A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
1. Colorado's travel crisis - Denver Post - Denver, CO, USA
Colorado is in a crisis, one that has been brewing for decades and is hardly invisible. Our transportation system - roads, bridges, tunnels, buses, airports and rail - is in acute need of repair and expansion to accommodate our growing communities. And we are not alone.
Across the country, states are grappling with how to improve their aging transportation networks, provide more public transportation and reduce congestion, while the primary funding source - the gas tax - remains flat. In Colorado, the gas tax simply is not keeping pace with escalating needs and the rising cost of materials.
Since the late 1990s, the Colorado General Assembly has worked to mitigate this looming problem by directing, through state law, excess revenue from the general fund into transportation, in addition to the traditional gas tax. This only occurs, however, if the general fund reaches its 6 percent annual growth limit, known as the Arveschoug-Bird limit, triggering the flow of funding into transportation.
So what's the big deal? Some believe transportation is already a cash cow, awash in money. Others question the wisdom and prudence of spending scarce dollars on transportation when other programs such as higher education remain underfunded.
Here's why all Coloradans should care:
If current trends in need and cost continue over the next two decades, Colorado will have to spend more than $160 billion (nine times the state's current annual budget) just to maintain the existing transportation system.
What does that existing system look like? Today, only 63 percent of our highways are in good or fair condition, more than 100 bridges need to be replaced at a cost of $877 million, and ...
The authors reflect the views of the five metro planning organizations in Colorado: the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Denver Regional Council of Governments, North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, Mesa County Regional Transportation Office and Pueblo Area Council of Governments.
2. The need for affordable housing must be met by Coachella Valley
The Desert Sun - Palm Springs, CA, USA
Desert Hot Springs could possibly become the edge of the Los Angeles metro area.
In fact it will be on the edge and possibly inside of sprawl that starts at the coast and stretches to Blythe if you buy economist John Husing's spiel. And in a sense, we do.
But in order to find affordable housing to meet the valley's growth, we have got to get in front of it. City officials from every municipality and the county, as well as special districts and anyone else who has to plan for future growth, must get together and agree on a plan for affordable housing. We're not talking a 10-year plan. We're talking a 20-year plan and a 50-year plan. Do it. Do it now.
Perhaps the Coachella Valley Association of Governments should consider the next step. This is an important issue and it's great that a workforce summit was held this week to address the issue of affordable housing. We hope that the momentum continues.
While creating that long-term, multijurisdictional plan, we're suggesting officials take into account the following:
If we don't start addressing the lack of affordable housing, the only people who will own homes in the valley will be the current snowbirds and the ultra rich.
Baby boomers coming are middle class and will need housing that matches their resources.
Health care will be more important than ever, so housing for hospital, clinic and nursing home
All service-oriented jobs will grow.
If housing isn't near jobs, traffic will be a nightmare.
... All we can do is keep our eyes open and plan, plan, plan. ...
3. Regions increasingly seeking a fair share of agricultural spending - The Chesapeake Bay Journal - Seven Valleys, PA, USA
As Congress begins writing a new Farm Bill that will guide tens of billions of dollars of agricultural funds over the next five years, it will grapple with a difficult question: To what extent should certain regions get special treatment?
Lawmakers from the Bay region have introduced legislation, dubbed the Chesapeake Healthy and Environmentally Sound Stewardship of Energy and Agriculture Act, or CHESSEA, which would not only boost overall conservation funding, but steer more of it to the region to help meet Bay cleanup goals.
The region is not alone. A handful of other bills, largely representing farm issues related to specific parts of the county, have also been introduced.
These so-called “marker bills” are designed to alert members of the House and Senate agriculture committees about concerns in particular regions as they write Farm Bill legislation this summer.
...
Further, critics say, the failure to target specific regions makes it difficult to show tangible results—such as improved water quality—because money is spread over too broad of an area, and trying to accomplish too many objectives.
Changes are not just being proposed by lawmakers seeking more for their regions.
The Bush administration, in its proposed version of the Farm Bill, calls for a Regional Water Enhancement Program that would get $175 million a year to improve water quality or water conservation issues on a watershed-based approach.
In the program, states, nongovernmental organizations, local governments and others could compete for grants from the USDA to achieve watershed goals. The aim is to get large numbers of producers within an individual watershed to agree to implement one or two conservation practices considered key to reaching the goals.
…
4. Future shock - Boston Globe, MA
A regional planning agency is pushing for sweeping changes in residential development patterns over the next two decades, in hopes that communities south of Boston and the rest of Greater Boston can ease traffic congestion and water shortages and avoid dramatic loss of open space. But some local officials are pessimistic.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council this month unveiled its "MetroFuture" plan, which seeks to concentrate growth around urban and town centers and transportation hubs -- so-called smart growth. It also calls for smaller homes and clustered development to preserve green space.
Without these changes, sprawl threatens the quality of life for most people in the region, according to the report. Specifically, by the year 2030:
Eighteen communities in the region -- from Hull on the north to Raynham in the south -- would suffer water shortages. However, only one, Pembroke, would have a shortage if smart growth policies are adopted.
More than 45,000 acres of open space in the region will be lost. Plymouth alone could lose nearly 4,000 acres. But far less land, only about 10,000 acres of open space, would disappear from the region if development is properly shaped.
An estimated 5,000 more housing units would be scattered across what is now open space, rather than concentrated in areas that are already relatively urban, such as Quincy and Brockton.
Local officials applaud the plan's broad vision, but some say the problems would not be solved unless all communities work together -- something unlikely to happen without a push from the state, or strong incentives.
…
5.10 MACKINAC 2007: Regionalism must be 'way of life, ' Edsel Ford II says - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit, MI, USA
An opening session for the Mackinac Policy Conference served as a rallying cry for the One D collaborative effort with participants urging more business and government leaders to join in.
In his opening remarks Wednesday, One D champion Edsel Ford II asked for audience members to make regionalism a way of life. ...
“Parts working together in harmony is an apt description of the communities of the Detroit region, when we are at our very best, ” Ford said. “The way we pulled together for last year’s Super Bowl is just one recent example. But that was an effort built around an occasion. For the communities of regional Detroit to shine their brightest, we need more than an occasional effort … we need to embrace regionalism. We need to make it a way of life.”
For One D, a group of six regional civic groups that are working together on five priorities for the region, to succeed, each organization needs to exhibit organizational selflessness, Ford said. The groups behind One D are the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance Inc. , New Detroit Inc., United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.
The five priorities are economic prosperity, educational preparedness, regional transit, race relations and quality of life, with regional collaboration as an umbrella over all.
...
Ford, when interviewed after the panel discussion, said One D next needs to get more corporate leaders, nonprofit leaders and elected officials behind the effort. County executives, for example, would be a great addition. Ideally, Ford said, even after progress is made on priorities, the One D work plan can be updated and continue instead of disbanding.
“The theory is: This is a process, ” he said.
...
.20 A great idea has time to resurface
Detroit Free Press - Detroit, MI, USA
This year, Detroit-area business leaders at the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference will talk about regional cooperation. ...
.30 No longer mayor, Archer still relishes Detroit's successes
Michigan Business Review - Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Archer compares the time it has taken to achieve regional cooperation to the time it took to build Comerica Park in Detroit. ...
RC: Southeast Michigan Council of Governments - SEMCOG
6. Duluth & Superior endorse Community Foundation recommendations to attract young people - BusinessNorth.com - Duluth, MN, USA
Four key government bodies have now endorsed the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation’s plan to Attract and Retain Young Adults in the Duluth Superior Area.
The Duluth City Council this week joined the Superior City Council, the Douglas County Board of Superiors and the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners by adopting a resolution in support of the Community Foundation’s plan.
“The project to attract and keep young adults has real momentum, and many organizations and groups are getting involved, ” said Holly C. Sampson, President of the Community Foundation. “We believe this project will make a substantial difference for our community.”
Building on a variety of research projects, a Community Foundation Task Force worked for a year to develop a series of recommendations that will help transform the climate for young adults in the Twin Ports.
The recommendations are short-term, long-term, and ongoing and will engage individual and/or organizational partners to make them a reality.
The solutions proposed by the Task Force include:
1. Give Young Adults a Chance to Lead. ...
2. Create a Better Way to Share Information. The region needs a “One-Stop Shop” website for information on living and working in the Twin Ports, geared toward the 18-35-year-old age group (housing, nightlife, restaurants, recreation, etc.). ...
3. Raise Awareness of Career and Economic Opportunities. ...
4. Increase Connections between College and University Students and the Community. ...
5. We Love This Place. Now Admit It. In Public. ...
6. place for young adults to live and work. ...
RCs: Arrowhead Regional Development Commission – Duluth
Northwest Regional Planning Commission – Spooner, WI
7. Utah County reconsiders Mountainland Association of Governments - Deseret News - Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Utah County is considering rejoining the Mountainland Association of Governments now that two years of estrangement from the regional political organization have passed.
Commissioners expressed an interest in the possibility of reuniting with the association at a County Commission meeting Tuesday. Although no formal decisions have been made, the commission is scheduled to adopt a resolution next week to begin participating with the organization as soon as July 1.
"I'm hopeful, " Commissioner Steve White said. "I told MAG and the press and everyone else that the day they solve this problem (with Community Development Block Grant and Social Services Block Grant) I'm willing to come back. I've been willing to come back for 1 1/2 years. I'm just waiting for them to allow us to have a fair share of the money for social service programs and for capital improvement programs for low- and moderate-income people."
The county withdrew its involvement with MAG in February 2005, when concerns about equal funding and a tug-of-war over providing services to the elderly put Utah County on opposite sides of the fence with the intergovernmental agency.
MAG, which works with elected representatives from Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties — and the cities within those counties — is the regional transportation planning organization for the area. The agency also oversees services for the elderly in the areas within its boundaries and allocates funds for community development grants and social services grants.
Although Utah County has not participated in the social services executive council side of MAG since 2005, the county has continued to work with the metropolitan planning organization arm of MAG without a break.
In 2005, Utah County appealed MAG's control over elderly services in an effort to consolidate the programs and place the county in control of its services, but …
8. Spitzer creates Higher Education Commission – Bizjournals-com - Charlotte, NC, USA
Gov. Eliot Spitzer wants to expand college programs to mirror regional economic development objectives and expand campus research centers to make the state University of New York more competitive with other states.
Spitzer created a new Higher Education Commission that is charged with making recommendations to improve the SUNY system by upgrading academic research centers and easing the transition for junior college students who are moving to four-year schools or into the workforce.
"The state's network of outstanding public and private colleges and universities are essential to producing the highly skilled workforce that will be a major driver of New York's upstate economy, " Spitzer said this week.
...
9. Councils bypass Ordnance Survey for Google Maps - Guardian Unlimited – UK
Navigating your way around a local authority's websites can be a painful experience, especially if it involves maps. Perhaps, for example, you are looking for a school on an online map that is generated by survey data from Ordnance Survey. This can be particularly frustrating, with data fields going missing as you zoom in, maps updating slowly and overly complicated interfaces.
If that's your impression, it's backed up by a survey carried out for the Society of Information Technology Management. The society tested local authority websites against four key indicators: only 56% of councils had clickable maps; just 35% offered a way to find schools on a map. And only 13% offered a help facility.
But while maps and geographical information are vital to local authorities and their websites, the prices and licensing policies of Ordnance Survey, the government's mapping agency, mean that some councils have decided to bypass OS and use free maps from Google to create mashups of information for their websites.
Traditional geographical information systems provide "complex data, complex systems", said Dane Wright, IT service manager at Brent council in north London, at the annual conference of GIS in the Public Sector earlier this month. Google Maps, by contrast, provides "complex data, simple systems".
Primary interface
Wright told the conference: "What we are doing is moving to Google Maps as the primary interface for casual use by public users. ...
...
It is not yet clear what the total savings might be because Google could begin charging for advertising-free services. But it's unlikely to be as high as the rates OS charges public bodies. Greater London Assembly alone paid £812, 454 to the OS ...
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 To town, regionalization means sharing tractor
Kennebec Journal - Augusta, ME, USA
Readfield, Manchester, Wayne and Community School District 10 applied for a regional grant to purchase a tractor and mower attachment for joint use. The grant was approved. Now the towns are working on an interlocal agreement for use of the tractor. "We are trying to find a way to collaborate, " Town Manager Stefan Pakulski said. "We all could benefit from attempting to share this service." …
.11 No rush to regionalization
Kingston Mariner - Marshfield, MA, USA
According to a report recently released by the year-old Silver Lake Regionalization Subcommittee, expanding regionalization to include all grades is not in the cards for Silver Lake communities, at least while the current climate of “suspicion and competition” prevails. ... “Before the current region is enlarged, steps must be taken to insure that the Silver Lake communities become partners and collaborators, rather than competitors and/or adversaries, in providing the best possible education experiences and opportunities for all our children, ” the report read.
.12 DeSantis: Merge city, county functions
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The other scenario, which he called the Pittsburgh Alliance of Governments, would keep local governments, but bind them in "a series of interlocking ...
.13 Urban Policy Report released
Lynchburg News and Advance - Lynchburg, VA, USA
Trade Secretary Patrick Gottschalk outlined three key areas for improvement - education, affordable housing and regionalism. To realize those improvements, ...
.14 Fiscal Court 4-2 against water plan
State-Journal.com - Frankfurt, KY, USA
Two engineering firms " one representing KAW and the other representing the Bluegrass Water Supply Commission " say the Kentucky River is the best regional solution to the water supply problem, ...
.15 Allegheny exec's ideas suit our region
The Tribune-Democrat - Johnstown, PA, USA
Regionalization. Consolidation. Merger. Shared services. We like all of those terms when it means helping our communities thrive while keeping taxes low. ...
.16 'Living Towns' conference in Sperryville lays out challenges and opportunities for Rappahannock County’s future
By James P. Gannon
Under the title of "Sperryville: Gateway to the New Economy, " this sixth annual "Living Towns" seminar sponsored by the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Planning Commission brought together mayors, town council members, county officials, ...
.17 Commission serves area governments, individuals
Jacksonville News - Jacksonville, AL, USA
Since its humble origins in 1967, the East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission has grown and taken on many projects to help not only the municipalities in the area, but the residents as well....
.18 Planners toil to collect, interpret data on Pinal County growth
East Valley Tribune - Mesa, AZ, USA
Land use attorney and Pinal Partnership leader Jordan Rose said her organization is thrilled the Central Arizona Association of Governments is undertaking ...
.19 Visioning expert sees conflicting redevelopment pressures in Naples
Naples Daily News - Naples, FL, USA
... a place that’s become an attraction for regional residents and tourists alike. And the business community envisions pumping more economic vitality into the area. Not something the 33 percent to 40 percent of vocal residents want. ...
.20 Change in RTC law could impact County in future
Leader Courier, NV
A Senate bill that would allow certain other counties to use Regional Transportation Commission fuel tax money for other purposes, such as maintenance, has passed both houses of the Nevada Legislature.
.21 Local governments to come together
Charlotte Sun-Herald - Charlotte, FL, USA
Today's Convocation of Governments will include representatives from Sarasota County; the cities of … to discuss the future needs of the school district based on the growth of Sarasota County, and to come to an agreement on a school concurrency document. ...
.22 Guest column: Buy local, buy Wisconsin program important to farmers, consumers
Sheboygan Press - Sheboygan, WI, USA
Sheboygan County farmers and consumers stand to benefit if a new state program, … The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program would bring fresh, regionally-produced food to our schools, restaurants, grocery stores and more. ...
.23 Commission works with community on transportation needs
Connellsville Daily Courier - Connellsville, PA, USA
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which works with communities to develop transportation plans that fit the needs of the entire region, ...
.24 What will the county look like in 2040?
HeraldNet - Everett, WA, USA
"The numbers from Snohomish County are staggering, " said Bob Drewel, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council and former county executive. ...
.25 A profile of US natural gas network
EnerPub - Houston, TX, USA
... of the average-day natural gas throughput relative to estimates of system capacity at State and regional boundaries; The systemwide pipeline flow rate, ...
.26 States agree to cooperate on evacuation plans for terror attacks
Daily Press, VA
The two-day Regional Evacuation Homeland Security Conference at Shoeshoe Mountain resort is the second such meeting since the states agreed 10 months ago to ...
.27 Loch is appointed to area planning commission
Green Bay Press Gazette - Green Bay, WI, USA
Toni Loch, of Loch Coaching and Consulting, has been appointed to the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission by Wisconsin Gov. ...
.28 EPA says area back in compliance on ozone
Toledo Blade - Toledo, OH, USA
The Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments is one of several regional planning agencies across the country that encourages residents to reduce ...
.29 Where $3 million in planning grants will go
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is distributing $3 million in federal seed money on 43 projects around the region - $2 million for ...
.30 WRC to discuss 'ancient roads' dilemma tonight
Brattleboro Reformer - Brattleboro, VT, USA
"Ancient Roads" is the next topic in Windham Regional Commission's 2007 Cross-Town Talks … Act 178, "An Act Relating to Unidentified Corridors, " has gotten towns thinking about these "ancient roads, " as well as other town roads that are not on the official Agency of Transportation highway map. …
.31 ATCOG may receive grant funds to help stop violence against women
Texarkana Gazette - Texarkana, TX, USA
Ark-Tex Council of Governments board’s executive committee approved a grant application the Police Department submitted to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration … money will be used to pay the salaries and fringe benefits of two detectives and one case coordinator hired by the Arkansas-side Police Department. …
.32 Cooperation Over Competition to Benefit All
Today's SurgiCenter - Phoenix, AZ, USA
Only time, careful interactions, and ultimate cooperation prevailed so that all parties recognized that the best solution was to work together for the good ...
.33 CANDIDATE Q&A: City-Albemarle County cooperation
Charlottesville Daily Progress - Charlottesville, VA, USA
There are numerous areas where we can and should increase cooperation, such as schools, social services, affordable housing, green initiatives and, ...
.34 MARC to Hold 11th Annual Regional Assembly
Kansas City infoZine - Kansas City, MO, USA
... advancing the vision of the region as a community of excellence; addressing regional challenges; applying innovative solutions to regional problems; ...
.35 Community statues could celebrate regional, national history
Cumberland Times-News - Cumberland, MD, USA
How might this be accomplished? My answer is good old regional know-how and pride can find the way if there is the will. Each community could choose its own ...
.36 Bowers Contemplates Cost of Quality of Life
Leesburg Today, VA
Loudoun County's success hinges in part on its ability to attract the creative class, or knowledge workers … regional marketing nonprofit Greater Washington Initiative commissioned, there are more than 1.1 million knowledge workers in the DC metro area, …
.37 CWA Calls on Virginia State Corporation Commission to Retain
Earthtimes-org – USA
Verizon primarily is installing the fiber network technology along the I- 95/I-64 corridor, with service not deployed throughout this region but in "cherry-picked subdivisions, " … CWA-represented employees throughout Virginia, documenting that the copper network is deteriorating badly. Technicians and customers alike are frustrated, and "CWA members are tired of taking the brunt of Verizon's incompetence, " ...
.38 Charges point to spread of gang
Baltimore Sun - Baltimore, MD, USA
"MS-13 isn't one large gang, " Eways said. "It's a lot of smaller regionalized or localized group that share a common name."
.39 New slogan to help sell northeast Indiana
Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN
Don’t expect “you can get there from here” to become a catchphrase in northeast Indiana. But if the new slogan for marketing the region succeeds, it could help mean the difference between the economy coasting and the economy prospering. …
11. Other in the news: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 First Global Peace Index Ranks 121 Countries
PR Newswire (press release) - New York, NY, USA
The main findings of the Global Peace Index are: -- Peace is correlated to indicators such as income, schooling and the level of regional integration -- Peaceful countries often shared high levels of transparency of government and low corruption -- Small, stable countries which are part of regional blocs are most likely to get a higher ranking ...
Amnesty International UK - UK
'The virus of Internet repression is spreading. The 'Chinese model' - of an Internet that allows economic growth but not free speech or privacy - is growing in popularity, from a handful of countries five years ago to dozens of governments today who block sites and arrest bloggers. ...
.12 South Asia subregional economic cooperation meeting
Infrasite - Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation initiative was launched in 2001 with ADB assistance to support and facilitate regional cooperation ...
.13 Vision needed to build facilities
Sudbury Star - Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Greater Sudburians are being asked to provide their thoughts in public meetings on the prospect of building a performing arts centre and a multi-use ...
.14 Regional approach working for emergency response squad
Abbotsford News - Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
In 2004, four municipal police agencies put together a regional Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team (MIERT) to make our communities safer. ...
.15 House prices fall across regions as London powers ahead
CityWire-co-uk - London, England, UK
The UK property market is running at two speeds with large regions of the country recording negative price growth while other areas continue to climb. ...
.16 US calls for more Asian engagement in Central Asian states
Channel News Asia - Singapore
The effects of chaos in either Central or Southwest Asia will not recognise national, continental or regional boundaries." ...
.17 ScanBalt seminar: Talents on top of Europe
Cordis News - Brussels, Belgium
The ScanBalt Bioregion, which is partly funded by the EU, will hold a seminar in Berlin, Germany, on 11 June 2007 on allocating talent in the Baltic Sea ...
.18 Money for economic development
Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre - Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
The remaining 50 thousand dollars will be used to support regional activities and marketing for the South Central Regional Network. ...
.19 African Regional Intelligence Conference
OSS-Net
In our view, the next level of global intelligence demands regional MIOCs and one central 150-175 Nation MIOC that can provide two-way reach-back and all of ...
.20 The North West Regional Assembly gets tough on climate change
Politics-co-uk - London, UK
... developing an evidence-based inventory for green house gas emissions and renewable energy generation in the region … reduction targets for different sectors …
.21 Costello spruiks a grand broadband
The Age - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Labor claimed the Coalition intended to create two classes of services — one for the five mainland capitals and another for the rest of the country. And Telstra warned against decisions that could see proposed prices rising after the election. …
.22 Nordic Countries deepening cooperation in defence policy
Helsingin Sanomat - Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
He used the occasion to announce that Finland and Sweden would invite the other Nordic Countries to serve as observers of Finnish-Swedish cooperation in ...
.23 Green Cities and the End of the Age of Oil
Common Ground - San Anselmo, CA, USA
... mini-parks, entertainment enclaves and recreation outposts high in the buildings to provide spectacular views overlooking the city's reviving bioregion. ...
.24 The Butterfly Effect
Whole Life Times - Malibu, CA, USA
When you first move to LA, learning how to connect to the greater community can be quite a challenge. To the untrained eye, our fair city appears as a ...
.25 Regional Council welcomes fuel tax
Scoop-co-nz
Additional revenue-raising tools for major transport projects have been welcomed by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Chairman Ian Buchanan stated today.
12. Blogs: Highlighted words are Google search terms.
.10 Regional Clusters and Rural Development
By Suzanne Morse
You may have heard about business clusters which economists can use to identify areas or regions with a concentration of knowledge, skill, or production in a particular field or specialty. Identifying clusters is one way in which the ...
.11 Access Asia Now: Home Again
By Marsha Jackson(Marsha Jackson)
All of these factors are important for regional economic development to move forward and attract jobs and economic development to the Greater Evansville region. The representatives from industry, education, government, and economic ...
.12 University and Community
By Mike Madison(Mike Madison)
On the regional role question, it will be a mistake for the university to see itself solely in functional terms, and then solely in terms of its own students and faculty and staff and alumni. Pitt is the largest university and one of ...
.13 Rise of the Creative Class
By Sirolli Institute(Sirolli Institute)
Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class (2002) argues that regional/community development depends on: novel combinations of knowledge and ideas, that certain occupations specialise in this task and that people in these occupations ...
.14 Derailed by politics
By Johnruexp
Lots of pieces will have to come together if the efforts of the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development group and other groups are to have any success in growing the economy of southeastern Wisconsin. As was evident at the Milwaukee 7 ...
.15 David B Smith on Regional Fiscal Inequalities
By Matthew Sinclair(Matthew Sinclair)
Using regional spending figures from the Public Expenditure Spending Analyses Smith works out the degree of socialisation of each region, the share of its economy that is made up of state spending. With this analysis it emerges that the ...
.16 Regional inequalities within the UK
By Vino S(Vino S)
There is a case for regionally variable minimum wages, but such a policy has to be introduced carefully to stop companies evading the regulations by quibbling over the definition of regions and by opening nominal offices in low-wage ...
.17 Texas Urban Landscape Guide Web site launched
By jbtech
The index, with ratings of 1 to 10, evaluates plants on their drought tolerance, heat tolerance, pest tolerance, soil requirements and fertility requirements for seven regions in Texas, Wilkerson said. The higher the index, ...
.18 FIELD GUIDE TO DEVOLUTION: COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS
By TPR(TPR)
Resale agreements on the buildings ensure that the land value of a site is not included in future sales, but rather held in perpetuity on behalf of the regional community. The first community land trust was formed in 1967 in Albany, ...
.19 Canadian Western Bank: Recasting the Role of Interjurisdictional Immunity
By Barbara Billingsley
Justice Bastarache also addressed the "serious concern that the doctrine unnecessarily and unfairly creates a much wider scope for centralization of federal power at the expense of the principles of federalism and regionalism"(para.111) ...
.20 India: Development and West Bengal
By Neha Viswanathan
"Today, regional and sub-regional cooperation is the axis around which the wheel of economic growth is turning. The nay-sayers to new investments in West Bengal and Bangladesh should glance eastwards to see how this wheel has turned in ...
.21 Should there be reorganization or repentance?
By harryagaylord
... said the plan ... would instead create an entirely new organization in which local congregations discern their ministries and form clusters with other congregations that then would connect with one another regionally. ...
.22 Community has qualified disabled people looking for careers
I read with great interest Jimmy Settle's story, "Labor market audit identifies Fort Campbell's regional impact" [Business, May 31]. This well-written and informative article addressed the projected employment situation in an ...
.23 Against the Wal
By nwaonline
... assess threats stemming from world events, regional/national security climates and suspect individuals and groups" according to an Associated Press article (Wal-Mart Recruits Intelligence Officers, by Marcus Kabel April 24, 2007). ...
.24 Dialogue ... but only if you agree with us
By Richard(Richard)
In doing so, the commission hopes to help create a long sought-after "European public sphere". By this means, our Margot wants to "strengthen dialogue" at all levels - national, regional, local. And to do so, she plans to establish ...
.25 Pricing Products for Developing Regions
By Aman
As we know the bottom line is that giving something away for free is not always an optimal solution - economics/pricing, creating markets, and branding (along with a multitude of other factors) all impact behavior and use of products no matter where you go in the world. …
13. Announcements and Regional Links
.10 Executive Director - Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission - Concordia, MO Application closes: Friday, June 22, 2007
The Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission is seeking an experienced, energetic and highly innovative individual for Executive Director. Pioneer Trails was reactivated four years ago and has quickly become a key resource and public advocate for the four-county region. The right candidate will find themselves leading an up-and-coming and well respected organization with many opportunities for increased level of service and support to its member local governments.
.11 A Metropolitan Agenda for the 2008 Election
Brookings Metro Update, Washington, D.C.
As we approach the 2008 presidential election, Bruce Katz argues that the United States needs a national agenda—a Blueprint for National Prosperity—to give cities and metros the rules and the tools to leverage their economic strengths, grow in environmentally sustainable ways, and build a strong, diverse, and resilient middle class.
.12 Asia-Pacific Regional Coordinator - Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) OSI-New York - Application Deadline: June 15, 2007
The mission of the Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) is to improve democratic accountability in resource-rich countries by equipping citizens with the information, training, networks, and funding they need to become more effective monitors of government revenues and expenditures. Begun as the Revenue Watch Program of the Open Society Institute in 2002, and spun-off into an independent operating and grant making 501(c) 3 public charity in May 2006, RWI works with civil society, media and policy-makers in resource-dependent countries to counter the effects of the so-called “resource curse” and enhance public participation in these countries’ economic governance. …
.13 Policy Advisor for Quality Assurance/Control and Regionalization
By UNDP(UNDP) - Application Deadline: 14 June 2007
In close collaboration with the Deputy Executive Directors of the UNDG Executive Committee agencies, DGO is assisting the UN Development Group with the design and implementation of policies and approaches responding General Assembly Resolution 59/250 on the TCPR (paragraph 36) and Report of the Secretary General’s High Level Panel regarding UNDG compliance on regional alignment and co-location. …
.14 Regional Manager - PR Consultancy
Bizcommunity-com - Cape Town, South Africa
Reputation management and PR consultancy with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg seeks a Regional Manager to assist with the running of the Johannesburg office. The successful incumbent should have entrepreneurial flair and possibly have owned a PR consultancy or communications business. …
.15 Gender and Water Alliance Regional Workshop for SE Asia, Asia and the Pacific - 18 - 21 July 2007, AIT campus, North Bangkok, Thailand
The Gender and Water Alliance and the Gender and Development Programme at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) are convening a strategic planning workshop for mainstreaming gender in integrated water resource management.
14. Subscription
.10 My Turn: An accurate look at marketing our region - Sierra Sun (subscription) - Truckee, CA, USA
Recently, a guest column appeared on this page in which the writer questioned the effectiveness of the marketing strategies of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association (NLTRA).
It is interesting to note that in the same issue of the Sierra Sun, on the front page, there was a report that Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections in the North Lake Tahoe area of eastern Placer County were up 9.5 percent in the second quarter of the current fiscal year (October through December). ...
Marketing isn’t a precise science. TOT collections aren’t solely an outcome of marketing, but are certainly regarded by industry professionals as a key indicator. The NLTRA tracks a number of indicators on a quarterly basis to help measure the effectiveness of our marketing investments. We adjust and refine our expenditures accordingly. We track changes in the way consumers research and book their travel. More travelers now use online booking tools such as Expedia and Travelocity and search engines including Google and Yahoo, which generate more direct bookings with lodging suppliers.
Based on these changes, we no longer operate a locally-based reservation call center. It isn’t cost effective for the NLTRA or our lodging suppliers to do so. But we can generate awareness of our destination and demand for our lodging suppliers through our Web site. The NLTRA and its marketing partners just launched what we believe is one of the best destination travel Web sites in the country — www.GoTahoeNorth.com.
The writer of the guest column criticized the NLTRA for promoting Truckee, Truckee attractions and Truckee member businesses as part of our marketing efforts. The NLTRA’s mission has always been to “promote North Lake Tahoe as a travel destination with the purpose of increasing travel spending within the region.”
...
.11 Global supply chains often have a regional approach, says report from BDP and St. Joseph's - Logistics Management (subscription) - Newton, MA, USA
Although nearly half of supply chain executives at multi-national companies in the chemical, consumer goods, industrial, and retail sectors consider their supply chains to be global, the reality is that most supply chain operating decisions, are, in fact, regional, according to a recent report published by Centrx, a consulting unit of freight logistics and transportation management firm BDP International, and St. Joseph’s University.
The report, entitled “Managing Your International Supply Chain, ” was based on feedback from roughly 80 global supply chain executives, who provided e-mail feedback for various global supply chain-related functions and initiatives, such as the role of globalization of trade, on-time delivery, and total landed costs, among others.
Centrx Managing Director Yone Dewberry told Logistics Management that while 48 percent of the report’s respondents consider their supply chain operations global, many of these supply chains are actually becoming “regionalized” due to various factors, such as pressure to achieve per-unit cost reductions and the emergence of true global data visibility, among others.
“In order for supply chains to be truly global, you need information on a global basis, ” said Dewberry. “And a lot of [shippers] don’t have the information visibility to make global decisions.
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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
