_____________________________________________________________________________________
A compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Contents
Top Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.
U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State – news articles …10.01 - .41
Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .25
Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .11
Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .05
Financial Crisis …14.01 - .02
Custom search: region, regions, regional communities … 15.
_________________________________________________________________________
Top Regional Community stories
1. Coosa Valley Regional Development Center is “best-kept secret,” director says - Rome News Tribune -
Calling the
The RDC has three broad purposes: providing planning services for the region, workforce development and services for the aging, Steiner said.
It has paid for retraining for laid-off employees and summer youth jobs programs, using federal, state and local funds. Steiner said for every dollar the RDC receives from local governments, it receives $48 from the state and federal governments.
He illustrated job training with the sport of hockey. “You don’t want to be where the puck is, you want to be where it’s going. We try to drive (job-seekers) to where jobs are going to be.”
Two primary fields for the future are health care and the auto industry. Volkswagen’s construction of a manufacturing plant in
…
The 10-county Coosa Valley RDC [http://www.cvrdc.org/ ] and the five-county North Georgia RDC [http://www.ngrdc.org/] are scheduled to merge in July. With a combined population of 823,770, the merged organization’s area will be the second largest in the state, behind only the metro
2. Wired65 promotes regional focus in Southern Indiana - Evening News and Tribune -
Southern Indiana and the
Wired65 [http://www.wired65.org/] an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor, presented findings from a Talent Innovation and Place report along with the HIRE education forum, to build a sustainable economic region that includes seven Indiana counties and 19 in Kentucky. The report is designed to put the region on track to succeed economically. The “65” portion of the title references Interstate 65 and the communities stretched along the north-south freeway.
The areas that need to be addressed, according to the report, are the pipeline — referring to the area’s early-educational system through college; preparing for 21st century jobs by transitioning from a manufacturing to a service based economy; and creating a talent magnet to draw and keep skilled people in the region.
“While Wired 65’s approach is not necessarily unique,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said, “it is enthusiastically tackling a complicated issue that will greatly affect the future of not just all of [
“It’s going to affect the future of two states,” he said.
Beshear and other area leaders spoke about the initiative at a press conference at the Brown Williamson Club at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Tuesday.
“Part of the answer,” Beshear said of the region’s economic future, “is ... ignore government-designated boundaries and work together on mutual interests.”
“If my friend Mitch Daniels, governor of
…
A tuition reciprocity agreement between the metro
…
Wired65 Region Map: http://www.wired65.org/Images/ki-map_blue_red.jpg
RCs
Lincoln Trail Area Development District (All) http://www.ltadd.org/
Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency(All) http://www.kipda.org/
Northern Kentucky Area Development District (Carroll) http://www.nkadd.org/NKADD/
Lake Cumberland Area Development District (Adair, Green, Taylor) http://lcadd.org/manager/index.php
RCs
River Hills Economic Development District (All) http://www.riverhills.cc/
Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission (Crawford) http://www.ind15rpc.org/
Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (
http://www.newsandtribune.com/floydcounty/local_story_154133207.html?keyword=topstory
3.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced Thursday his participation in the Mid-Atlantic Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Conservation, a partnership among the Governors of New York, New Jersey,
The new regional partnership will protect and improve the health of ocean and coastal resources through improved coordination and minimized jurisdictional barriers, ensuring the resources contribute to our economic vitality and high quality of life well into the future.
“Our coastal waters are a vital part of our history and economy in
By participating in the Agreement on Ocean Conservation, the governors agree to establish mechanisms for greater coordination on regional ocean issues and to develop and implement shared actions to advance the partnership’s four stated priorities:
- Collaborate on a regional approach to support the sustainable development of renewable energy in offshore areas.
- Prepare the region’s coastal communities for the impacts of climate change on ocean and coastal resources.
- Promote improvements in the region’s coastal water quality as a necessary focal point for regional action.
- Coordinate protection of important habitats and sensitive and unique offshore areas on a regional scale.
The primary mechanism of coordination will be the newly formed Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, composed of the governors of the five participating states. Each governor will also designate a representative to serve on an Executive Committee that will report back to their respective Governors on implementation of regional plans and progress towards the partnership’s goals.
...
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/46955507.html
4. Editorial: A long time coming - Greensboro News Record -
The FedEx hub at
…
"I am very excited about the hub opening," Don Kirkman, president of the Piedmont Triad Partnership [http://www.piedmonttriadnc.com/ ], reflected. …
It was the biggest economic development dream of its era. PTIA won a fierce competition among several airports vying to host FedEx's mid-Atlantic air-cargo hub. The Memphis-based company promised to invest $300 million in the facility and eventually employ as many as 1,500 workers.
More importantly, boosters said, it would drive a transformation of the Triad area's economy.
John D. Kasarda, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business and an aviation industry expert, outlined this vision based on his concept of an "aerotropolis." In effect, it's an industrial-commercial zone built around the airport and composed of businesses whose commerce and products depend on rapid transportation and precision logistics. The FedEx hub would be a key engine powering this development.
With FedEx, a network of interstate highways and other assets, "We're now going to officially declare ourselves an aerotropolis," said Dan Lynch, president of the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance. "We can make that claim."
…
The regulatory and legal delays were "disappointing and frustrating," Kirkman said, "particularly as we saw the economy decline."
The Triad's unemployment rate was less than 3 percent in 1998. Now it's more than 10 percent.
… FedEx is a critical addition to the Triad's "supporting infrastructure," Lynch said. It can play a role in facilitating the development of several industry clusters: logistics and transportation, aviation, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.
…
"Success won't be measured in months but in years and even decades," Kirkman said.
But, after 11 years already, it's a welcome sign of success to come.
RCs:
Piedmont Triad Council of Governments http://www.ptcog.org/
Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments http://www.nwpcog.dst.nc.us/
http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/05/28/article/editorial_a_long_time_coming
5. Cities think globally, act locally on public transit - OKC.Biz -
Evolution to a sprawling metropolitan area comes with its headaches, not the least of which is public transit. And while many metro areas choose to address the issue of getting people from point A to point B only when it has become a problem,
That was the thinking behind the formation of a steering committee that will advocate, guide and direct a regional transit dialogue to examine alternative modes of surface transportation systems for the
The questions the committee will be asked to answer are numerous: How much will it cost? Where will the money come from? How should the system be laid out? What modes of transportation should be implemented?
The answers to these questions will likely be decided by a regional transit authority, yet to be established.
While
…
One thing Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has always pointed out is that the city was built around the automobile. He says it’s time that line of thinking yields to greener, more cost-efficient alternatives.
“I think it reflects the evolving issue of this region and thinking more of a region, as opposed to just thinking of individual municipalities in our own worlds,” Cornett says. “Transit seems to be a good place for us to start the regional concept, especially if we start looking at rail entities and a more regionalized bus system.
…
http://okc.biz/article/05-26-2009/Cities_think_globally_act_locally_on_public_transit.aspx
6. Look within for regional economic development leaders, panelists say - Crain's Detroit Business - MI,
Business, philanthropic and civic leaders on Wednesday sent a united message: Don't rely on elected leadership to lead economic development.
It was an underpinning of the opening session at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference, where panelists from west
But at the same time, there were calls to move urgently in Michigan's economic crisis, with Rip Rapson, president of The Kresge Foundation in Troy, saying that Detroit has “huge opportunity” in the aftermath of auto industry turmoil and restructuring — a period in which the resources of the federal government will be focused on the city and state.
“We have a two-year window where
He said such efforts as the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, funded by contributions from 10 local and national foundations, represent a major step “to try and help recalibrate the
…
Still, the state and the region have major problems to resolve. John Rakolta Jr., chairman and CEO of the Detroit-based Walbridge Aldinger Co. construction firm, cited the state's deep budget problems and business tax structure, as well as an entitlement mentality and racial tensions as key obstacles.
“We are the single most segregated community in the
… one effort in Kalamazoo, where the organization Southwest Michigan First has catalyzed private-sector support and financing around a vision that has cut across political borders and helped grow the region. “If we can't do that as a state, we're going nowhere,” …
RC: SEMCOG http://www.semcog.org/
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20090531/SUB01/305319947/1069#
7.
Cr Blumel represents the Sunshine Coast Council [ http://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au ] on the Sunshine Coast Area Consultative Committee—an entity which will translate into the new Sunshine Coast RDA organisation from mid-2009.
Cr Blumel met with the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia, Gary Gray, in March this year to advocate for the
“Mr Gray listened very thoughtfully to my arguments and his immediate response was that he thought I had made a good case for the
“Planning and advocacy will be a lot easier if the
“We can develop one integrated set of data, maps, planning process, infrastructure priority list and so on.
“The aim is for the Sunshine Coast RDA committee to give us a stronger voice in Commonwealth Government programs.”
A memorandum of understanding, signed by the Commonwealth and
The RDA’s role is to provide advice and to work with all levels of government to address regional issues and promote regional development.
In a media release issued yesterday, Mr Gray said the RDA would operate throughout the country to tap local knowledge and help people living in regional areas learn more about the Commonwealth Government's ongoing funding of local community infrastructure.
…
8. Political Legitimacy in the
If the media coverage, discussion, demonstrations, marches and various other public protests are anything to go by then a great number of
While the
But first, a word or two about imaginary politics; throughout our lives and through a mixture of willpower and circumstance, we work ourselves into a sense of belonging wherever that may be and whoever that may be with. …
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/print.html?path=HL0905/S00262.htm
9. REGION: Official warns against wimpy solar goal - North County Times - Californian -
The way county Supervisor Dianne Jacob sees it, regional leaders were on track to set a wimpy goal for homegrown sun power.
So she objected strongly when the
That draft said the region should use energy more efficiently, modernize its electric grid and boost reliance on green power to the point that sun, wind and other clean sources account for half of local electricity by 2030.
But the plan focuses far more on large, remote commercial solar and wind farms than on the small panels people put on their roofs.
"There is no reason why the
SANDAG's draft policy suggested boosting the amount of sun power generated by residential rooftop panels from 50 megawatts today to 210 megawatts by 2020 and 249 megawatts by 2030.
A megawatt is the standard yardstick for measuring large amounts of electricity, and most of the time it is enough to keep the lights on in 650 homes. However, on summer days, the 3.4 million people in San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s service area use up to 5,000 megawatts. And that annual peak use is projected to grow to 6,218 megawatts by 2030.
For the moment, rooftop solar panels are capable of supplying just 1 percent of the region's power on hot days. Under the proposed blueprint, that proportion would grow to a modest 4 percent by 2030.
With interest in rooftop solar panels soaring in one of the nation's sunniest regions, Jacob figures
…
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 U.S. in a news story as well as recognizing other regional organizations. In most cases, where a full name is present, a Google search will quickly get one to that organization. News reports do not always get the organization name correct. Contents
.01 Bay Area submits proposal for stimulus funds
San Francisco Chronicle - CA,
Stem cell research, job training programs, water recycling efforts, high-speed rail and transit-oriented developments should get top priority in the competition for federal stimulus funds, Bay Area officials have agreed. The region is one of 12 in
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/06/BACS181PNR.DTL
.02 100 years as boundary waters partners
Crossing the 5,500-mile border between the
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaracounty/story/691168.html?imw=Y
The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 created the International Joint Commission (IJC) to prevent and resolve boundary waters disputes between
.03 Regional Talent Network unveils employment web site
Crain's
There’s a new tool available to help anyone looking for work or workers in
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20090527/FREE/905279943
.04 Internet Use Triples in Decade, Census Bureau Reports
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 62 percent of households reported using Internet access in the home in 2007, an increase from 18 percent in 1997, the first year the bureau collected data on Internet use. Sixty-four percent of individuals 18 and over used the Internet from any location in 2007, while only 22 percent did so in 1997. Among households using the Internet in 2007, 82 percent reported using a high-speed connection, and 17 percent used a dial-up connection. ...
Reports and 2007 Detailed Tables: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer.html
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/communication_industries/013849.html
.05 Critics Call
New York Times -
Shirley Sicilian, the general counsel of the Multistate Tax Commission [http://www.mtc.gov/], an intergovernmental state tax agency, said that “states increasingly want to make sure that income that’s earned in their state is actually taxed in their state, particularly in a bad fiscal situation like now.” At the center of the dispute are legal entities known as
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/business/30delaware.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
.06 Critics: Cuomo merger bill misses target
Lower Hudson Journal news - West Harrison, NY, USA
... plan could result in changes "around the edges," but voters won't likely opt to eliminate their own villages, towns or police departments because they identify with them, said Anthony Cupaiuolo, professor emeritus of public administration at
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009905310342
.07
New York Times -
In 1898, modern
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/nyregion/31bmergeny.html?_r=1
.08 Consolidation would cut expenses, raise revenues, committee says
The Daily News Online -
A three-tiered system, reduced expenses and increased state revenues would be part of one
http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/06/01/news/doc4a248f7b79dc4276049049.txt
.09 Crafting the Next Generation of Smart Growth Policies
Planetizen.com
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy spent two years looking at smart growth policies in a number of states to see how well they've achieved their goals. Gregory K. Ingram, President of the Institute, explains the results. ...
http://www.planetizen.com/node/39103
.10 The Fund Makes Plans to Continue Regional Economic Competitiveness Work to 2013
FutureFundNEO.org -
Formed in 2004, the Fund for Our Economic Future is a charitable collaboration of organizations and individuals that uses grantmaking, research and civic engagement to strengthen the 16-county region’s economic competitiveness. In its third phase, the Fund intends to continue working with its partners in the public and private sectors to implement Advance Northeast Ohio, the region’s economic action plan focused on four priorities:
* Business growth and attraction
* Talent development
* Racial and economic inclusion
* Government collaboration and efficiency
…
.11 Mackinac Policy Conference: What you might have missed
MLive.com -
The Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference ... chamber invited executives from west
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/oakland/index.ssf/2009/05/what_you_might_have_missed_at.html
.12 Metro leaders extending fists, not helping hands, in hard times
Patterson accuses his
http://www.freep.com/article/20090531/COL06/905310538/
.13
NPR -
.14 Geotourism: Take a bow, Central Cascades
OregonLive.com
Geotourism has arrived in our region compliments of the National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations. While it promotes an emerging travel trend, it is based on an old idea -- simply that the appeal of a travel destination is rooted in its local culture, its natural beauty and its authentic attractions. In a word, it's the area's essence. ... We should all be thankful that the Central Cascades will soon be the National Geographic's 14th geotourism region, and will in that way be promoted as one of the world's special travel destinations. ...
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/06/geotourism_take_a_bow_central.html
.15 Shedding the Training Wheels:
OffCite - Design.Architecture.Houston
Peter Wang, a League of American Bicyclists instructor and cycling advocate, points to county-wide problems that extend beyond the Bikeway Plan. “At the Houston-Galveston level, we need a regional bikeway plan that every local government uses,” he said in an interview. He added, “In some parts of the county, we are losing cyclable roads.” He also called for a better intermodal network whereby cyclists could access routes by public transportation. Bicycle racks on buses have proven successful, but METRO has not placed racks on its light rail trains.
http://offcite.org/2009/05/30/shedding-the-training-wheels-houston-bikeway-plan-phase-two
.16 Stimulus Dollars At Home: Regional Officials Roll Out Huge Wish List
Yankton Daily Press -
The calendar said January, but Greg Henderson and Lynne Keller Forbes thought it was Christmastime. The two executive directors — Henderson of Planning and Development District III in Yankton, Forbes of the Southeastern Council of Governments (SECOG) in Sioux Falls — asked their members for a “wish list” of projects for the proposed federal stimulus program. Neither director was prepared for the response. ...
http://www.yankton.net/articles/2009/06/08/community/doc4a2ca1ea62585455758734.txt
.17 Livestock yard gets plenty of financial help
The Mountaineer -
A regional livestock yard designed to serve producers from a 19-county area is one step closer to reality. ... Western North Carolina Communities, is spearheading the project on behalf of livestock producers and family farmers in the region, much as it helped formed the N.C. Arboretum and
.18 Place matters most, especially to young professionals
Fort Worth Star Telegram -
The larger mega-region, which includes
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1418060.html
.19 Surprise council OKs land deal for commuter facility
Surprise is one important step ahead in its plan to bring commuter-rail service to the city. The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to purchase a plot of land near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway ... to build a park-and-ride lot. Though the lot will initially serve express-bus riders going to downtown
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2009/05/29/20090529gl-nwvparkandride0530.html
.20 Vanpooling service coming to region
The Business Review –
The Capital District Transportation Authority is currently recruiting businesses that might have employees coming from the same region who would be interested in participating in the program. ... The company providing the wheels is VPSI Inc. out of
http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/06/01/daily8.html
.21 Mid-America region shows economic growth
The
The May overall index for the Mid-America region, a leading economic indicator from a survey of supply managers for a nine-state area, expanded for a fifth straight month but remained below normal neutral growth, according to a report released today by Creighton University. ...
http://www.kansas.com/business/updates/story/834755.html
.22 County calls work session to discuss 911 fees
CovNews.com - GA,
The dispute centers around the fact that Covington and Newton County, who run the 911 Communications Center, want Porterdale to sign a five-year intergovernmental agreement to pay for part of the center's budget, but Porterdale has refused to do that until it gets answers to questions about the 911 center’s budget, which Porterdale officials think might have inefficiencies that are inflating the proposed cost to Porterdale’s. ...
http://www.covnews.com/news/article/7383/
.23 Idea Storm
Oyster Bay
To press the issue with local governments there, a private coalition in
http://www.antonnews.com/columns/miller/788-idea-storm.html
.24 Animal control officer left in dark over plan
The Daily News of
"They told me they were absolutely not regionalizing," Cashman said. The proposed regional plan that will be presented to the Newburyport City Council tonight calls for Salisbury Animal Control officer Harold Congdon to handle those services for all three towns.
http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_144221407.html
.25 Report: Bay Area has ample room to grow
The Bay Area has ample room within its existing communities to house and employ the 2 million new residents projected to call the region home by 2035, according to a report unveiled Wednesday. Titled "Grow Smart Bay Area," the Greenbelt Alliance's new study makes the case that the Bay Area can say no to suburban sprawl and still accommodate new residents and jobs.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12562939
.26 Tolls for HOV lanes on I-85 in Gwinnett approved
wrdw.com -
The
http://www.wrdw.com/news/headlines/46359037.html
.27 Higher prices, reduced service planned for MARTA
Two-dollar MARTA fares, less frequent service, higher parking fees and staff cutbacks are all close to reality at the transit agency. ... Even worse cuts were on the table until the
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/05/28/MARTA_cutbacks.html
.28
The San Francisco Sentinel - CA,
If enacted as drafted, the bill–called The Federal Lands and Resources Energy Development Act of 2009–would consolidate federal energy and mineral leasing programs within one bureau at the Interior Department and establish regional councils intended to provide federal-state discussions about the development of regional energy plans. ...
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=30092
.29 State of Insanity
TIME -
It turns out that letting me vote on stuff is a bad idea, for much the same reason that giving me a credit card was a bad idea: I love stuff and hate paying for it. And it turns out there are a lot of people just like me. On May 19,
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1901486,00.html
.30 Area Leaders Encouraged To Think Regionally
WTRF -
The Regional Visioning Project is a group formed for every day people to offer input and ideas on how to grow the 30 county, four-state region in the future. Allen Kukovich heads the project and today listened to leaders from
http://www.wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=60193
.31 Regional Leaders Gasp at Proposed Med School's Price Tag
TriCities.com -
Regional leaders praise the potential of a proposed
.32 Why a commission on homelessness is needed in the KC region
The conference on homelessness announced in a previous post has the goal of establishing a commission on homelessness for the
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/4765
.33 25 area nonprofits get surprise grants of $25000
"These anniversary grants presented today are representative of the impact the Community Foundation for
.34 Slumping economy helping Glenwood find ways to pay for projects
Glenwood Springs Post Independent -
... city was awarded two Transportation Enhancement grants in 2005 and 2008, totaling $300,000. In 2009, the city received another $300,000 Transportation Enhancement grant and $50,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Colorado Department of Transportation. City council approved an intergovernmental agreement combining all the grants into one agreement at its May 21 meeting. All of the funds are going to pay for the
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20090531/VALLEYNEWS/905309995/1083&ParentProfile=1074
.35 EODD to buy former OG&E building on Court Street
Eastern Oklahoma Development District has contracted to buy the former OG&E office building in downtown
http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/local/local_story_158022729.html
.36 Big Sandy Adventure Tourism Conference and Expo continues
WYMT-TV - KY,
"We hope that by doing this on an annual basis it will continue to draw in people from outside our area into the Big Sandy region and be able to show them just exactly what we have here, " said Sandy Runyon with the Big Sandy Area Development District. ...
http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/47161292.html
.37 Clearing a Path for Development at the US-Mexico Border
New York Times -
In the last year, economic development officials and local elected leaders in
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/realestate/commercial/03cali.html?ref=business
.38 Fed says economy weak, but sees signs the slide easing
The
The economy continues to slog its way through the recession, held back by tight credit conditions and weak demand, according to the Federal Reserve's "beige book" survey. http://www.federalreserve.gov/fomc/beigebook/2009/20090610/fullreport20090610.pdf … The beige book revealed an economy that, while improving in some areas, was still beset on many fronts. Manufacturing activity declined or remained low across most of the Fed's districts. Demand for nonfinancial services contracted. Retail spending remained soft. New car purchases were still depressed. Travel and tourism activity also declined. …
.39 Leaders Commend
News Blaze -
"It is critical for government, academia, industry and the general public to work together on matters of national and regional security," said Joseph Tedesco, dean of UH's Cullen College of Engineering, which houses SWTC. "As an academic, nonprofit institution dedicated to public service, UH can assume the unique role of being the neutral nexus that brings together the different missions and interests to forge a regional consensus and vision. The college's
http://newsblaze.com/story/2009061009390300003.wi/topstory.html
.40 Fed drug report: Double trouble for metro
ABC7Chicago.com
... the report, produced at the request of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, cites 32 regions in the
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/topics/dmas.htm
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=6858204
.41 Business cluster sought with new grant
ENC Today -
An idea to grow a cluster of aviation-related businesses in Eastern North Carolina can be developed by
http://www.enctoday.com/news/spirit-45735-nbsj-cluster-businesses.html
11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet Contents
.01 Open questions on state rescaling
Abstract: Recent work on state rescaling has opened up productive lines of theorization and research. However, this literature contains many open theoretical, interpretive, methodological and empirical questions. By drawing attention to several of these, this article aims to promote reflection and debate on possible future lines of research within this field. I argue, in particular, for greater attention to questions of method—specifically, to the mediations linking abstract concepts to concrete, contextually specific investigations. The article concludes by outlining three research frontiers that could be productively explored within future work on state rescaling—logics of explanation, comparative analyses and questions of periodization.
http://cjres.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/2/1/123
.02 Metro plan threatens property rights, landowners say
CBCnews.ca
Angry landowners surrounding
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/06/10/calgary-metro-plan-land-water.html
.03 Feds cancel Quebec-centred
Canada.com -
Heritage Minister James Moore said the government has made dramatic changes to management of the Celebrate Canada fund to ensure that it will be fair for all regions in the country, and he also plans to replace it with a different program for 2010. " There was a regional inequity in the past and we're correcting it," ...
http://www.canada.com/news/national/Feds+cancel+Quebec+centred+Canada+fund/1663027/story.html
.04 Regional funding rules 'should' be eased
EuropeanVoice.com
The European Commission announced yesterday that it wants to accelerate spending from its regional policy funds in order to counter the economic crisis. It believes the EU should spend more than planned in 2009-10, but, in exchange, reduce its spending in 2011-13. It said the short-term increase was needed to boost the EU's flagging economy and support employment. ...
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2009/06/regional-funding-rules-should-be-eased/65076.aspx
.05 Brazil & Neighbors May Be Rich, But They Are Economic Lightweights
Brazzil.com
Latin America has some of the world's largest countries, in terms of land area, but the continent has no large global economy: and only two medium-sized economies,
.06 Local Labour: New policy ideas for communities
NLGN - New Local Government Network -
Writing on the future of regional governance, Leader of Barnsley Council, Cllr Stephen Houghton suggests that Labour should learn the lessons for the 'no' referendum for an elected regional assembly in the North East. He argues that the party needs to ensure that the narrative for regional governance “is not about extra cost, politics and bureaucracy but is about leadership, economic prosperity, efficiency and accountability.” ...
.07 Public outraged over borrowing bylaw
Lac du Bonnet Leader - Lac
Many ratepayers have argued the Lac du Bonnet plant should be regionalized to supply water to the whole region. Even though Water Services Board technologist Fred Binne stated at a Municipal Board hearing in 2001 that it was hoped the Lac du Bonnet plant would be regionalized, Menon said Lac du Bonnet’s plant does not have the capacity to service another community, ... Menon also said it would cost the RM of Alexander a whopping $9.3 million to access water from Lac du Bonnet. ...
http://www.lacdubonnetleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1588197
.08 Regional Governance Group looks at Energy Strategy
Powershop Pioneers - NZ
New energy initiatives and opportunities, in addition to water and geothermal resources, are being looked at in the
http://powershop.scoop.co.nz/2009/06/03/regional-governance-group-looks-at-energy-strategy/
.09 KAMRUL IDRIS: Old relationship that broke new ground
New Straits Times -
IN the annals of
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Columns/2569529/Article/index_html
.10
Canada.com -
"Since any oil and gas developed in the region would be transported to the North American market under the terms of NAFTA, it is not an issue of either side wanting the resources for itself." Adding that "multinational corporations developing these resources are already working on both sides of the border," Huebert concludes: "If
http://www.canada.com/news/Russia+likely+winner+Arctic+resource+dispute+Study/1639659/story.html
.11 Helping Vulnerable Communities Adapt to Climate Change
Digital Communities - govtech.com
As one of the first regions to experience climate change, the international community's response to the Arctic communities' crisis will set an important global precedent, especially as Inuit communities share many characteristics with developing nations around the world, many of which are also at risk, such as limited access to health services, high unemployment and concerns regarding basic services like the quality of drinking water. …
.12 What are the riskiest outsourcing destinations?
evertiq.se -
A new study by The Black Book shows the 25 riskiest locations for outsourcing. Criteria assessed include Corruption, Geopolitical Issues, unstable currency, Infrastructure or Legal System Immaturity. Here are the Top10 of the riskiest outsourcing destinations: ...
http://www.evertiq.com/news/14305
.13 Fighting organised crime
News Release - The Scottish Government
The Scottish Intelligence and Coordination Unit - headed by a Detective Chief Superintendent - will become the recognised single point for the coordination and sharing of intelligence and information on serious organised crime groups across
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/06/02105118
.14 Why small and tacky is, in fact, beautiful
Times Online -
Few places so monstrously and precisely define
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article6451610.ece
.15 Conservation concerns over new mining project
ABC Online -
The state and federal governments have been warned a new mining project in
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/29/2583972.htm?section=business
.16
HULIQ News -
The National Development and Reform Commission announced the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008-2010) that included
http://www.huliq.com/1/82064/macao-widen-regional-collaboration
.17 Malawians have broken regionalism, RB
Zambian Watchdog -
President Rupiah Banda says the re-election of
http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/?p=2634&cpage=1
.18 Newly declassified documents reveal More than $97 million from USAID to separatist projects in
Creative-i
Recently declassified documents obtained by investigators Jeremy Bigwood and Eva Golinger reveal that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has invested more than $97 million in ‘decentralization’ and ‘regional autonomy’ projects and opposition political parties in
http://www.creative-i.info/?p=7200
.19
RIA Novosti - GlobalSecurity.org
Russia is planning to build a strong military contingent in Central Asia within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) comparable to NATO forces in Europe, ... The CSTO, a post-Soviet regional security bloc comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, has already agreed to create a joint rapid-reaction force, but Russia is preparing a new, larger-scale project. ...
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2009/05/mil-090529-rianovosti03.htm
.20 Global Collaborative Research Fund projects selected
The first recipients of grants from the Princeton Global Collaborative Research Fund have been selected ... Five-University Research Collaboration on East Asia Security Cooperation ... This network will support a sustained discussion concerning East Asian security cooperation and regional governance, with institutional partners in Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul and Singapore. ...
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S24/34/47S21/index.xml?section=topstories,featured
.21 Geotourism: The Future of Travel
Good Times -
Now the idea of geotourism is spreading across the globe faster than the many travelers who practice it—including 55 million Americans, according to a recent Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) report. The May 25 deadline for Ashoka’s Changemakers Geotourism Challenge 2009 “Power of Place” competition, in its second year, was extended a week to accommodate the rapidly expanding number of entries competing for recognition from around the world. It garnered 382 entries from 71 countries, on top of 1,032 nominations from 112 countries— ...
http://www.gtweekly.com/20090526430516/news/environment/geotourismthe-future-of-travel
.22 To woo investors, govt to revive district-level units
Indian Express -
To facilitate investors, the Mayawati government is now reviving its district-level Udyog Bandhu units and aims to effectively execute the old scheme of “Single Table System” — both of which were non-functional. Under the system, the investors had the opportunity to obtain their sanctions from a single window — the Udyog Bandhu units at the district level. ...
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/To-woo-investors--govt-to-revive-district-level-units/471573/
.23
Straits Times -
The enclave and the airport have been labelled the 'egg yolk' at the heart of a 'fried-egg theory' proposed by the transport ministry as the government aims to build the area into an 'aerotropolis' - that is, a centre for all things associated with aviation - as well as a regional hub. The idea of transforming
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_384761.html
.24 Work on airport city to start in 2010
Hindu -
Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) will begin work on the proposed airport city (aerotropolis) in the first half of 2010. ... BIAL’s decision to develop an airport city is in line with the increasing attention being paid to aerotropolises the world over. ...
http://www.hindu.com/2009/06/06/stories/2009060651860100.htm
.25 Studying the Social Science of Terrorists
HSToday -
A new RAND National Defense Research Institute report, Social Science for Counterterrorism: Putting the Pieces Together, prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, states that while “social science has much to say that should inform strategies for counterterrorism and counterinsurgency … unfortunately, the relevant literature has been quite fragmented and seemingly inconsistent across sources.” ... It also meant representing the knowledge analytically in a new way that enhances communication across boundaries of discipline and organization. ...
http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/8745/333/
12. Blogging about Regional Communities Contents
.01 I Want to Go to There (But Where is There?)
Politics and Place
I agree that marketing is probably the single biggest issue that the region as a whole faces. The problem is first and foremost that "the region" is ambiguous and difficult to define. ... An additional, difficulty is the fact that the "Rust Belt" is probably the only inter-state region to be defined by a product instead of a geographical feature (things like "grain belt" or "corn belt" notwithstanding). ... How then to describe our subregion of
http://politicsandplace.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-want-to-go-to-there-but-where-is.html
Regional Visioning Project Name Contest: http://www.regionalvision.org/contest.htm
.02
SmartRegion.org
The Hampton Roads Partnership, in association with WHRO, is joining PBS NewsHour and the Christian Science Monitor’s Patchwork Nation project [http://patchworknation.csmonitor.com/]
to provide coverage of local economic impact, building a local-national collaboration model that incorporates “citizen journalists,” i.e. bloggers. The question has been asked: who speaks for Hampton Roads? The answer: We all do. You do. I do. We all speak for Hampton Roads. The blog SmartRegion.org, started in Fall 2008 by the Hampton Roads Partnership, has been selected to represent Hampton Roads to a global audience as one of only 12 “community types” on PBS NewsHour’s website, namely as a “Military Bastion.” ...
.03 Regionalization #4
Dewey Decimated Director's Blog
In FVRL, regionalization is primarily about consolidating “back room” operations and providing opportunities for local identity. The “back room” consists almost exclusively of support services. These services include marketing and printing, acquisitions, cataloging, and processing, information technology, accounting, personnel management, and library administration. All of these services are housed together in a headquarters building that is the only property owned by FVRL. The “back room” is a cost shared by all 15 communities based on a formula that can be described as the full employment act for accountants. Basically cost is apportioned based on population, circulation, and library square footage and is far less than any community operating independently would invest. The benefits of this arrangement to library users are more than financial. First and foremost policies are consistent throughout the region. ...
http://desmoinesdirector.blogspot.com/2009/05/regionalization-4.html
.04 New Sound Transit Regional Map
Below the fold is Sound Transit's new regional map, inspired in part by
http://seattletransitblog.com/2009/05/25/new-sound-transit-regional-map/
.05 Project for Public Spaces and
Rolling Rains Report - Inclusive Tourism
The Route 31 study was the catalyst for a organization-wide change that led to the institutionalization of these new concepts in a program called New Jersey FIT: Future in Transportation. NJFIT embraces the idea that the ultimate goal of all planning, development, and community design should be to make places, communities and regions more prosperous, civilized and attractive for all people. …
http://www.rollingrains.com/2009/05/project-for-public-spaces-and-new-jersey-transit.html
.06 Facebook Removes Regional Network Privacy and Visibility Settings
All Facebook
Yesterday afternoon Facebook posted about how the site is growing beyond regional networks and how networks will no longer be part of the privacy settings. The rationale is that the company has grown beyond it’s previous boundaries and as such, “these networks too often represent large geographical areas—sometimes entire countries—that no longer accurately reflect people’s real-world connections”. While I personally understand the challenges of managing geographic data, it seems strange that Facebook would eliminate regional networks. Yes, managing the countless regional networks that exist in the world is not easy, but ultimately this was one of Facebook’s greatest values. As I’ve described on countless occasions, one of Facbeook’s greatest opportunities is through leveraging regional data to optimize search results. Eliminating these regions doesn’t really make much sense. ...
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/06/facebook-regional-networks/
.07 The Realm of Humbria
Heavenfield
http://hefenfelth.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/the-realm-of-humbria/
.08 The role of the state in the food system
Rural Sociology Group
In
http://ruralsociologywageningen.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/the-role-of-the-state-in-the-food-system/
.09 For Want of Better Things to Do, I Talk about a
GlobalTalk 21
Intergovernmental forums lacking legislative, executive, or judicial functions show a distressing tendency to devolve into talk fests that produce ineffectual announcements and thick reports that only lead to more announcements, studies and, if they are particularly productive, more intergovernmental forums. Their subjects range far and wide, but the one common feature of such a venue is its staying power. Lacking true governmental functions, it is rapidly mined out of any value that it ever possessed. But once established, it is hard to kill off, ...
http://son-of-gadfly-on-the-wall.blogspot.com/2009/06/for-want-of-better-things-to-do-i-talk.html
.10 A Social Web Without Boundaries
Living Social Media
Joe Ito and Larry Lessig both feel that the next innovation explosion will come from a new Hybrid Economy. … Micah Sifry has pondered whether the Internet is fracturing or uniting us. His conclusion is that with recent tools that facilitate collaboration across boundaries, we have changed the world. Until recently, only the elites talked to the elites. Now the world is opening up and there is transparency and ongoing discussion between the elites and new voices. ...
http://www.livingsocialmedia.com/2009/06/social-web-without-boundaries-thoughts.html
.11
Jürgen Hubert's LiveJournal
Historically,
http://jhubert.livejournal.com/234161.html
13. Announcements and Regional Links. Contents
.01 Open Government Dialogue - The
How can we strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness by making government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative? This project is being run for the White House by the Academy. It has nearly 4000 ideas. You can access the main site below; consider ideas and vote on those you find. The idea I submitted for FIPS geo-codes is linked below. For the Wired65 story, number 2 above, I was able to take their map and list of counties and match it to the Regional Councils in
Main page: http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/panel.do?id=4049
Region Builder Database to Compile Census FIPS Code Alphabetical Data Geographically - Open Government Dialogue
Census FIPS codes are alphabetic and do not allow regional aggregation to match the sub-state districts of councils of government, regional councils, regional commissions, economic development districts, etc. organized in the 1960s-1970s. Metropolitan Statistical Area data is a market measure which changes based on commuting patterns. These have extended over the past 30 years and do not match local government relationships built in the same time period. Exurban counties which come into the commutershed are not peers of the MSA central communities - expanding COGs isn't practical, but networking between regions is. ...
http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3334-4049
.02 Call for nominations - Regional Studies Association Awards 2009
The Association administers Awards recognizing achievements in the following categories:
* Best Book
* Taught Master
* Early Career
* Best contribution to the field
* Best Referees: Each year the journal editors award a number of Awards to referees based on both qualitative and quantitative performance criteria including the speed of response (with allowance made for non-UK referees); extensiveness and detail of comments. The prize of the Award is a one year honorary membership of the Regional Studies Association.
The deadline for nominations for the above Awards is 31st July 2009. The winners will be announced during the Association's President's Lunch on the 5th October 2009 at the House of Lords.
* Best Undergraduate Award - The deadline for this award is 30th June of each year.
http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/about/prizes.asp
.03 New OECD eXplorer - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The OECD is proud to launch a completely updated version of OECD eXplorer – the interactive graphical tool to analyze OECD regional statistics. OECD eXplorer is a leading edge tool for exploring and analysing regional statistics, using a very interactive interface that combines maps with other visual presentations for selecting the groups of regions of interest to the user.
www.oecd.org/gov/regional/statisticsindicators/explorer
.04 Intergovernmental Monitor - Maryland Department of Planning
The Intergovernmental Monitor (Monitor) is a weekly publication prepared by the Maryland State Clearinghouse for Intergovernmental Assistance, at the Maryland Department of Planning. The Monitor announces projects received for intergovernmental review, which is a process for determining compliance with known State and local government laws, policies and guidelines.
http://www.mdp.state.md.us/CLHOUSE/monitor_fy04.htm
Maryland.gov http://maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx
.05 77th Annual Meeting and Exhibition: The Transformation of Transportation - September 13-16, Chicago -
IBTTA’s 77th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 13-16, 2009, in
Registration link and industry information at: www.ibtta.org
14. Financial Crisis. Contents
.01 Guest Post: Review of Karl Polanyi’s The Great Transformation – Bear Market Investments
Karl Polanyi’s, The Great Transformation is a truly original and important work published in 1944. Polanyi doesn’t fit well in our standard left/right economic dichotomy and for the refined economic tastes of the past several decades, he includes far too much history and politics. …
…
Polanyi is not anti-market. He believes they are indeed beneficial, but they are not self-regulating, and more importantly the ethos of the market should not be the ruling or even dominant ethic of society. The idea of self-regulating markets is utopian, and like all utopias extremely brutal if tried to be realized.
…
Secondly, Polanyi astutely points out the necessity of locality. This insight deserves a great deal of thought. It is an important component of our current banking problems. It provides an important principle for the necessary political reform that must accompany any real reform of our banking sector. Polanyi writes:
“In contrast to the nomadic peoples, the cultivator commits himself to improvements fixed in a particular place. Without such improvements human life must remain elementary, and little removed from that of animals. And how large a role have these fixtures played in human history! It is they, the cleared and cultivated lands, the other buildings, the means of communication, the multifarious plant necessary for production, including industry and mining, all permanent and immovable improvements that tie a human community to the locality where it is. They cannot be improvised, but must be built up gradually by generations of patient effort,and the community cannot afford to sacrifice them and start afresh elsewhere. Hence that territorial character of sovereignty, which permeates our political conceptions – for a century these obvious truths were ridiculed.”
Once again, over the last several decades, these obvious truths were ridiculed. In short, power must in some ways remain tied to locality. It cannot all be centralized and globalized. Centralization is both the enemy of locality and democracy. Yet, over the last several decades, the centralizing of the American economy under the utopianism of free-market fundamentalism has been staggering. …
The Financial Times writes,“The four biggest
When power becomes so concentrated it devolves certain traits. One of the most important of these traits in recent years has been the growing use of mathematical models, no more so rampant than in the banking sector. Yves Smith has touched on the issue as it relates to the mortgage fiasco stating quite accurately,
“The problem is that there isn’t a good substitute for knowledge of the borrower and his community. Does he understand what he is getting into? How stable is his employer? What are the prospects for the local economy? Those are important considerations, and they require judgment. That may still in the end be used as an input to a more structured decision process. but overly automating borrower assessment has resulted in information loss. It’s hardly a surprise that the quality of decisions deteriorated.”
Of course, modeling is not exclusive to the banking sectors. It has become essential in many of our large corporations and just as importantly in our centralized government bureaucracies.
…
http://www.bearmarketinvestments.com/guest-post-review-of-karl-polanyi’s-the-great-transformation
.02 Peer-to-Peer Finance: A Flight to Simplicity - Policy Innovations
…
Credit and investment may be achieved without the intermediation of banks. Since bank capital will be further depleted as the credit crunch spreads into the productive economy, peer-to-peer finance offers a solution from an entirely unexpected direction.
Direct Credit
Trade sellers have extended credit to trade buyers for thousands of years. As trade has developed nationally, regionally, and globally, one of the key enabling factors has been credit intermediation by banks. This intermediation protects sellers by taking on the credit risk of buyers and enables trade to flow by providing liquidity to sellers.
It is possible to dispense with a credit intermediary and provide such a framework of trust through the use of an agreement—a guarantee society—whereby sellers and buyers collectively provide a mutual guarantee. This mutual guarantee may then be supported by provisions made by both seller and buyer into a default fund in the hands of a neutral custodian.
A service provider could then set guarantee limits, operate the accounting system, and deal with defaults in return for a fee. The crucial advantage for banks of such a guarantee-society credit-enterprise model is that they would no longer have to put capital at risk by creating credit based upon it.
http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/innovations/data/000085
15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities Contents
To search on topics like those in Regional Community Development News use this custom search engine which utilizes 2,104 regional related sites as of June 10, 2009. Entering the term “climate change” returned 571 items; "climate change" regional returned 514 items.
Search engine link: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000551187207053117963:m1gvkhigkeo&hl=en
My name is Tom Christoffel. I've worked in the field of intergovernmental and regional cooperation since 1973. As a consequence, "I see regions work.” Regional Community Development News is published bi-monthly based on news reports as of Wednesday of the publication week
Making visible such cross-boundary planning, collaboration and cooperative action at multi-jurisdictional networked regional scales, public, private and NGO is my 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 of 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 excerpts and 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 search previous issues since 2003 go to: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/regions_work/
To join Regional Community Networkers and get 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
For the Blog and RSS feed go to: http://regional-communities.blogspot.com/
Questions, comments or items to feature in Regional Community Development News?
Please email the editor: Tom.Christoffel@gmail.com
Thomas J. (Tom) Christoffel, AICP - http://www.regional-communities.com/
