making regions visible for Leaders and Problem-solvers. www.regionalintelligence.com or www.regions.ws
No comments:
Post a Comment