A weekly compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
1. In for a penny – Savannah Morning News - Savannah, GA, USA
SEPARATE BILLS in the state House and Senate would establish a penny sales tax in Georgia to pay for local and state transportation projects.
The better bill for both metro and rural transportation development is the House version.
In the House bill, a 1 percent sales tax would be levied statewide, with 90 percent of the revenues going back to the multi-county transportation planning regions in which the tax dollars were collected.
There are 16 such districts across the state. Projects in each district are coordinated by Regional Development Centers, whose boards are made up of officials from each county. The local RDC includes Chatham, Effingham, Liberty, Bryan, Screven, Bulloch, Long, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden counties.
According to Sean Brandon, assistant Savannah city manager, RDC activities vary from region to region. In counties that can't afford their own planning and zoning efforts, the RDC can provide those services, along with the economic development and transportation planning assistance provided regionwide.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Vance Smith, R-Pine Mountain, who sponsored the bill, said the bulk of the tax revenues would go to the RDCs, which would choose which transportation projects to fund, in consultation with the state Department of Transportation.
The remaining 10 percent would go into a statewide fund dedicated to transportation projects, such as extending I-16 west to Alabama.
The Senate version is similar, except that it calls for allowing specific counties to band together to levy a one-cent sales tax. This plan would leave only 80 percent of revenues in local coffers.
As in the House plan, 10 percent would go to general statewide transportation expenditures. Another 10 percent would be earmarked for multicounty or regional mass transit projects that could be built anywhere in the state.
...
RCs: Georgia Association of Regional Development Centers
2. FOLLOW THE SOUTH?: The Great Lakes states need their own regional strategy
Detroit Free Press - United States
Almost 40 years ago, faced with the prospect of their hidebound region being left permanently behind by a changing economy, the governors of 13 states got together to fix it.
Together, they established something called the Southern Growth Policies Board, a think tank based in the university-dominated district of Research Triangle Park, N.C. Together, governors and business and academic leaders advanced the board's recommendations into policies and public-private partnerships that turned the Old South, a rural, undereducated region with harsh racial history and a lazy reputation, into the booming New South, home to hordes of new employers.
This did not just happen. A regional strategy was involved, and it worked and continues to work.
No, the South isn't perfect, but it's better. It's certainly past the point where other regions of the country can look down on it. Lots more people from here are going down there than vice versa. And it's not just for the weather. People go where the work is, where they see opportunities -- as the growth of Michigan and other states in this region proved during the heyday of American manufacturing.
There is no reason why the Great Lakes states, facing many of the same issues that confronted the South midway through the last century, could not embark on a similar regional strategy to reshape and remarket the region. In fact, that may be the only way for this old, industrial area to ever shed its "Rust Belt" moniker and avoid becoming America's economic backwater, a place where movie companies come to shoot stories requiring a post-apocalyptic landscape.
The Southern Growth Policies Board, established in 1971 and still going strong, is dedicated to "strengthening the South's economy and creating the highest possible quality of life" in the region. …
RCs: SERDI - SouthEast Regional Directors Institute – State maps lead to RC links
3. In Praise of Spikes – Fast Company
It's a mantra of the age of globalization that place doesn't matter. Technology has leveled the global playing field--the world is flat. "When the world is flat, " says New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, "you can innovate without having to emigrate."
It's a compelling notion--but it's wrong. Today's global economy is spiky. What's more, the tallest spikes, the cities and regions that drive the world economy, are growing ever higher while the valleys, with little economic activity, recede still further.
Population and economic energy are both increasingly concentrated. …
Geographic concentration encourages innovation because ideas flow more freely, are honed more sharply, and can be put into practice more quickly when innovators, implementers, and financial backers are in constant contact. Creative people cluster not simply because they like to be around one another or prefer cosmopolitan centers with lots of amenities (though both things tend to be true). They cluster because density brings such powerful productivity productivity advantages, economies of scale, and knowledge spillovers.
Four kinds of places make up the landscape of our spiky world: first, the tallest spikes that attract global talent, generate knowledge, and produce the lion's share of global innovation. Second are the emerging peaks that use established ideas, often imported, to produce goods and services. ...
... peak-to-peak connectivity is accelerated by the highly mobile, global creative class, about 150 million people, who migrate freely among the world's leading cities--places such as London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Meanwhile, second-tier cities from Detroit to Nagoya to Bangalore are locked in potentially devastating competition for jobs, people, and investment. And in the so-called developing world, millions upon millions of people whose culture and traditions are being ripped apart by globalization lack the education, skills, ...
From the book Who's Your City? How the Creative Economy Is Making Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life, by Richard Florida.
4. Keller joins regional effort on air quality – Star-Telegram-com
After taking some heat from neighboring cities for rejecting a regional Clean Fleet Vehicle plan, the City Council on Tuesday approved a tweaked resolution supporting the policy.
In January, the council rejected the policy, which calls for cities to replace 2003 and older-model vehicles with new vehicles that put out 25 percent less pollution. Councilmen Mark Harness, Ray Brown and Jim Carson voted against the policy at the time.
The Clean Fleet Vehicle policy was adopted in 2005 by the Regional Transportation Council, the transportation planning body for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Since then, the council has been calling on cities to adopt the policy to show their support for a regional approach to clean air.
So far, at least 46 cities, four counties, eight school districts and four transportation groups have adopted resolutions supporting the policy. Keller grabbed the attention of its neighboring cities and the regional council when it said no.
"We did get some negative feedback for rejecting it, " Mayor Pat McGrail said Tuesday. "We got a lot of bad press, too, and you know it hurt."
Keller needed to show it can be a good neighbor, McGrail said.
"It's the right thing to do in my mind because it shows we are team players, " he said.
What changed
The resolution was reconsidered Tuesday night at the request of Harness, who had opposed the original Clean Fleet Vehicle policy. A measure that is defeated can only be brought back before the council by a member who voted against it, officials said.
…
The council voted 4-1 Tuesday in support of the amended policy. …
--
Mayor Pat McGrail: "We did get some negative feedback. ... We got a lot of bad press, too, and you know it hurt."
5. Law enforcement prepares for school shooting exercise Tallahassee-com - Tallahassee, FL, USA
The North Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force will conduct a full-scale exercise Monday to simulate law enforcement reaction to a school shooting.
"This exercise on Monday is really a test to see how well prepared we are, and we'll critique our response, " said Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones.
The exercise will take place at Florida A&M University and Cobb Middle School. Authorities want the public to know about this simulation ahead of time so they won't be alarmed by the increased law enforcement presence at the schools.
The Leon County Sheriff's Office helicopter, a SWAT team, large armored vehicles and sirens and lights will be part of the simulation, which will start about 9 a.m. and end about noon. Guns will be loaded with "simmunitions, " which make sound but aren't real.
Some classrooms at the schools may be evacuated, but Jones said it should not have any interference with the school day.
Outdoor triage stations will be set up at the hospitals to receive and treat the wounded to evaluate their response to a mass casualty situation.
This exercise scenario was developed in response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, the Nickel Mines Amish school in Pennsylvania and other schools across America.
Authorities say schools of any size are potential targets for such attacks, and school systems and emergency response agencies in every community must be trained and prepared to respond.
The North Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force is made up of law enforcement agencies from 13 counties in the region.
…
Florida’s Regional Domestic Security Task Forces Map
6. 3 mayors unite on curbside pickups - Boston Globe - United States
In an example of how the tight financial climate is forcing communities to look harder for savings, Braintree, Quincy, and Weymouth have quietly formed a regional committee to seek a joint bid on new contracts for curbside collection of solid waste and recycling.
The idea behind the Tri Town Alliance is to save money and help the environment, said the mayors of all three communities. The three - Joseph C. Sullivan of Braintree, Thomas P. Koch of Quincy, and Susan M. Kay of Weymouth - all hoped this could lead to further purchases of a wide range of goods and services.
"We hope to get a better bang for the buck, " said Kay.
By coincidence, the three abutting coastal communities had first-time may ors sworn in last month, which helped because all were all willing to take a fresh look at problems, the mayors said. ...
While this is a first step, the communities are already looking at using their increased clout to gain more savings in other areas as well, on items ranging from hazardous waste disposal to purchases of heavy equipment.
"It's kind of neat, " said Koch. "It will help all three of us lower costs."
Communities have been pooling their resources for years to purchase goods, such as automobiles and office supplies, said Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, a nonprofit that works on regional issues.
But jointly purchasing services, such as the three communities plan, is much more complicated and rare, although he expects to see more of it.
"There's nothing like a fiscal crisis to focus the mind, " Draisen said. "It is to their credit they said, 'We can save a buck and improve services.' "
...
7. Regional sustainable development indicators for the English regions
PR-USA.net (press release) - Varna, Bulgaria
Regional versions of the UK Government's indicators of sustainable development have been published to help provide a perspective of sustainable development in each region.
To support the UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy, 'Securing the Future' (published in March 2005), there is a suite of 68 national sustainable development indicators. For 46 of these indicators it has been possible to produce regional versions for the Government Office Regions.
The indicators highlight issues within the priority areas of Sustainable Consumption and Production, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Communities. Other indicators provide useful contextual information.
The regional indicators are available on the UK Government sustainable development website: http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/progress/regional/index.htm and pull together already published statistics to enable comparisons to be made between regions and with progress nationally.
For the first time regional figures for environmental equality and for wellbeing are published.
Environmental equality may be assessed by the extent to which areas experience the least favourable environmental conditions (e.g. flooding, air quality, access to greenspace). The national indicator shows that a larger proportion of the most deprived areas experience multiple environment conditions considered to be amongst the least favourable in England, compared with the least deprived areas.
Regional analysis shows that ...
8. Would ARC, Chatt-Flint better serve our seniors? - The Times-Herald - Newnan, GA, USA
Should Coweta County decide to change its membership from the smaller Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Center to the larger Atlanta Regional Commission, elderly services can stay out of the fray, according to regional officials who oversee the state's aging resources — but the organizations disagree on whether Coweta's older citizens would be better served by Chatt-Flint or ARC.
The Coweta Board of Commissioners is discussing a move for planning resources from Chatt-Flint to the ARC, citing the county's changing demographics from rural to more urban.
Elderly services or aging resources is one of the programs administered under the umbrellas of the two regional planning agencies along with assorted other growth management issues such as transportation, environment and land use.
Joy Shirley, director of the 10-county Southern Crescent Area Agency on Aging, said the county may have an option with its elderly services depending on the county's wishes and ARC's response.
Even if Coweta decides to withdraw its membership from the Chatt-Flint RDC, "the aging doesn't have to necessarily go with it, " she said.
Tony Landers, ARC's director of community services, agrees that Coweta can elect not to include aging, but advises against it should Coweta want to consider making the move to join ARC.
"Yes, they can certainly express that as its intent, and it is legally possible to do so. But ultimately the decision would have to be made by the (Georgia) Department of Human Resources, " he said.
AAAs and their programs fall under the state department and certain federal and state statutes.
Shirley explained AAAs' geographical boundaries were determined in 1996, and they don't necessarily mirror RDCs' boundaries. While the Chatt-Flint RDC covers a five-county region, the Southern Crescent AAA covers a 10-county region, a combination of the Chatt-Flint RDC and another five-county RDC, McIntosh Trail.
…
RCs – See # 1
9. Diplomatic representation should focus on building enabling environment…says PM Douglas
SKNVibes.com - Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis
… theme of this year’s Diplomatic Week is “Maximising Benefits from International Relations: Building Partnerships for Mutual Advantage”, which the PM declared that he took to heart.
He also urged the participants to use the week to extract a clearer understanding of their roles, their expectations as diplomatic and consular representatives, and of the mechanisms and systems in place to support their work.
“For those of you representing the Federation in multilateral fora, I am sure you appreciate the mechanics of consensus building; the importance of collaboration and building partnerships which not only ensure that our national expectations are met, but that our strategic multilateral partners also realise that their individual or collective interests are not being sacrificed, ” he told the local diplomatic and consular representatives.
He also advised that while local diplomatic representation must promote peace and security, it should also create the socio-economic space for the national economy to develop and for the nation to have an improved standard of living and quality of life.
“Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, ” he added, “our foreign policy will have to pay greater attention to regional and international institutions such as the United Nations, the Organisation of American States, CARICOM and the OECS.”
Dr. Douglas pointed out that only through strategic cooperation and foreign policy alignment “can we lend the power of our intellect and conviction of our priorities to the international discourse that brings common results which benefit our people”.
“Similarly, ” he continued, “we urge our diplomats and consuls in the bilateral field to work skillfully with the national governments to which they are accredited to send a clear signal that the government of St. Kitts and Nevis speaks with a single coordinated voice on issues of politics, economics, commerce and diplomacy as well.”
…
10. U.S. regional communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles. Bold font words are Google search terms. Bold italic words considered worth noting. In this and section 11, links to websites of organizations are added to the news excerpt when this is the first time an organization has been found. A goal of this newsletter is to find every regional council in the
.10 Beverly Perdue says regional approach needed for growth and other issues
New Bern Sun Journal – Maryland, USA
Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue intends to take her views on regionalism all the way to the state’s highest office. She says the state can prosper if its counties take a regional approach to managing growth and other issues. …
.11 Air quality law splits regions
Daily Breeze - Torrance, CA, USA
A move to cut pollution from ships sailing into U.S. ports is pitting the West Coast against the Gulf Coast in what could become a bitter battle over who pays for cleaner air. ... According to local officials, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are responsible for 25 percent of the region's air pollution ...
.12 Those 26480 jobs come from, where?
Gary Post Tribune - Gary, IN, USA
That number has been bandied about since the Regional Development Authority released a study it had commissioned on the project (and the three other ...
.13 Chesapeake Crescent: An exciting breakthrough in regional cooperation
Daily Press - Newport News, VA, USA
Even the supposedly progressive Clinton administration failed to lift a finger to push more coherent regional development. Following the Sept. ...
.14 Forum focuses on coordinated response to economic growth
Press of Atlantic City - Atlantic City, NJ, USA
The event was hosted by PlanSmart NJ, a nonprofit regional land-use planning organization based in Trenton. The group held a similar conference in Newark in ...
.15 Multi-faceted strategy needed against gangs
TheNewsTribune.com - Tacoma, WA, USA
Cross-jurisdictional action is valuable because no community acts in a vacuum. If one city gets tough on gang members, they either move down the road or ...
.16 Strapped for highway funds, Arizona considering tolls
Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA
Eric Anderson, transportation director of the Maricopa Association of Governments, expects to see more innovations in transportation financing. ...
.17 Regional cooperation is key to business development
DetNews.com - Detroit, MI, USA
As businesses race to capture their slice of the global pie, Metro Detroit becomes just another suitor in the regional economic courtship. It is becoming increasingly clear that for Michigan to grow during this period of global incubation, many diverse factions must work together to ensure our future prosperity. …
.18 With more cities, services expand
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - Ontario, CA, USA
But the city's temporary fix for homelessness quickly became "regionalized, " to the city's chagrin, with somewhere between 300 and 400 people from across ...
.19 SmartMoves transit plan explained
The Chieftan – BonnerSprings-com
SmartMoves is a cooperative effort between M.A.R.C., the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Johnson County Transit and the Unified Government Transit. …
.20 Our position: The homeless commission faces daunting, but not but not impossible, task
Orlando Sentinel - Orlando, FL, USA
If you've ever stared at a term paper, feeling overwhelmed, you can relate to the quandary facing Central Florida 's regional commission on homelessness. ...
.21 Northern and Southern CA Regions Battle over Traffic Funds
MyFox Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA, USA
Some 42 specific projects in Southern California have been lined up by regional government groups for consideration by the commission, but they total $2.3 billion and the state commission has already said only about $1.6 billion is available for the Southland. …
.22 For water supply, let's think regionally
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona Beach, FL, USA
The district encouraged Seminole County to take the lead in implementing a regional effort to protect and preserve our groundwater supply. ...
.23 Partnerships and regionalism
Athens Messenger - Athens, OH, USA
Beyond this example of regionalism, we know that Southeast Ohio must unite to effectively compete globally for jobs, private investment, ...
.24 Community groups file suit against San Joaquin Valley water board
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
A coalition of community groups is suing the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, saying the agency is breaking state law by allowing ...
.25 City officials join to fight infill building
Tulsa World - Tulsa, OK, USA
… proposal on the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission's work session … "It's not historic preservation zoning, " Barnes said. "It doesn't address aesthetics; just setbacks, scale and style of homes." …
.26 UW study: Rules add $200000 to Seattle house price
Seattle Times, United States - Feb 14, 2008
Between 1989 and 2006, the median inflation-adjusted price of a Seattle house rose from $221000 to $447800. Fully $200000 of that increase was the result of land-use regulations, says Theo Eicher — twice the financial impact that regulation has had on other major U.S. cities.... Economic Policy Research Center. Its goal is to provide analysis that will inform regional policy debates.
.27 Greenway proposed to connect 5 towns
Boston Globe - United States
"There will be a map; people can follow it. We'll be in line to get money to fill in the missing pieces." She also envisions a time when tourists can take ...
.28 EAPDD Receives Grant to Go to Local Nonprofit Groups
KAIT - Jonesboro, AR, USA
The East Arkansas Planning and Development District (EAPDD) announced a grant availability of $250000 that will go to nonprofit organizations that are inside of the twelve counties served by the District. …
.29 In Chesterfield's Defense
Richmond Style Weekly - Richmond, VA, USA
These are just two examples on a long list of so-called “anti-regional” positions that critics link to the county. But the fact is, in metro Richmond, Chesterfield is anything but. Annually, Chesterfield contributes more than $12.9 million and thousands of hours of administrative staff time to support regional projects. …
.30 Calling Chesterfield a "power broker”
Chesterfield Observer – Virginia, USA
Second, "many suburbanites suspect 'regionalism' really means bailing out the city." That is an understated truth since the facts clearly show that whenever "regionalism" is mentioned, it often involves Chesterfield sending money to Richmond. …
.31 Building economy is a team sport
Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield, MA, USA
The number of unsung heroes, organizations, and individual efforts that contribute to our region's growth is immense. Unless you are involved in this type ...
.32 Sign of a faltering economy? Feds to close economic indicator site
Computerworld, MA
It may soon be harder to track whether the U.S. is in fact sliding into a recession with the closing of the U.S. Department of Commerce's EconomicIndicators.gov Web site. The site ... will be shut down on March 1 because of "budgetary constraints." ...
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Other regions’ economies are less affected by the national economic problems. For example, states with high levels of farm exports are benefiting from the high price of corn and soybeans and the falling value of the dollar. This does not mean, however, that local governments in those states will escape fiscal stress. …
.34 Editorial: Regional primary system would be big improvement
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
Congress, or a special panel named by governors and the national parties, should step in and help set up a regional primary system that creates a fairer, ...
Fast Company
"We're borrowing from Apple's early days, " he says, "when it went after students to be its early adopters." Zipcar is available on 70 college campuses, … real payoff, then, comes after graduation day. Almost half of Zipcar's college customers move to a major-metropolitan area that Zipcar serves or plans to serve. Many of them continue their membership. …
.36 GMAC May Announce Closure of Most Loan Offices in US, Canada
Bloomberg - USA
… close about 75 percent of its auto-financing offices in the U.S. and Canada after losing $2.3 billion last year. … ``The new Regional Business Center alignment will enable us to reduce our cost structure, '' ...
11. Other regional community news for our Local Planet.
.10 Historic Australia-US 'open skies' aviation agreement reached
TravelDailyNews-com
Australian Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, announced that Australia and the United States had settled the terms of a new "open skies" air transport agreement. ...
.11 Ex-Soviet separatist regions take heart from Kosovo
National Post - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Azerbaijan's rebel Nagorno-Karabakh region and Transdniestria, which split from Moldova, all declared independence in the 1990s but have not received international recognition. ...
.12 Hollywood presents China with a lesson in geopolitics
Financial Times - London, England, UK
China’s long-term strategic dilemma: how to balance its rapid integration into the international economic system with its determination to preserve its autonomy in domestic and foreign affairs. …
.13 CRISIS IN THE RAIN FOREST
Mother Earth News - Topeka, KS, USA
Time is running out for the most valuable bioregion on the planet, including the Earth's greenbelt, trees working, devastation, what to do, ...
.14 SEARCHING FOR ENTERPRISE
Express & Echo - Exeter, England, UK
… Enterprising Britain competition is run by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and in partnership with the South West Regional Development Agency. …
.15 Funding targets young filmmakers
Lithgow Mercury - Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
Filmcentral, jointly funded by 20 Councils throughout central NSW and the NSW Department of Regional Development, encourages production activity and the development of media industry skills throughout the region....
.16 FESTIVAL OF REGIONS
E-Flux - New York, NY, USA
The Festival of Regions has been taking place biennially since 1993 at changing locations in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria and, during this period, has developed into a contemporary focal event for current, site-specific art and culture. …
.17 Bulgaria to be Separated to Culinary Regions
international-news-bg- Sofia, Bulgaria
Representatives of European Culinary Organization proposed Bulgaria to be separated into culinary regions due to the creating of Bulgarian traditional ...
.18 There's a better way to support the regions
Montreal Gazette - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
For years, businesses in seven resource regions have been able to claim tax credits on the basis of their payroll size. The goal was, of course, ...
.19 Last chance to kick-start our struggling regions
ic Wales - United Kingdom
The wealth map of the EU is changing too, away from the “core” of West Germany, northern France, northern Italy and the South-East of England to dynamic city-regions: Dublin, Madrid, Prague, Warsaw. ...
.20 Namibia: EPAs 'Might Threaten Regional Integration'
AllAfrica.com - Washington, USA
"The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is still behind with its regional harmonisation and busy setting up its own free trade area (FTA), ...
.21 Regional cooperation essential to resolve common problems -- President
Official Government News Portal of Shi-Lanka
… a concerted effort has to be launched to promote the region of South Asia as a single tourist destination, attracting tourists from around the world and also from within our own region....
.22 Coast community growth has no limits
Sunshine Coast Daily - Queensland, Australia
With the formation of a regional council a matter of weeks away, a new foundation has been launched to encourage the people of the Sunshine Coast to build on the strengths of their individual communities....
.23 Ottawa's BIG problem
Canada-com - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The difference: density. Toronto is a dense city, crammed full to every boundary. Ottawa, though it's four times as large, is overwhelmingly rural, mostly made up of farmland and Greenbelt. , , ,
.24 Area Planning Co-ordinator
Regen.net- London, England, UK
You can expect plenty of autonomy and considerable visibility, as you take on your own geographical area, … play a key role in implementing the recently launched Bristol Planning Protocol …
.25 Microsoft 'Frees' Office Formats
InternetNews.com - USA
Particularly in the case of governments, documents may be required to be archived for hundreds of years. Indeed, many local, state, national and international governments are actively in the process of establishing policies that every document must be easily retrievable using standardized formats. ...
.26 University director selected to be editor of magazine
Bowling Green News - Bowling Green, OH, USA
Michael Carroll, director of the Center for Regional Development, has recently been selected as the editor-in-chief of a new academic journal of the Regional Science Association International....
12. Blogs
.10 Rust Belt Regional Strategies
By Jim Russell(Jim Russell)
The Southern Growth Policies Board again surfaces as a model for mega-regional cooperation:. The Southern Growth Policies Board, established in 1971 and still going strong, is dedicated to "strengthening the South's economy and creating ...
.11 Regionalism: Explain This To Me Like I'm A Six Year-Old, Okay?
By Donald(Griff)
There are certain types of "regionalism" that would always seem to be beneficial. For instance, City Manager Milton Dohoney is working on a plan to turn Cincinnati Water Works into a regional water district. While of particular benefit ...
.12 Creativity = Higher Wages
By Creative Class Group
... that creativity has a significant effect on wages at the county level, and that the result is strongest in urban counties. This is an important and significant extension to growing literature on creativity and regional development.
.13 Regional Religiosity
By Ben Warner(Ben Warner)
We talked about data on religions last year, and even had an example where a community indicator on religion told important information about the kind of community people lived in. With the recent emphasis on religion and voting in the ...
.14 Regionalism and the Presidential Primary
Surf Putah
Back in 2004, Commonwealth magazine posted a brilliant map of America's 10 political regions, as a counterargument to the endless droning on Red states and Blue states, and the political uniformity of Republican and Democratic voters ...
.15 SD Green Feature: Flying Tomato Farms, Part 3
By Erin
I also think that if we are wise, we will (as individuals and as a society) make a deliberate effort to encourage local and regional food networks in our areas. This is a situation where almost everyone, no matter what part of the political spectrum they inhabit, can agree....
.16 Talk of regionalism is breath of fresh air
By Damon Cline
What does all this have to do with business? Don’t underestimate the importance that unity has on a region’s economy. … Nothing but good can happen when you get to know your neighbor.
.17 CEP Conversations: Kimberly Gencur-Svaty on transmission lines
By climateandenergy
But when we start thinking more regionally for building transmission, 34.5 kV doesn’t make sense for anyone. 69 kV doesn’t even make a lot of sense now. If we are thinking regional transmission we are going to be building in the 345 kV ...
.18 Development's Essential Ingredient: Women
By Gerald Loftus
Barnevik, whose organization has founded micro finance programs in India and elsewhere, was adamant: "women are bankable, " whereas men are, well, not always reliable. He recounted how an Indian regional official begged him to "do ...
.19 EU: The State of Poker
It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy. The EU represents its members in the WTO and observes at G8 summits and at the UN. With almost 500 million citizens, ...
.20 EU: TFEU Categories of Competence
By Grahnlaw(Grahnlaw)
Deprived of symbols and battered by two intergovernmental conferences, the achievement of the European Convention, the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, remains a milestone in the development of the European Treaties. ...
.21 Colleges Woo Adults Who Have Some Credits but No Degree.
By admin
... and the people in the work force that are going to have to drive economic development in our part of the state will require more education, ” says Patricia Book, vice president for regional development at Kent State University, ...
.22 A Swirly Goodness Approach to Community Sustainability
By AllisonPinto
Similarly, university-community collaborations are idealized (especially by universities) yet can wind up being superficial, if not explicitly harmful to local communities (as confirmed by community organizations in both Sarasota and ...
.23 Geotourism, Ecotourism Improved
By www-incakids-org
Geotourism, note Tourtellot is the type of tourism that not only sustains and preservers the environment, but is also committed to respecting cultural sensitivities and building on local heritage. Geotourism enhances the geographical ...
.24 A unique political moment marked by Prince Charles
By Ellee
It requires us to think and act across boundaries of nation, sector, language and culture, and to do so with speed and implacable determination. At the same time it provides unprecedented opportunities for human ingenuity and ...
.25 Glimåkra House: Sweden’s First Svanen Certified House
By jonasrisen
The development is actually part of a much larger regional development of southern Sweden which is occurring as a result of the new Oresund Link bridge from Sweden to Denmark. New housing and business opportunities are springing up all ...
.26 [Blogs] Is it time to have regional select committees?
By Labourhome(Labourhome)
I think the creation of regional select committees would go along way in helping to promote regional politics and in holding regional bodies (PCTs, Regional development agencies, LSCs etc) and regional Government offices to account. ...
.27 Burma's Media completely under military dictatorship
By Jeg(Jeg)
Burma needs regional cooperation for Press Freedom. Journalists in Burma are looking forward to have more assistance, morally and practically, from the international media groups. Without press freedom a nation cannot enjoy democracy. ...
.28 The Kosovo Declaration of Indepence
By Stephen(Stephen)
While this process has been a painful one, we shall work tirelessly to contribute to a reconciliation that would allow southeast Europe to move beyond the conflicts of our past and forge new links of regional cooperation. ...
Adam Smith, Esq.
Dysfunctional governance is slow, bureaucratic, creates islands of technology; high-performance IT Governance creates and supports collaboration. …
Open Source Strategies.
Those best practices should be available to the greater community, and one of our key goals for this year is indeed to make opentaps useful for a much ...
.31 “Revelation” – Dirty Bomb Vulnerability
By militaryagentmemories
Called “Securing the Cities, ” the program is intended to enhance the protection and response capabilities in and around the Nation’s highest risk urban areas by helping state and local officials to develop urban and regional deployment ...
13. Announcements and Regional Links
.10 The Geotourism Challenge – Changemakers.net
Nominate your favorite example of geotourism -- defined by National Geographic as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place: its environment, heritage, culture, aesthetics, and the well-being of its residents.
Nomination Deadline: Mar 19, 2008 Entry Deadline: Apr 16, 2008
.11 The National Alliance to End Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, mission-driven organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.
Regional Themes and Strategies
.12 Planning for Marine Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area Good Practice Guide - Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
This Document Contains:
• A discussion of the role of planning in promoting the sustainable development of marine ecotourism and of the broader planning considerations for ecotourism in the marine environment
• A model of marine ecotourism planning good practice, setting out seven principles for genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism
• A series of toolkits through which these principles can be implemented through action
• Illustrations and case studies of good practice
• Resources for local initiators and policymakers
• A review of EU and international obligations and duties for planners of marine ecotourism
Note: The 81 page PDF may be read through the .docstoc viewer or can be downloaded. Downloading requires registration which makes one eligible to store documents there.
.13 Welcome to the Central Region Sustainable Development Partnership, actively working in cooperation with local citizens and the University of Minnesota. We Create Citizen Partnerships with the University of Minnesota to foster the development of sustainable systems in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Tourism. Please let us know how we can be of service.
Partnership video of projects from the Central Region Partnership
.14 Statement on the Realignment of Regional Boundaries of Certain Federal Agencies
by Richard Nixon, May 21, 1969
On March 27 I announced a series of steps being taken to streamline the structure and process of Federal agencies in the field. I am confident that these changes will greatly improve the effectiveness of Federal social and economic services.
The first of these actions was the establishment of a common pattern of regional boundaries and headquarters for the Department of Labor, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Small Business Administration.
…
.15 U.S. Air Quality - The Smog Blog
USAQ is a daily diary of air quality in the U.S. using information from NASA satellites, ground-based lidar, EPA monitoring networks, and other monitors. Interpretation and analysis is provided by the staff of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Atmospheric Lidar Group.
.16 Catalog of Administrative Data Sources for Neighborhood Indicators – Urban Institute
The data used to craft neighborhood indicators often come from the records of administrative agencies. These are particularly useful for community indicators because they are timelier or can be applied to smaller areas than government surveys. This monograph describes 42 of these data sources. …
14. Subscription
.10 SOUTH PACIFIC: Rudd Apology to Aboriginals Hailed Regionally
Inter Press Service (Subscription) - Italy
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s standing and stature will receive a considerable boost among Pacific Island states as a result his apology to the country’s aboriginal people this week, say academics and civil society activists.
Vijay Naidu, director of the Development Studies programme at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, said that while the apology was long overdue, it was better late then never.
Naidu said Rudd’s apology had significance for troubled Pacific Island countries such as Fiji and the Solomon Islands, even though the ethnically-based issues and problems they faced were quite different from those that have bedevilled Australia’s first nation people and the Australia as a whole.
"Indigenous Fijians and the Guadalcanal people of the Solomons were not decimated and did not suffer the loss of all their land, and were not marginalised and put away in reservations and urban ghettos.
"Instead in Fiji, Indo-Fijians, largely a landless category, suffered the brunt of coups and ethnic violence (while) in the Solomons, the perception of Malaitan ‘land grab’ and political domination prompted the Isa Tabu freedom fighters to engage in violence (with) the Malaitans retaliating by forming the Malaitan Eagle Force.
"However, the message from the Rudd’s apology is very powerful as it points to reconciliation, seeking forgiveness and moving together as a people."
Asked why it had taken so long to arrive at an apology, Naidu said that as a former settler dominion, the idea of racial superiority and ‘manifest destiny’ appeared to have driven those who dominated Australian politics.
…
15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities
To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes regional related sites. Entering the term transit returned up 508 items, primarily regionally related; transit funding – 635 items. Please recommend links for inclusion.
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
For the Google Groups version go to:
http://groups.google.com/group/regional-community-development-news
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@gmail.com
Thomas J. (Tom) Christoffel, AICP Making regions visible for Leaders and Problem-solvers. www.regionalintelligence.com
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