A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
1. American Chamber of Commerce Executives and Alliance for Regional Stewardship Announce Affiliation Agreement – Alliance for Regional Stewardship – Philadelphia, PA
The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS) announced an Affiliation Agreement that will bring new regionalism programming to Chambers across the country and will help expand the multi-sector partnerships for regional development that ARS has promoted.
ACCE is a national non-profit association, founded in 1914, that serves individuals in Chamber of Commerce management. ARS is a national non-profit network of public and private practitioners, launched in 2000, whose mission is to build strong, globally-competitive regions for the U.S.
Under the Agreement to be signed this summer, ARS will become a signature part of ACCE's expanded focus on regional activities, research and partnerships. ACCE will assume responsibility for the management, funding, and operations of ARS. Current and new ARS programming will be offered to ACCE members, and to interested leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors who want to promote development in their regions.
"With this affiliation, " said Mick Fleming, President of ACCE, "ACCE will expand available resources for communities and chambers related to regionalism. We will establish a separate wing of our website for ARS with regionalism-related content, links, research and resources. We will expand ARS consulting services and energize the ARS Regional Stewardship Awards program. And we will ensure strong regionalism content in our national meetings.
"This affiliation agreement is a win/win for regional activists and for the 1, 500 Chambers of Commerce across the country. Business leaders increasingly are engaging across political and geographic boundaries to help solve the challenges confronting their communities. ARS brings experience in more than 50 regions as advisors and mentors, helping build the multi-sector coalitions that are the key to regional success.”
Joan Riehm, Chair of the ARS Board of Directors, noted that the ARS Board adopted an ambitious strategic plan last year to expand its services, but found it needed a strong organizational framework to make the plan a reality. "We are delighted that ACCE sees the value that ARS has built in helping deliver real, measurable results in the regions where we have worked. We're looking forward to expanding our consulting, research, and information services to reach a much broader audience than we could do on our own."
David Thornburgh, current President and CEO of ARS, will be stepping down from that position once the Affiliation Agreement is complete. Riehm, a consultant in Public Issues Management based in Louisville, KY, will serve as interim executive director of ARS through 2007, until ACCE hires a staff director for its expanded regional activities.
2. Rising gas prices haven't stopped Tucsonans from driving alone - Arizona Daily Star - Tucson, AZ, USA
Even with rising gas prices, more Tucsonans are driving to work alone, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau analysis.
About 72.6 percent of us commuted alone in 2005, up from 71 percent in 2000. And fewer of us shared our rides, with the carpool rate falling to 14.3 percent in 2005 from 15.7 percent in 2002, the study shows.
But there is some good news: more of us are choosing not to commute at all, and we have some of the highest rates of bicycling to work and carpooling.
The number of people who work from home is growing, eliminating the need for many people to travel out the front door to get to work. About 3.6 percent of the workforce was home-based in 2005, compared to 2.9 percent in 2000.
Tucson ranked fourth among large cities in bike commuting, with 2.2 percent of the workforce pedaling to the office.
That’s 5.5 times the national average of 0.4 percent.
And we ranked seventh for carpooling, with 14.3 percent of workers sharing rides, which is higher than the national average of 10.7 percent.
Tucson’s success in these areas is probably the result of local ordinances that aim to reduce traffic and improve air quality, said Rita Hildebrand, who manages the Travel Reduction Program for the Pima Association of Governments.
The local law requires employers with 100 or more workers to encourage employees to use the bus, carpool, ride a bike or walk at least once a week. In 2005, 30 percent of participants at those bigger employers did, she said.
“Now, because of the cost of the gas, carpooling should make sense to share the cost of the gasoline, ” Hildebrand said.
“You don’t have to change your lifestyle, but do your share” is the motto that she shares with employers.
…
3. Piece together cooperation - Detroit Free Press - United States
There's a suburban county commissioner hereabouts who cracks that every time he hears "regionalism" he reaches for his wallet. That's not a joke -- it's a perception, one of many that the leaders of "One D: Transforming Regional Detroit" will have to counter if their concept is really going to become a movement.
That particular perception assumes regionalism means taking from the suburbs and giving to the city. But there's another one that says regionalism means the city surrendering some of its control to the suburbs. Both are deeply rooted in thinking that anything regional must have winners and losers, that the whole of southeast Michigan cannot be more important than any of its parts.
Suburban political leaders pay lip service to the importance of Detroit but don't believe their constituents see much value in the city, and they act accordingly. The city's political leadership, meantime, seems to see regionalism as a threat to Detroit's power over its own affairs.
At the Detroit Regional Chamber's recent policy conference on Mackinac Island, there was overwhelming enthusiasm among attendees for regional problem solving but a tepid response from political leaders. These entrenched attitudes do not reflect the thinking among ordinary southeast Michigan folks who just want good jobs and a great place to live. They are why One D has to work around the political establishment but also speak to it with one voice on behalf of the public.
The very existence of One D -- representing thousands of large and small businesses, service organizations, civic and cultural institutions and progressive community leaders -- shows there is a majority constituency for throwing out old attitudes and finding a new, more united path to the future.
…
Comments (online)
ridel
This is another one in a long line of attempts to get others to pay for the ills of the city of Detroit. Not on a bet, every organization involved is Detroit this and Detroit that, until it is no longer One D but One M (Michigan) don't look for many of us to align ourselves with this plan.
…
RC: Southeast Michigan Council of Governments - SEMCOG
4. Bill focuses on regional Megasite authorities in Tennessee Assembly - Weakley County Press - Martin, TN, USA
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber praised bill sponsors Sen. Lowe Finney (D-Jackson) and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) along with members of the Tennessee General Assembly for passage of the Tennessee Regional Megasite Authority Act of 2007. The act authorizes Tennessee cities and counties to work together to develop regional industrial megasites designed to attract new jobs and capital investment.
"By this action, the Tennessee General Assembly has made it easier for cities and counties to work together to develop sites attractive to companies with plans to invest in new plants and create new jobs, " said Commissioner Kisber.
...
"This law sets up an orderly, transparent process through which counties and cities can enter into cooperative agreements to establish megasites, while allowing members of the public to provide input to that process, " said Finney.
"Communities who want to create these sites now have clear guidance about how to go about it."
"I believe this effort will make Tennessee more competitive in attracting large scale industrial investment, " said Fitzhugh.
"It gives cities and counties a mechanism for cooperating on a regional scale, sharing in both the costs of development and the benefits of new jobs and investment."
The legislation defines a megasite as an industrial site of "generally 1, 000 contiguous acres in size" and establishes governance by a board of directors consisting of the mayors of each county or municipality participating in the effort, along with a member of the industrial development boards of each participating community. In addition, two non-voting members may be selected by the U.S. Representative in whose district the site lies and by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Each director will serve a two-year term without compensation.
...
5. Esmonde: Regionalism is one way to lessen racism - Buffalo News, Buffalo, New York
Paul Clark reminded us this week of the obvious: Our region is among the most segregated in the nation.
Clark, a candidate for county executive, described Buffalo Niagara on WBEN radio as one of the most “racist.”
His apparent source was a national study done six years ago by a professor at the University at Albany. The report, based on the 2000 census, actually was not about racism. It was about segregation.
It revealed that outside of the region’s three major cities — Buffalo, Lackawanna and Niagara Falls — 95 percent of our residents are white. It makes us America’s eighth-most-segregated community.
We can all join in a mock cheer: We’re No. 8!
Thankfully, we are largely beyond the days of the “n” word and blatant exclusion by color. The walls that keep the races apart are high, but those walls are mainly economic.
I’m not saying racism has been wiped clean from every heart. Primitive attitudes still exist. But I don’t think racism is the driving factor in our separation by color. The attitude I see from many middle- and upper-income folks is simple: If you keep up your house, mow the lawn and say hello on the street, we’re happy to call you “neighbor” — whether you are white, black, brown or green.
The problem is, you can’t live on a lot of streets unless you have the bucks. The suburbs have weak public transit and lack lower-income housing. For the most part, only folks who can afford a house and a car can afford to live there. The segregation is economic, but — because minorities are disproportionately poor — it means that it’s racial as well. It does not have to be that way.
Other regions made laws to bring have-mores and have-lesses closer together. Other regions saw that separate-but- unequal towns, villages and neighborhoods make the community weaker. Other regions saw that warehousing the poor in cities only deepened problems.
City schools filled with baggage heavy kids from bleak streets do not spawn many success stories, no matter how good their teachers are. Uneducated kids are more likely to turn to crime, to end up on welfare, to be a burden to a community — instead of a jobholding, tax-paying asset.
Other regions saw economic — and racial — segregation as a problem and did something about it.
In some cities, new housing must include some lower-income units.
…
6. Battle lines the same this time around in fight for state senate seat - The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk, VA, USA
Richard Ramsey is driven by one political passion: a hatred of regional government.
It formed the backbone for his unsuccessful campaign against state Sen. Frederick Quayle in 2003, and nothing has changed this go-around. On Tuesday, Ramsey, a retired insurance salesman, will again challenge Quayle in the Republican primary for Senate District 13.
The winner will face off against the winner of the Democratic primary between David Bouchard, a Chesapeake lawyer, and Steve Heretick, a lawyer and Portsmouth City Councilman.
Ramsey, 76, said regional entities such as the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the Southeastern Public Service Authority, and the proposed transportation authority, which Quayle supports, erode representative democracy and will eventually lead to an all-encompassing regional super government.
"The saddest thing is the people aren't being told, and the people in the power structure are fully aware of what is going on, " he said. "The bottom line is we're going from a representative form of government to an administrative dictatorship."
Quayle, 71, dismissed Ramsey's theory.
"You've got to have cooperation with localities in your region or you're going to fail, " he said.
Quayle cited the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, a regional wastewater treatment entity, as a successful example of regional cooperation. He said the proposed transportation authority, while not perfect, does not infringe on representative democracy and is needed before gridlock overwhelms the region.
"What we have proposed is an authority with specific powers - how much they can tax, and what they can levy them on and what they can use the proceeds for, " he said. "That's a little different than establishing a regional government and giving them carte blanche to levy whatever taxes they want."
...
7. Editorial: A regional approach to public health - MetroWest Daily News - Framingham, MA, USA
It's been another painful budget season in the town halls of MetroWest. As finance committees and town meetings went through the difficult process of cutting needed spending to square with available revenue, there are always calls to take a fresh look at how municipalities provide services. Could money be saved by getting communities to work together? If towns could share expertise and specialized equipment, could the taxpayers get more bang for their bucks? Isn't it time to get serious about regionalization?
Too often, those questions go unanswered. Municipal employees can think of lots of reasons why changing things wouldn't work. Part-time officials and interested citizens are often so exhausted by the budget battles that they are happy to turn their attention to other concerns. But before they put their spreadsheets away, those who care about the quality and affordability of municipal services ought to open their minds to other possibilities.
One such opportunity is the proposal being advanced by John Auerbach, the state's new public health commissioner. He says it's time smaller cities and towns consider regional approaches to public health. Auerbach isn't proposing that towns get rid of their elected boards of health - that would be heresy. But they should consider whether they could do more if they could share regional expertise and resources.
. …
Regionalization of municipal services faces two obstacles: the instinctive resistance to anything perceived as a threat to the "sovereignty" of fiercely proud communities, and the personal agendas of the handful of town employees who might be affected by a new idea. Officials with a broader view, those whose horizons extend at least to next year's budget crisis, can best serve all their constituents by opening their minds to this and other proposals to share resources across town lines.
8. Capital Region Plan Moving - Edmonton News, Edmonton, Alberta
Capital region municipalities appear poised to put their differences aside and finally hammer out a plan to guide regional growth.
Mayor Stephen Mandel said the minister of municipal affairs has received a letter signed by all 23 municipalities in support of developing what he called a “regional growth management plan.”
Among other things, it could include an agreement to improve public transit in the region, he speculated.
“We’re facing exponential growth, ” Mandel said. “It’s putting incredible pressure on all of us. We need to be able to work together as a region to meet the challenges.”
Mandel met with Premier Ed Stelmach today to discuss the matter. “The premier was very clear, " said Mandel. "He was in support of it.”
Strathcona County Mayor Cathy Olesen said a consultant must still be hired to develop the plan and funding must be secured.
Consultant brought in
She said the consultant will look at regional land-use planning – things like where residential and commercial developments should go – so everyone is on the same page.
David Sands, a spokesman for the premier, said the province has been asked to facilitate the process.
“We’re not at a proposal stage here, ” he said. “The support from the premier’s office demonstrates we are moving forward with this.”
Mandel said the municipalities “would still maintain their individual character” while working together “to be more efficient.”
“We’re not at a proposal stage here, ” he said. “The support from the premier’s office demonstrates we are moving forward with this.”
Mandel said the municipalities “would still maintain their individual character” while working together “to be more efficient.”
He stressed Edmonton isn’t looking to annex any of the surrounding communities. “This is in no way going to affect any individual municipality’s right to exist.”
Olesen suggested the final agreement may include provisions for the sharing of costs between municipalities for things like roads, but revenue sharing isn’t an option.
Mandel said he expects more details to be released shortly.
Bickering has been a staple between Capital Region municipalities in recent months. Edmonton pulled out of the Alberta Capital Region Alliance – which aims to address co-operative regional growth – claiming ACRA had stagnated.
9. Focus On Careers: North Carolina - Opportunity and Community - ScienceCareers.org - Washington, DC, USA
Trees, tees, and Ph.D.s" is the phrase locals use to portray North Carolina's Research Triangle Park (RTP), an 8-mile by 2-mile area bordered by Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham. The area does, in fact, boast one of the highest per capita concentrations of Ph.D.s. Only the street-level concrete signs reveal the region's foremost function; the peaceful, tree-lined roads winding through rolling hills are more in keeping with the scenery of a nature reserve than that of a hotbed of scientific research.
One should not underestimate the area, however. The entire state of North Carolina ranks third in the nation, behind Boston and California, for its number of biotechnology companies, according to Ernst and Young's 2006 Industry Survey, and nearly 400 bioscience companies—albeit hidden behind pine trees—are headquartered or have operations in the state. The RTP itself is the largest planned research park in the world and contains more than 150 companies (132 R&D-related), employing about 40, 000 people, and continues to expand, unbounded by geographical limits.
Research Focus
The effort to transform the Raleigh-Durham region—and also the entire state of North Carolina—into a technology and research leader began in the 1950s. RTP, the focal point of that effort, opened in 1959, with its first tenant, Research Triangle International, now the nation's second largest independent nonprofit research organization. The region is also home to several biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical plants including Merck, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Wyeth, and Novartis as well as one of the largest concentrations of contract research organizations in the world.
Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical R&D is the leading industry in the area. In addition, three of the world's largest agribusiness companies—Bayer CropScience, Syngenta Biotechnology, and BASF Corp.—have headquarters in the region. Other clusters of industry include biological agents and infectious diseases, analytical instrumentation, nanoscale technologies, and informatics. ...
RC: Triangle J Council of Governments
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 Piedmont Triad Partnership Awards Second Round of WIRED Focus Grants
dBusinessNews Triad (press release) - NC, USA
The Piedmont Triad Partnership (PTP) has identified three recipients of Focus Talent Development Grants ... They are funded by the $15 million U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant awarded to the Piedmont Triad Partnership in 2006. ...
.11 For business growth, state must restructure
Detroit Free Press - United States
The private sector must be the catalyst for implementing regionalism. We believe One D is the vehicle to reach this goal. The second action required is to ...
.12 Regional Partners in Detroit LISC's Neighborhoods NOW Initiative Present Plans for $100M in Future Development
Earthtimes-org - USA
For the first time, Detroit and suburban community coalitions work together, unveil their regional plans and maps for neighborhood revitalization in seven areas of metro Detroit;... http://www.liscnet.org/
.13 Regional forum scheduled on transportation issues
The Republican - Springfield, MA, USA
Elected officials from across New England will gather in Springfield on June 22 for a conference on the region's transportation infrastructure. Among the issues to be addressed will be a proposed commuter rail system running from New Haven, Conn., to Springfield to Vermont. The summit, "Springfield at the Crossroads, "...
.14 Towns Seek Regional Clout Through New Association
Leesburg Today - Leesburg, VA, USA
Mayors and town managers in Northern Virginia will have a new collective voice in the near future. Meeting in Herndon last Thursday, the assembled representatives from the towns of Clifton, Dumfries, Haymarket, Herndon, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, Round Hill and Vienna agreed to form the Town Association of Northern Virginia to make sure that regional panels that are growing in power and chiefly controlled by county government leaders don't overlook municipal interests….
.15 Jenkins new head of Rural Md. Council
Cumberland Times-News - Cumberland, MD, USA
David Jenkins has been named executive director of the Rural Maryland Council … Jenkins was the executive director of the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland (TCCSMD) …
.16 Few are moving to upstate
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, NY, USA
While the upstate population has barely grown for more than a decade, that's not because New Yorkers are fleeing the region in huge numbers, according to a new report. Instead, it is that so few people are moving in — fewer than in any other region of the country, according to census data …
.17 Cities get new ideas at forum
Tribune Chronicle - Warren, OH, USA
New optimism and seasoned skepticism emerged from a public forum Wednesday on reviving troubled cities in the Mahoning Valley and around the state. For Warren Mayor Michael J. O’Brien, the city’s efforts to supply water to Southington illustrates regional cooperation. …
.18 Reno Police Department Gets New Graffiti Abatement Truck
KRNV - Reno, NV, USA
A new self-contained graffiti vandalism abatement truck has joined the regional anti-graffiti campaign bringing the number of graffiti cleanup vehicles to three. ... The Reno Police Department's Graffiti Enforcement Team (GET) last year regionalized its efforts to include the Reno Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff's Office and ...
.19 Wood River Economic Partnership Looks to Governments for Support in Regional Planning
Sun Valley Online-com (press release) - Hailey, ID, USA
... Partnership (WREP) looks forward to the local governments move to organize as the Blaine County Regional Leadership Council (BRLC). Government interest in build a strong regional community through cooperation, leadership and planning is critical at this time in the valley's history. ...
.20 AZ regions experiencing an increase in fissures
Water Technology Online - Latham, NY, USA
“Earth fissures are associated with basin subsidence that accompanies extensive groundwater mining. … Fissures also become a conduit, delivering runoff and contaminated waters to basin aquifers, according to the AZGS. …
.21 Five accused of embezzling GTPDD funds
The Commercial Dispatch - Columbus, MS, USA
An administrator for the Starkville-based Golden Triangle Planning and Development District and four others have been arrested and charged with embezzling federal money meant to build homes for low-income residents. …
.22 Former URCOG worker's suit rejected by jury
News-Review - Roseburg, OR, USA
... County jury has ruled against a former employee who claimed she was misled by officials from the now-defunct Umpqua Regional Council of Governments. ...
.23 ISO New England report finds electricity markets performed efficiently and reliably in 2006
Electric Light & Power/ Utility Automation & Engineering T&D Magazine - Tulsa, OK, USA
"In addition, efficient markets should support reliable operation of the regional power system, encourage needed investments in electricity production ...
.24 A flying leap
Los Angeles Daily News - Los Angeles, CA, USA
The city-bound LAX can and should only grow so much. Already the overtaxed behemoth is a burden to its neighbors. Air-traffic growth must be contained primarily in regional outposts such as the Antelope Valley and Ontario. …
.25 Benefits of regional cooperation emphasized
Daily Press - Newport News, VA, USA
In Jamestown 2007, major players in the Historic Triangle "found a common cause and common focus" that "must endure indefinitely, " … "Continue with a regional approach." ….
.26 National Geographic Map Guide will include Valley birding site
Eastern Arizona Courier - Safford, AZ, USA
Several Gila Valley birding sites have been selected for inclusion in the National Geographic Arizona-Sonora Desert Region Geotourism MapGuide. ...
.27 Michigan Tourism Business: Holecek's Geotourism editorial
Michigan Tourism Business
… in common use today, include: agriculture-tourism, eco-tourism, cultural-tourism, green-tourism, mass-tourism, and sustainable-tourism. A new hyphenated form of tourism, geo-tourism, was introduced by speakers at the Travel Industry of America’s …
.28 Fort Collins council urged to reconsider RTA
Northern Colorado Business Report - Fort Collins, CO, USA
With heavy traffic buzzing by in the background, supporters of a Northern Colorado regional transportation authority held a press conference Thursday requesting that the Fort Collins City Council reconsider its apparent rejection of support for an RTA. ...
.29 Retailers told to fight theft at local level
The News Journal - Wilmington, DE, USA
... task of fighting for local laws on retailers' behalf will now be led by Thomas R. Zapf, a regional Macy's executive who was named chairman of the Retail Council ... Local law enforcement also must become more willing to tackle cases that cross jurisdictional lines. ...
.30 US supermarkets: fighting for survival
Food Business Review - USA
At the moment, the US grocery market is both fragmented and regionalized - something which plays into the hands of Wal-Mart and other retailers with a truly ...
11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
The Japan Times
Considering that Asia is coalescing economically but becoming more divided politically, Asian security and prosperity demands cooperative relationships between the major players. This is more so because of Asia's conflicting political and strategic cultures and weak regional institutions. Initiatives like the 26-nation ARF, the 16-state East Asia Summit (EAS) and the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum are too large and unwieldy to bear enduring results by themselves. They need to be complemented by smaller initiatives that involve the important powers in different permutations. …
.11 Failure is not an option
Guardian Unlimited – UK
Since the end of the cold war, the vast majority of international crises have been triggered by states unable and sometimes unwilling to uphold the rule of law. State failure in places like Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti and Afghanistan not only caused unspeakable human suffering at home, but also compromised the international order through international terrorism, regional wars and the mass exodus of refugees. …
.12 Region of Peel Announces Initiatives To Improve Air Quality
Brampton Guardian - Ontario, Canada
The annual Smog Summits focus on developing short-term, concrete measures to improve air quality as well as encouraging intergovernmental and public-private ...
.13 NDP Wants to Keep FedNor Funds in Northern Ontario
Soonews-ca - Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
The NDP has introduced legislation to make FedNor a fully independent regional development agency, similar to three others in Canada, with a new mandate to invest exclusively in Northern Ontario. …
.14 Bid to boost region's economy
Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The conference aims to build on an emerging consensus within the wider city region on how to ensure the Edinburgh City region becomes one of the top ...
.15 Electric trains may signal an end to level crossings
New Zealand Herald - New Zealand
Auckland Regional Council's transport policy committee called yesterday for a staff report on prospects for the region's 61 level-crossings. ...
.16 Region to consider new $22.7M museum
Waterloo Record - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
And the bulk of the cost -- up to $19 million -- is slated to be paid by regional taxpayers, according to a report before councillors. "For a community that ...
.17 Public Meeting On Peel Region Official Plan Review A Success
Brampton Guardian - Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Utilizing valuable input from residents and community stakeholders, the Region of Peel has set the course for the Peel Region Official Plan (ROP) Review. ... Peel ROP, a comprehensive document that sets a long-term policy framework for decision making in Peel. ...
.18 Water Local Governance Forum Concludes in Amman
Jordan News Agency (Petra) - Jordan
Local water governance, they said, requires that special efforts are made to include vulnerable groups.... Euro-Med Participatory Water Resources Scenarios (EMPOWERS Partnership), is a four year regional programme working in Egypt, Jordan and ...
.19 Major Principles of Islamic Governance
Daily Sun - Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria
The Western ideology places a great emphasis on the institution of democracy. Yet it is not an unmixed blessing and has seeds of its destruction from within. Democracy as developed in the West is based on the concept of popular sovereignty. There is no relevance to the eternal religious guidance and absolute moral values in matters of governance. ...
.20 Promoting governance : The World Bank organizes consultations in Morocco
World Bank Group - Washington, DC, USA
... to strengthen the Bank’s approach to promoting governance and combating corruption. ... consultations with public sector ministries and departments, civil society, members of Parliament, private sector, academia and other stakeholders. ...
.21 Olli Rehn's speech at Committee of Regions (Original Text)
ABHaber - Brüksel, Belgium
The acceleration of globalisation over the past decades has led –some might say paradoxically- to an increased demand for strong regions, strong municipalities and other local authorities, both in the North and the South. ...
.22 South Asia and the Asian resurgence
Asian Tribune - Bangkok, Thailand
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created in 1985 to promote economic development and social progress in South Asia through ...
.23 RCIPS skills reinforce regional crime fighting
Cayman Net News - grand cayman, Cayman Islands
... RCIPS learning how to use the crime recording system known as OTRCIS (Overseas Territories Regional Criminal Intelligence System) to its full potential. ...
.24 County deemed official wine region
The Kingston Whig-Standard - Kingston, Ontario, Canada
... While there are 15 other viticultural areas in Ontario, Prince Edward County joins Niagara, Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island as the province's four main wine regions. …
.25 USEPA to help improve environmental governance
Hindu - Chennai, India
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) will focus on helping India strengthen its environmental compliance and enforcement mechanisms, as part of a collaborative programme. …
.26 12-university consortium joins Google Digitization Project
Penn State Live - PA, USA
... by this agreement, the libraries' intention to build a shared digital repository to house public domain materials is a ground-breaking collaboration. ...
.27 Britons Hooked on the Net: Regions Specialized by Their Internet Uses
TMCnet - USA
The Internet usage habits identified by the report vary from region to region according to a household's lifestyle needs and were broken down into the following categories: Del-Boys of the north – 70 percent of 'net-izens' in the North East of the UK are buying and selling more goods via the web than anywhere else in the country compared to the national figure of 59 percent. ...
.28 For Iraq: Community Based Security
TPMCafe - New York, NY, USA
Such communal security entails granting a high level of autonomy to regional governments, such as the Kurds in the north and the Shia in the south. ...
.29 Meeting makes much of money for municipality
North Thompson Times - Clearwater, British Columbia, Canada
Residents and property owners go to the polls on Saturday, June 16, to decide if Clearwater will become a municipality. Money – where it would come from and how it would be spent – appeared to be the focus of most questions …
.30 Gloucester to boost tourism by 'marketing to the world'
24dash-com - Hereford, Herefordshire, UK
It will enable us to tell Gloucester's story locally, regionally and internationally and boost tourism and business for the City."
12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 By the Numbers: Top Talent Clusters for Small Regions
By Creativity Group
As we've done the past three weeks, we list the top three small regions for each cluster. Our rankings are based on three criteria: size of the labor force, LQ, and salary. Metro_picture_2 If you would like more detail or a complete ...
.11 Inter-regional Connectivity
By globalburgh(globalburgh)
In addition to the Tech Council of Maryland, its approximately 25 clients include Engineering Systems Solutions Corp. and Greentree Homes in Frederick, Rodgers Consulting Inc. in Germantown and Conquest Technologies Inc. in Sykesville. ...
.12 Guiding conversations
By Ed Morrison(Ed Morrison)
"What would our downtown look like as the center of a vibrant arts community"" "Could our local food producers develop a regional brand?" "Could we create an entrepreneurship program with a business plan competition in every high school ...
.13 CNY Regional Market Update
By Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Radishes, lettuces, spring onions and scallions, and soon--strawberries--are all ripe right for picking right about now but if you want to get the organic versions at the Saturday Central New York Regional Market you will have limited ...
.14 Community study suggests ways to develop Helena, Phillips County
By Southern Bancorp News
According to the study, Helena-West Helena - a new city to be created by the upcoming merger of two cities - should become a regional hub, as Little Rock is for central Arkansas and Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers-Bentonville is for ...
.15 Martha Diaz Announced as Keynote Speaker for 6th Annual Hip Hop Congress Conference
By bigced
One element that Shamako Noble, president and Executive Director of Hip Hop Congress says is key is Regional Networking. “A lot of people say that all politics is local. Well there’s also a lot to be said for regional organization in culture and how it plays a role in what we do and how we do it. I am excited about approaching that as something to explore during this years conference.” ...
.16 Cape Cod Commission under siege
By Bugsy(Bugsy)
If you support the work of Cape Cod Commission, it might be time for you to say something. There aren't too many folks speaking up in support of our regional planning behemoth these days. A Cape Cod Living reader noted the other day: ...
.17 Aging in Our Region
By Paul Mattessich(Paul Mattessich)
We need to realize the importance of addressing the changing demographics as a region. It's not a "city" issue or a "suburban" issue. Cities and suburbs are socially and economically interdependent. (Geographic dispersion in the suburbs ...
.18 Study explodes myth of 'sustainable logging' in Amazonian rainforests
In Brazil, certification standards in the Amazon region should at least be 'evidence-based', and therefore require that, in order to obtain certification, logging operations should not cause canopy damage above the seemingly critical ...
.19 EPA Delivers First National Estuary Condition Report
By Michael R. Martin(Michael R. Martin)
The NEP estuaries were rated individually, regionally, and nationally using four primary indicators of estuarine condition: water quality, sediment quality, benthic (bottom) condition, and fish-tissue contaminant concentrations. ...
.20 Waterloo, Canada Intelligent Community of the Year
By Panagiotis Tsarchopoulos
The city of 115, 000 people is the smallest, geographically speaking, of seven cities that make up Canada’s Technology Triangle. But with only 10% of the labor force in the Triangle, it accounts for 45% of job growth and is home to 40% of the high-tech firms in the region. …
.21 Think Political Parties Are Destroying America? Thank the 17th Amendment
By Publius
As originally conceived by our founders, the members of the House of Representatives were to represent the needs of the people of their regions or states, which is why they are elected by the citizens of a state. Senators, on the other hand, were to represent the state legislatures in Congress to assure that Federal power did not usurp state sovereignty and were, therefore, appointed by those same state legislatures accordingly. …
.22 Insider-Outsider Distortions and Trading Blocs
By Mark Thoma(Mark Thoma)
What I would argue is that we're heading for regionalization, a breaking up of the world economy into blocs. ... [W]hile technology can integrate the world, whether it does so depends on politics. ... Political obstacles to economic integration beat technology every time. ...
.23 Making Black Sea Synergies Work
By Dimitrios Triantaphyllou(Dimitrios Triantaphyllou)
European Commission ... Black Sea Synergy – A New Regional Cooperation Initiative. Simultaneously, the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation has, since October 2005, repeatedly reaffirmed its intention to enhanced cooperation with the European Union, ...
.24 Climate Change, Land Use, and Bird Diversity
By John(John)
The scenarios present the likely future distribution of 18 types of land cover under different models of economic development (globalization vs. regionalization) and conservation actions (proactive vs. reactive). ...
.25 AGU Journal Highlights -- June 7, 2007
By Storm
Extreme drought parched ancient Upper Colorado River Basin
While reconstructing the precipitation history of the Upper Colorado River Basin back to the 8th century A.D., scientists have uncovered evidence of a six-decades-long drought in the mid-1100s. To estimate yearly streamflow in a region’s past, researchers can evaluate tree ring widths, where narrow rings mean dryer years. Previously, tree-ring analyses in the basin had
determined annual streamflow patterns only back to the A.D. 1400s.
By Kiran Chalise
The Fourth Plan (1970-75) focused on balancing between natural and regional development by the proper utilization of resources and extension of benefits of development work. f. The Fifth Plan (1975-80) focused on people oriented ...
13. Announcements and Regional Links
.10 Europe of the regions: OpenLearn course
OpenLearn is a website produced by the Open University in the UK, that is making available free of charge thousands of hours of educational content to learners and educators interested in studying subjects at a higher education level. This section provides free access to an online course about the future development of Europe, focusing specifically on the regions and future of regional governance.
.11 MetaForesight
MetaForesight seeks to promote intelligence of EU regions through the exploitation of knowledge achieved with the application of foresight, benchmarking, r&d, market watch, technology skills, in the diverse information systems developed throughout the EU regions.
.12 Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Forum
The Regional Forum for Voluntary and Community Organisations is a registered charity set up in 1997 to develop a coherent and organised voice for the voluntary sector in the region.
.13 Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers
Resources on individual and corporate giving, for foundations and financial advisors.
14. Subscription
.10 Transportation makes Atlanta very unaffordable - Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription) - GA, USA
Metro Atlanta sells itself as an affordable city compared to other urban areas in the country.
Well, that's just not true — especially for working families.
Metro Atlanta actually is the second-most expensive major city in the nation for families earning between $20, 000 and $50, 000 a year, according to a recent analysis.
Those families spend an average of 29 percent of their income on housing and 32 percent of their income on transportation for a total of 61 percent. The analysis was done by the Center for Housing Policy, which compared housing and transportation costs in 28 of the major cities in the United States.
The only city more expensive than metro Atlanta is San Francisco, where 35 percent of a working family's income goes toward housing and 27 percent goes toward transportation, 63 percent total.
"That startled me, " said John O'Callaghan, president and CEO of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, which helps finance affordable housing. "Atlanta has been built on the car. People drive until they can find a home they can afford. But they don't add up the car payments, car insurance and transportation costs. And it's getting worse as gas prices are going up."
Metro Atlanta also has another unenviable distinction. Sixty percent of the households in the 10-county metro area have two cars. The national average is 58 percent.
As one of the least dense major cities in the country, long commutes are a way of life. Susan Adams, director of ANDP's Mixed-Income Communities Initiative, said Atlanta's average commute is 12 miles one-way compared to an average of nine miles among the 27 other cities.
Once again, the inability for metro Atlanta to deal with its transportation issues is having a direct impact on the affordability of our region.
…
.11 Communities must adjust to globalization - Regina Leader-Post (subscription) - Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
BREI'S three-day conference -- the first of its kind in Western Canada --provided about 300 delegates with a series of workshops and speakers aimed at stimulating business growth in the 21st century.
"This is what I like to call the new reality, " said Edmond Clark, president of FedEx trade networks based in Memphis, Tenn. "The world's economy has changed and there's no going back."
The keynote speaker at Friday's conference, Clark told the audience that globalization is a reality for all economies, especially those in Canada and the United States. Businesses can no longer simply focus on local markets, Clark warned. They must think regionally and internationally, or face extinction.
Saskatchewan is currently experiencing the changes brought by the modern, global economy, said Dallas Gislason, co-ordinator of business development for the Saskatchewan Regional Economic and Cooperative Development. Declining populations and sinking agriculture prices, along with labour-reducing technology, have powerfully altered Saskatchewan, Gislason said.
Paul Martin, chairman of the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority, agreed, noting that recent school closures and aging businesses throughout Saskatchewan mean communities will be increasingly challenged.
"A lot of these towns grew when you could only ship grain seven miles, " Martin said. "Now you can ship it far away and so these town are becoming obsolete. They must find ways to stay viable."
To survive, Saskatchewan businesses and communities must focus on co-operation and regionalism, Martin said. Co-operation will allow communities to pool their resources for projects, he said, and strengthen businesses rather than undermine them. For larger businesses, this can also help them compete on the global market.
"There is no Saskatchewan economy, no Canadian economy, " Martin said. "There are just regional and global economies."
…
.12 CHILE: TOXIC RUNOFF DEVASTATES REGION VII RIVER - Santiago Times (subscription) - Santiago, Chile
Authorities in Region VII this week declared an environmental state of emergency at the Mataquito River due to a toxic runoff that has killed thousands of fish and birds.
The likely source of the pollution is a pulp plant located near the town of Licancel. The plant is owned and operated by forestry giant CELCO, a Chilean-owned company with a dismal environmental record.
Three weeks ago the plant temporarily ceased operations for maintenance purposes. CELCO-Licancel administrator Luis Correa insists that during the shut down plant workers “didn’t dump anything, ” though PH counts taken of the river in the days and weeks since suggest otherwise.
According to Mónica Rivera, head of the area’s Regional Environmental Commission (COREMA), the situation smacks of “irresponsibility” and “lack of commitment to the environment.”
Dep. Roberto León of the Christian Democratic (DC) party reacted furiously. “This isn’t new, ” he told reporters Wednesday. “I myself reported years ago that the plant was operating without filters. The plant has a runoff pool that fills up very quickly. At night they empty it into the river, although they’ve never been caught in the act. This has come to light because of anonymous worker tip offs.”
On Wednesday the regional health ministry imposed a fishing ban and warned people not to eat any fish caught in the highly contaminated river.
Dep. León, however, is concerned that fish caught in the river before the ban are still being sold in area markets. The DC congressman also fears how the pollution might impact a nearby community of some 300-500 flamingos.
“We need to put a stop to this once and for all, because CELCO has gotten us accustomed to this type of thing. Before it was Valdivia, now Licantén, ” he said.
.... Region VII
.13 Subdivision questioned - Online Athens (subscription) - Athens, GA, USA
The developer of an ambitious Oglethorpe County subdivision is pressing on with plans despite a negative review by a Northeast Regional Development Center Committee.
The negative comments on an RDC "Development of Regional Impact" review were not an outright rejection of the planned Crawford Village subdivision, but "questions they felt were not answered yet, " subdivision designer Greg Ramsey told a meeting of the Crawford mayor and council Tuesday night.
The development plans call for 368 houses and condominiums on a 137-acre tract, partly in Crawford but mostly outside the city limits in unincorporated Oglethorpe County. It also would include about 140, 000 square feet of office and retail space.
The DRI report raised five concerns:
- Crawford does not have enough wastewater treatment capacity to serve the development.
- The road network can't accommodate the expected traffic.
- The amount of impervious surface in the plan could impact stormwater runoff and water quality.
- The development will produce more garbage, further taxing the region's diminishing landfill capacity.
- The Oglethorpe County school system might not easily absorb the new students Crawford Village would bring to the county.
…
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
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