A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
1. 'Equitable regionalism' behind authors' vision - Cleveland Plain Dealer - Cleveland, OH, USA
The black authors of a plan to unify Northeast Ohio say the region can reinvent itself by taking steps to change housing patterns and to allow minorities greater access to good schools and jobs.
But they say bolder regional strategies, like merging Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, are too contentious to even discuss, given the region's racial makeup and history.
The report released Wednesday by the Presidents' Council, a group of black business leaders, seems to set a boundary for the regionalism debate in the black community.
The authors said they purposely did not explore the prospects of metropolitan government, nor any strategies that would change the political map of a majority black city.
Mayor Frank Jackson told a news conference that he instructed the primary authors, three leading black regionalism consultants, not to consider changes in government structure as they envisioned "how we want this region to look."
Jackson later argued the community is not ready for that kind of discussion.
"A lot of trust and confidence building is needed first, " he said.
Backers of the study said they did not mind Jackson's constraint, as it quickly took on practical proportions.
"This is a 300-page report, " said Lonzo Coleman, a Presidents' Council member who championed the study. "Government alone would have added another 300 pages, and we would probably still be working on it.
It's too divisive."
…
Coleman said Mayor Jackson approached him about two years ago and asked the council to explore the impact of regionalism on black communities, to add a black perspective to a growing debate.
…
Report: www.kirwaninstitute.org/temp/CleveReportMay2007.pdf
Note: This report opened online, but I could not save a copy without it timing out. To get a copy I printed it with PDF Creator and saved that PDF copy. It is 309 pages – loads slow.
2. Smart growth depends on region - The Free Lance-Star, VA
If Spotsylvania is ever going to be a smart-growth community, then a regional approach to capital projects must be a part of the plan.
Regionalism was the hot topic yesterday during the grassroots, nonpartisan political action group Committee of 500's final of three forums at Salem Church Library.
Supervisor Gary Jackson, whom the committee considers the architect of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan, said the theme of the plan now being updated is transitioning the county into smart growth.
Jackson said the 2002 plan focused on goals to better manage growth after several years of large population increases. One goal of the 2002 plan is to keep residential growth at 2 percent a year. Currently, the rate is about 2.3 percent.
"I think, for the most part, those goals have succeeded in allowing the county to get its arms around growth, " he said.
Fredericksburg City Council member and Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Chairman Matt Kelly said there must be a regional strategy to problem solving.
"What happens in one locality affects another locality and we need to plan for that, " he said.
Kelly said FAMPO is combining the comprehensive plans in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George counties into one map to show growth patterns. It will help tie land use and infrastructure needs together and could spur regional agreements.
FAMPO is also creating a 25-year transit study and investigating how to create a regional transportation authority with power to generate money.
Kelly said state and federal governments will be more likely to help fund projects if they see a regional benefit. But to do this, "sound-byte politics" must end.
…
RC: George Washington Regional Commission
3. COMMUNITY: Capital Region municipalities unveil cooperation strategy
Alberta Index - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has announced the terms of reference for a Capital Region Integrated Growth Management Plan that will be completed by January 2008.
The terms of reference will allow the 24 municipalities in the Capital Region and the Industrial Heartland to develop a long term, integrated management plan to support economic growth, with particular attention to the economic, social and environmental impacts on all residents of the region.
All partners recognize the need for, and desire more formal co-ordination of their efforts. Provincial leadership is essential to ensuring the highest quality of life for all residents of the Capital Region - and all Albertans - through the capture of value added activity.
“It’s a fundamental part of my vision that we co-operate in building Alberta's future. To manage growth, I believe leadership by the province and joint action by our municipalities is key to the efficient, cost-effective delivery of services, ” said Stelmach. “So, I’m releasing a road map towards that goal, and I’m confident it will lead to a long-term plan to support anticipated development in the Capital Region over the next 20 to 50 years.”
…
4. Approach the future as a region - DesMoinesRegister.com, IA
Each city's health depends on growth, vitality of metro area.
Des Moines is no longer just Des Moines.
There was a time when people who said they lived in Des Moines meant they lived within the corporate limits of the incorporated city of Des Moines. Today, when people say they live in Des Moines, they could be referring to anyplace in the urbanized region that sprawls across three counties in central Iowa.
All these communities depend on one another. Their economic vitality depends on the region's economic vitality - a notion that is the heart and soul of the Project Destiny proposal.
Until relatively recently in its history, Des Moines claimed ownership of more or less everything within its borders. Since World War II, the outward movement of people, jobs and retailing has accelerated, and today the population of Des Moines makes up less than half of the total population of Polk County, and that percentage shrinks further if the definition of the metropolitan area is expanded to include surrounding counties. The size difference between Des Moines and metro Des Moines will grow ever wider, since the population of the city is almost certain to grow slowly, if at all, while the suburbs and exurbs leap forward.
That reality is a driving force of the Project Destiny proposal: Future growth will be measured regionally, and efforts to spur economic development must likewise happen regionally.
Looked at separately, the relative population decline of Des Moines compared with its suburbs is disturbing. With some exceptions, such as new housing and office buildings downtown, the city faces serious challenges. It is leaking retail sales to the suburbs and has the highest property-tax rate in the county.
Looked at in the larger perspective, though, with Des Moines defined as the metropolitan region, the news is not so depressing. The population and economy are growing by healthy measures. Indeed, Dallas County is among the fastest-growing counties in the nation.
…
RC: Central Iowa Regional Transportation Planning Alliance
5. Development: Old is new - Arizona Daily Star
It took 231 years of European settlement to grow the regional population of Arizona's oldest pueblo to its current 1 million.
Now that we've ranged all over the valley and into the adjoining counties, we're going back to the original model of development — building by the river upon the ruins of the past.
It was the model for our first 4, 000 years, as civilizations piled layer upon layer in the few places that supported habitation.
It's a model we kept for 170 years after Don Hugo O'Conor selected this site for a Spanish presidio in 1775. He proclaimed that the area that is now Downtown Tucson satisfied the requirements for food, housing and shelter.
…
This was obviously the place.
…
Power to transport basic necessities and to pump water huge distances combined with the invention of the automobile and air conditioning to allow urban sprawl, suburban sprawl and the current phenomenon of meta-sprawl, which jumps physical and jurisdictional boundaries with ease. Live in Benson. Work in Tucson.
Development, which once followed rivers, now follows asphalt.
Now, as we look for ways to deal with the problems we created by spreading out, we are returning to our origins, seeking to revitalize Downtown, to rebuild and repopulate the core.
The first residents induced Downtown by Rio Nuevo will soon move into homes on streets laid over the lines of ancient canals, or acequias.
If all goes well, many will follow.
At a recent Tucson Regional Town Hall, participants talked of the need to grow up, instead of out.
"An increase in vertical development will decrease horizontal sprawl, " the report from that body proclaims.
…
RC: Pima Association of Governments
6. Pulse of the region's health - Boston Globe - United States
Substantial health disparities exist among the region's suburbs and two of its largest cities, Lowell and Lawrence, where teenagers are more than twice as likely to become pregnant and fewer expectant mothers of all ages receive adequate prenatal care, according to a new state health survey.
The report also shows gaps among racial and ethnic groups in a range of categories, including the rates of HIV infection and AIDS, asthma, diabetes mortality, and opioid overdoses. Meanwhile, the region's predominantly white suburbs are healthier than the state as a whole on a host of indicators, including rates of homicide, sexually transmitted diseases, and accident-related injuries.
The 173-page Regional Health Status Indicators report represents a departure from past documents generated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which usually releases statewide numbers or city-by-city data for certain health categories, such as births. But new Health Commissioner John Auerbach asked the department to produce region-by-region omnibus reports, dividing the state into six areas, including a northeast band that sweeps north and west of Boston through much of this area and includes the communities on the North Shore and beyond, up to the state border.
"We're providing communities with the most comprehensive health report that the department has ever released on the health of a region, " Auerbach said. The compilations do not include analysis to explain the numbers, but nonetheless should help state and local public health officials and healthcare providers better understand regional health issues. Auerbach said the reports -- and a series of public forums across the state -- will help the department set policy and funding priorities to target local health concerns.
"This is part of a developing relationship with the residents of the regions, " said Auerbach, who held a northeast forum in Andover this month.
…
RC: Metropolitan Area Planning Council
7. The Currency Of Creative - MediaPost Publications, New York
… a media economy based on size -- to a creative economy based on time.
Economies, as a rule, are governed by what is most scarce. Today, time is our most precious resource. No matter how you slice it, there are only 24 hours in a day. As the competition for our time/attention keeps increasing both online and off, the supply remains finite.
Viewers will find themselves making rational choices on where to allocate their time and attention for both the programming they watch and the commercials that they engage with. Trade-offs will be necessary. These trade-offs will prove especially critical to a marketer's success.
Because the pool of each individual's time is finite, time spent with one brand's advertising, is more than anything else, time not spent with the competitor's advertising. This alone offers value to advertisers. Since people don't normally buy from strangers, time spent with a brand's advertising should correlate directly to sales.
As the value of time spent becomes better accepted, advertisers will start to pay their agencies based on how well they create this value. The more time the viewer spends with the commercial, the better it will be for the advertiser. Hence, the more they should be willing to pay their agency. The reverse, or course, will also hold true.
In this new results-based economy, failure will no longer be lucrative.
…
8. GOLSS USA - Global Outsourcing Location Strategy Summit – The Finance Director
Taking place on 17–19 October 2007, Global Outsourcing Location Strategy Summit (GOLSS USA) is a groundbreaking event for representatives from multinational companies keen to understand what different geographical regions have to offer their organisations.
By creating a completely vendor-neutral environment, GOLSS USA encourages companies to engage openly with global sourcing regions on future plans and requirements.
In today’s business world, more and more companies are looking to source improved processes, better efficiency and growing talent from the global pool of resources available. Many companies have already sourced some of their functions abroad and are now looking to make the next step, but where?
OUTSOURCING SUMMIT
The calibre of delegate invited to this prestigious event will be from large multinationals, looking at diversifying risk by broadening the number of regions in which they currently source to incorporate new emerging markets. Companies will be looking to understand and gain better value from existing and potential sourcing contracts.
All the companies attending will have an annual turnover in excess of $1 billion. This means that all attendees will face similar challenges, allowing valuable benchmarking of sourcing practices with their peers in the industry.
Attendees will include investment promotion agencies, regional outsourcing bodies and regional development agencies from a variety of global locations. Both near and far shore destinations will attend from both emerging and reinvented markets. This diversity allows for like-for-like comparisons and challenges the rationale of using traditional geographical regions for sourcing.
OUTSOURCING, WORKSHOPS, DISCUSSION AND CONFERENCES
The format of GOLSS USA will be one-to-one business meetings run alongside world-class interactive workshops, roundtable discussions and conference content. This is a fantastic opportunity to benchmark existing practices and learn about the various global options from recognised industry sources under one roof.
…
9. Regionalization important to new chamber president - Utica Observer Dispatch - Utica, NY, USA
Frank Elias III, the new president of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce, recently spoke with the Observer-Dispatch editorial board. He has held the position for about a month.
Observer-Dispatch: What do you think the area's greatest challenges are, in terms of what the chamber deals with?
Frank Elias: Regionalization, cooperation and working with groups from outside of the area. There's often a perception of the local area not having a regional approach, not being able to work together, not having a vision. Knowing the people that are here and knowing some of the projects that we're working on, there is plenty of potential, and there is a lot going on that people are not fully aware of.
We often see Utica as separate from Rome, but when people from outside the area look at our area, we stand to benefit by regionalization by saying "Utica-Rome." I mean look at the population difference between Utica and Rome separate and Utica-Rome combined. We will be viewed much more positively if we were to act regionally and portray ourselves as a cooperative regional entity.
O-D: What are some cooperative efforts you can be involved in with the Rome Chamber of Commerce?
Elias: Well, right now, water issues. I'm getting into these things now and right now water seems to be an opportunity. The Hinckley Reservoir in Herkimer County is the water supply for much of Herkimer and Oneida counties, and there seems to be a need for water in the western part of Oneida County, so there is a terrific opportunity for us to work together to make some good things happen.
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RC: Herkimer-Oneida Counties Comprehensive Planning Program; Mohawk Valley EDGE
10. U.S. regional communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles. Highlighted words are Google search terms. In this and the following section, links to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in the U.S. in a news story. In most cases, where a full name is present a Google search will quickly get one to that organization.
.10 Tysons Re-Design Called ‘One of the Most Exciting Opportunities in US
Falls Church News Press, VA
“The focus on whether the rail line should be above or below ground is a distraction from the real issues attending this historic opportunity to impact overall regional design, ” he said. Above-ground rail need not be a deterrent to this, he went on, ...
.11 Greater Sacramento Urban League & Local Elected Officials Highlight The Challenges Faced By Minority Males in The Sacramento Region
dBusinessNews Sacramento (press release), CA
Sacramento City & County urged to develop regional long-term solutions for all minority males, living in poverty. Local elected officials and community leaders joined the Greater Sacramento Urban League in front of Sacramento ’s Historic City Hall to ...
.12 The 'R' word; going faster in Ky.
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH
A thumb goes up to Kenton County Judge Executive Ralph Drees for daring to use the "R" word - pushing for a study of regionalism. The advantages and disadvantages are worthy of debate and there are nearby models - Lexington, Louisville and Indianapolis ...
.13 County rated No. 1, city ranks No. 5 for attracting firms
Tucson Citizen, AZ - 1 hour ago
"This type of recognition in a national publication is sure to get more site selectors thinking about Tucson for future expansions and relocations, " said Joe Snell, president of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities.
.14 Volusia homeless advocate should look at regional plan
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, FL, USA
And the new Regional Commission on Homelessness would do well to invite Michael Arth to share his ideas with them. He would challenge their thinking, and, ...
.15 The arts transform, connect, and work
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona, FL, USA
The study states that those three levels of governments collectively spend less than $4 billion annually to support arts and culture -- a 7:1 return on ...
.16 Scottsdale manager is tapped to lead MAG committee
Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA
... Jan Dolan will raise her regional profile over the next year when she chairs the Management Committee of the Maricopa Association of Governments. ...
.17 Charlotte Assembly has first day
Charlotte Sun-Herald - Charlotte, FL, USA
But some members of the group felt that exclusivity does not mean regionalization, a stance reiterated by Cummings for months. ...
.18 NW Fire in SWAT dispute
Arizona Daily Star - Tucson, AZ, USA
"They will no longer subsidize, through Northwest Fire District taxpayer dollars, a regionalized (SWAT paramedic) program." It's not clear how the county ...
.19 School District Restructuring: Threat to Community Pride?
Ellsworth American - Ellsworth, ME, USA
Community involvement with the school, he fears, will diminish as local control gives way to regional oversight. “We’ve got a town that supports the school and is using the hell out of it, ” he said. …
.20 New visitors' center opens to attract tourists to region
Southeast Texas Record - Beaumont, TX, USA
... of the tourist destinations in Southeast Texas instead of just passing through, a new visitors' center for the region was officially opened June 21. ...
.21 Kentucky awarded $5 million from US Department of Labor
Milwaukee Business Journal - Milwaukee, WI, USA
Central Kentucky is one of 13 regions across the country selected to receive $5 million towards its work force development efforts. ...
.22 Water Plan: Appointees will represent regions on legislative committee
Texarkana Gazette - Texarkana, TX, USA
The Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group, Region D, will make nominations for 45 days as members prepare to appoint three people to a legislative-driven commission. …
.23 NETMWD views on water planning separate from Region D
Texarkana Gazette - Texarkana, TX, USA
While they sign the contracts for the Region D Water Planning Group, the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District said Wednesday they don't speak for the ...
.24 Speaking of regionalism
Cleveland Plain Dealer - Cleveland, OH, USA
Consultants will talk today about their new report, "Regionalism: Growing Together to Expand Opportunity to All, " which outlines how regional cooperation ...
.25 Council votes to exit RTA
The Coloradoan - Fort Collins, CO, USA
Fort Collins City Council doesn't want to participate in the regional transportation authority proposal in November but still wants a seat at the table. … "
.26 RTA meeting: Fort Collins can still play
The Coloradoan - Fort Collins, CO, USA
"You can interpret that to mean that Fort Collins is not willing to play regionally but I don't see it that way and think that is the case, " Atteberry said. ...
.27 Region will see more people - but fewer workers, forecast says
The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk, VA, USA
But employment growth in the region will not keep pace with the rise in population, he predicted. The number of jobholders in Hampton Roads, slightly more ...
.28 Tombigbee region added to Rural Action Commission
South Alabamian - Jackson, AL, USA
Gerald Dial, executive director of the Alabama Rural Action Commission, announced the addition of the Tombigbee Region to the Alabama Rural Action ...
.29 Rahall Halts Efforts to Drop Funding of Appalachian Regional Commission
HNN Huntingtonnews-net - WV, USA
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-WV, Co-Chair of the Congressional Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Caucus, was instrumental Wednesday, June 20, 2007 in helping to defeat an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would have zeroed out funding for the Commission. …
.30 Toledo Bridge, State's Costliest to Open
Forbes - NY, USA
"It just didn't make a lot of sense, " said Anthony Reams, president of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. When the bridge - called the ...
.31 NIACOG gets $51000 grant for stategies
Globe-Gazette - Mason City, IA
The North Iowa Area Council of Governments in Mason City has been awarded $51000 to formulate long-term regional economic development strategies. …
.32 Planning expert joins Highlands panel
NorthJersey.com - Hackensack, NJ, USA
The regional council is crafting a master plan to direct development away from key water-generating lands in the Highlands, which encompasses portions of ...
.33 Group seeks expansion of local walking, bike trails
By Linda Angelo
... Saginaw County Line to the Lapeer County line ranks as the No. 1 priority of the Genesee Regional Trail Council, an informal group of trail advocates with staff support provided by the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission....
11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 Trading Regional Insults Could be Outlawed
Institute for War and Peace Reporting - London, England, UK
Political scientist Bakyt Beshimov believes that regionalism is a threat to Kyrgyzstan's national security and that those who promote it should be ...
.11 UK Tops Ernst & Young 2006 List of European Direct Investment
Bloomberg - 13 minutes ago
``If you've got a large number of projects it's showing your competitive position for investment, '' said Nigel Wilcock, regional development director at Ernst & Young, in an interview. ``The UK is a low risk, stable business environment, ...
.12 OBAC and the strange case of the missing word
Opinion250 News - Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
We are talking about an organization that claims to be the "voice" of "community interests" in the region in "setting priorities" and developing "a regional ...
.13 Latin American countries will join to create Banco del Sur, a regional alternative to the World Bank and IMF
By Justin Delacour(Justin Delacour)
Next month the leaders of seven Latin American states--Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela--hope to finalize the creation of a regional development bank that is to be called Banco del Sur (trans. Bank of the South)....
.14 Region goes after TDC broadband investment
Nova News Now - New Minas, Nova Scotia, Canada
With some support from the province of Nova Scotia, Mayor Leefe said the region really underscored the importance of providing broadband service to rural areas. …
.15 Region to launch million-dollar plans
St. Catharines Standard - St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
"We believe we're ideally situated to be the economic and cultural hub of the Niagara region and wine country, " Mayor Brian McMullan said after the funding ...
.16 Russia has high hopes for Black Sea forum
RIA Novosti - Moscow, Russia
Russia and Turkey, which hope to restore their previous level in many spheres of regional cooperation, are quite worried about the appearance of US naval ...
.17 East Africa: Expansion of the EAC Will Turn the Region's Fortunes Around
AllAfrica.com - Washington, USA
Unfortunately, there are some Ugandans who falsely believe that mere steps to regional integration are supposed to solve each and every problem ...
.18 Govt fails to ask EC to study Gozo
maltaStar.com - Malta
The Commission would be asked to propose appropriate measures, as required, in the framework of the Community regional policy or other relevant Community ...
.19 Regional Airports, Cargo Fuel Development In India
Aviation Week - New York, NY, USA
Airport development, especially construction of or upgrades to many existing regional airports and new cargo facilities, is a priority ...
.20 Singapore company to prepare master plan for Punjab city
PunjabNewsline.com - Mohali-Chandigarh, Punjab, India
The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) Friday executed an agreement with MIS. Jurong International Private Limited (a Government Company owned by Singapore) for preparing the Regional Development Plan and the Master Plans of the areas and towns situated within the jurisdiction of GMADA. ...
.21 In Bolivia, fight over government seat feeds efforts to create autonomous regions
San Diego Union Tribune - United States
Morales has vigorously fought state autonomy, and instead has proposed autonomous regions for 36 different Bolivian indigenous groups. ...
.22 Penang can be region's LED Valley: Expert
Business Times - Malaysia - Malaysia
PENANG has the potential to become a Light Emitting Diode (LED) Valley for the region with its manufacturing strength and research ... major technology economies like South Korea, Taiwan and China have earmarked LED as a 'national priority' to reduce carbon dioxide levels under the Kyoto Protocol. …
.23 Workshop on Regional Planning Opens in Damascus
SANA - Syrian Arab News Agency - Damascus, Syria
Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri underlined on Sunday importance of the regional planning as a basic work for local development and a tool to push the reform process forwards . ...
.24 Review: Fourteen Word Processors Compared
By RossB
In one of those "a customer just asked me how the different word processors compare to each other" types of questions and answers, here'sa great comparison of 14 word processors, including 3 online ones and both minor and major players ...
12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 Mark Belling Rips Regionalism: Says It's A Pro-Milwaukee Plot
By James Rowen(James Rowen)
Mark Belling rants in The Freeman that the M-7 regional collaboration will steer development away from the suburbs into the City of Milwaukee. Even for Belling, this is blather. Freeway expansion...water diversion planning.
.11 Why I'm Voting 'Yes' by Jim Cownie, 2007 Greater Des Moines Partnership Chair
By Women's Chamber Alliance(Women's Chamber Alliance)
The power of this new regionalism is more than persuasive enough to vote "Yes, " but it's still not the reason I will. My motivation is much more selfish. I'm doing it for my grand kids. Not for any altruistic idea that by investing in ...
.12 Comment on We have a ways to go to build regional collaboration by Ed Morrison
We are trying to foster a regional network of people and organizations in the workforce area to share best practices and begin to build a regional response. But this is a very fractured area and bring a regional approach to workforce is ...
.13 The Oslo Manual on Innovation as our Last Competitive Advantage
By Dr. Lauchlan A. K. Mackinnon(Dr. Lauchlan A. K. Mackinnon)
A recent article in BRW discusses the evolution of the OECD Oslo Manual over its three editions, providing a lens through which to view how thinking on innovation has evolved over the last 15 years. …
.14 Measuring benefits of the booming economy
By Bradley Meacham
For details on how BC stacks up, take a look at the latest Cascadia Scorecard by Seattle's Sightline Institute, which includes a wide range of alternative indicators to measure regional development.
.15 How Cascadia's economy ranks among nations
Here's an interesting take on the size of Cascadia's economy. This map replaces U.S. state names with a country of similar economic size.
.16 A Charming Metropolis
By Ryan Avent
Even modest improvements, increasing average rail speeds to 100 mph, could completely alter the way residents of the mid Atlantic region live and work. At that speed, to say nothing of attainable and much greater velocities available to ...
.17 Spotlight: Ryan White Planning Council
By David Mariner(David Mariner)
The mission of the Metropolitan Washington Regional Health Services Planning Council is to plan for the comprehensive delivery of HIV/AIDS services and allocation of resources for the Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA), as mandated by the ...
.18 Regionalize
By (Sarpy Sam)
In a letter sent on June 19 to the Senate Finance Committee, the US Cattlemen's Association ( USCA ) made it clear that opposing regionalization of Argentina, related to animal health disease issues for import purposes, ...
.19 St. Kilda the Opera: beyond the Central Belt monoculture
By scottish futures
Instead it's clear that micro-regional identity can act on an international stage. Five nations (Scotland, France, Austria, Belgium and Germany) and at least four art forms (film, theatre, dance, opera) have combined in a wonderful ...
.20 206 - Earth's Tree News
By olyecology(olyecology)
Note: Multiple region related reports. Ed.
International support and regional cooperation, especially from timber importing countries, is essential to preserve the remaining orangutans, the rainforests of Southeast Asia, and the people whose livelihoods rely on these ecosystems, ...
.21 Where are the political divides on international development?
Overseas Development Institute - By Simon Maxwell
Eighth, there was an interesting difference of emphasis on the role of governments. Gareth Thomas was emphatic that only Governments could underwrite service provision, and was sceptical of the view that NGOs could take on this job. ...
.22 Instituto Elo Amigo: $130051
Purpose: promote regional development through the implementation of a comprehensive cluster of projects in the region of Medio Jaguaribe, state of Ceará, northeast Brazil, with a focus on creating an inter-institutional management ...
.23 Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais de Iguatú: $71920
Purpose: promote regional development, with a focus on improving the social work with youth and families, through the implementation of a comprehensive cluster of projects in the region of Medio Jaguaribe, state of Ceará, ...
.24 "Asian Regionalism: Threat to the WTO-Based Trading System or Paper Tiger?" By Mark Thoma
Asian regionalism: threat to the WTO-based trading system or paper tiger?, by Richard Pomfret, VoxEU: The GATT/WTO system is based on the principle of nondiscrimination, the unconditional MFN principle enshrined in Article I of the GATT ...
.25 Climate change: global governance is failing.
By Willy De Backer
Therefore, I think it makes much more sense to focus our climate change efforts on local and regional governance structures which also have the advantage of being closer to the citizens who will have to change behaviour if any climate ...
.26 brain regions & envisioning the future
By Nik
Brain imaging research at the University of Washington in St-Louis now sheds light on the regions of the brain we use to imagine future events. It turns out they strongly overlap with the regions we use to recollect the past. ...
.28 Create regions in your code with Regionerate
By Adi(Adi)
Browsing through code is always a lot easier using regions, and I keep grouping methods/fields/properties in my code in regions. Now it seems I found the perfect tool for me: Regionerate lets you define regions in your code and ...
.27 Crunching numbers for iPhone: benchmarks, regional and quarterly, to reach 10 Million
Communities Dominate Brands - By Tomi T Ahonen
First, I am actively ignoring regional differences. I know fully well, that Americans get the oldest, crappiest, phones today. Europeans get much better phones, but the best phones are in South Korea and Japan. So the penetration rates ...
.28 Mars Special Regions Meeting
By NASA Ames Research Center
Jennifer Heldmann has been invited to participate in a special COSPAR Colloquium on Mars Special Regions. This meeting is an essential step in developing an international consensus on the definition of "special" regions on Mars, ...
13. Announcements and Regional Links
.10 ccNSO Regions Working Group Report of the ICANN Geographical Regions
The ICANN Geographic Regions form the basis of the regional structure of the ALAC and ccNSO, and are used to ensure the geographic diversity of the ICANN Board, ccNSO and GNSO Council. The Geographic Regions are defined by: …
.11 Call for Papers - RSA Winter Conference "Transport, Mobility and Regional Development"
Papers are invited on the following themes:
• Regional development and trans-national transport networks
• Transport issues and policy in dynamic regions
• Connecting peripheral regions
• Transport and regional sustainability
• Personal mobility and transport policy
• The role of transport in contemporary regional policy
• Transport planning and multi-scalar governance
• Mobility and regional labour markets
Please submit offers of papers in the form of 400 word abstracts through the Regional Studies Association on-line conference portal by Friday 6th July 2007. Your MS Word file should contain your name, telephone, fax and e-mail details. To submit go to
www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk and follow the Winter Conference Call for Papers link.
14. Subscription
.10 Forging On - Winston-Salem Journal (subscription), NC
Supporters of the Heart of the Triad plan shouldn’t despair over the recent failure of a state Senate bill that would have gotten the plan more than $2.2 million over the next two fiscal years. The plan for orderly growth is needed now more than ever. But organizers need to do a better job of selling it to the public — including legislators.
Coordinators of the plan are focusing on several thousand acres in the area of Guilford and Forsyth counties that spreads from the western fringe of Greensboro to the eastern fringe of Winston-Salem to the northern fringe of High Point. They want to enlist local governments to approve a regional planning strategy for the land. The sad alternative, they suggest, is seeing the area eaten up by urban sprawl.
But the backers have met with resistance from longtime landowners in the area, who say they feel threatened by the plan to bring in a business park and related development. They fear such development would destroy the rural beauty of their land, even though supporters say that a key point in their plan would be preserving plenty open space.
Pushing the plan is certainly an uphill battle, and the backers must often feel as though they’re trying to herd cats. There are several municipalities involved, including some leaders in those municipalities who have their doubts about the plan. “Regionalism” sounds nice, but the process of trying to effect it for a project like this is downright hard.
Add in all the residents involved, and the difficulty level rises even higher.
As they said in Cool Hand Luke, what we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.
…
.11 Nitrates seep into aquifers - Ventura County Star (subscription) - Ventura County, CA, USA
For more than seven years, the residents of El Rio, Strickland Acres, Saticoy and Oxnard's College Tract have lived with a regulatory time bomb ticking in their backyards.
Blamed for contaminating one of the county's most important water supplies, they've been ordered to stop using septic systems to treat their household wastewater by Jan. 1, 2008. Since that prohibition was enacted by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board in 1999, homeowners have grappled with the prospect of skyrocketing monthly utility bills and thousands of dollars per household to dig trenches, lay pipe and connect to an expanded city sewer system.
But as the deadline approaches, new research suggests aging septic systems are not the sole source of the nitrates contaminating the local water supply. Area farmers, particularly those who grow strawberries — the county's most valuable agricultural commodity, worth more than $328 million last year — also share responsibility. And growers on the Oxnard Plain may soon find themselves forced to adopt new irrigation strategies or risk sanctions from state water-quality regulators.
"It's something we're really going to have to be concerned about, " said Rex Laird, chief executive officer of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County.
Tracking contaminants
Over the past three years, the United Water Conservation District has been monitoring how irrigation water behaves after it leaves sprinkler heads and dripper tubes in orchards and fields. With grant funding from the State Water Resources Control Board, United installed sensors at about 70 sites scattered across farmland that, like El Rio and its neighboring unincorporated communities, sits atop a critical groundwater basin.
…
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:
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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
