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A compilation of news links about and for regional communities pursuing local and regional development.
Published on line since November 11, 2003.
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Contents
Top Regional Community stories … 1. – 9.
U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State – news articles …10.01 - .18
Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .19
Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .05
Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .03
Financial Crisis …14.01 - .02
Custom search: region, regions, regional communities … 15.
Bold Italic highlights search terms and/or phrases of interest.
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Top Regional Community stories
Note: “Regional Community” Development is a long term process, particularly when a regional scale of community consciousness is just emerging. News sources report “moves,” but such stories are rarely fast-breaking. Still, timeliness is important. Each edition of the RCD News is built over a two week period of daily scanning of information sources. The majority are saved to delicious and now are tweeted as well. To get individual news items sooner, check these options: http://delicious.com/I.see.regions.work and http://twitter.com/tomchristoffel Thanks. Ed.
1. Editorial: Decentralization dulls metro
If Metropolitan Council Chairman Peter Bell
But nowhere in
That kind of planning is neither orderly nor economical. And it moves the Twin Cities metro "in the wrong direction," according to
…
Yet the Met Council [http://www.metrocouncil.org/ ] continues to encourage 70 percent of new growth on fresh ground at the suburban edge and only 30 percent in developed areas with infrastructure already in place. Those numbers should be reversed. Our growth pattern is more akin to the failed cities of the Rust Belt than the attractive places that the Twin Cities likes to consider its peers. The central districts of
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/83682617.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUjc8LDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
2. HUD Secretary Donovan Announces New Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities - HUD.GOV - Press Release -
During a sustainability forum at
"Through our new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, we will begin to tie the quality and location of housing to broader opportunities such as access to good jobs, quality schools, and safe streets," said Donovan. "By working with DOT, EPA and other federal agencies, and with Deputy Secretary Sims’ guidance, we will finally begin to meet the needs of today without compromising the futures of our children and grandchildren .”
Under the management of Director Shelley Poticha, OSHC will be the center-point for all of HUD’s sustainability efforts. The average household spends more than half of its budget on housing and transportation, which have become American families’ two single biggest expenses. With OSHC as lead, HUD will work to improve access to affordable housing and transportation options, saving money for American families while allowing them more time to spend at home and less time traveling.
…
Congress provided $150 million to HUD for a Sustainable Communities Initiative. Of that amount, $100 million is available for regional integrated planning initiatives through HUD’s Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program. To demonstrate HUD’s commitment to listening and learning, Secretary Donovan also announced that a description of the future grant program is available for comment, including through an interactive wiki, on HUD’s web site. [ http://portal.hud.gov/jamwiki/en/StartingPoints ]
With OSHC’s grant programs, HUD will provide funding to a wide variety of multi-jurisdictional and multi-sector partnerships and consortia, from Metropolitan Planning Organizations and State governments, to non-profit and philanthropic organizations. These grants will be designed to encourage regions to build their capacity to integrate economic development, land use, transportation, and water infrastructure investments, and to integrate workforce development with transit-oriented development. Accordingly, OSHC’s grants will be coordinated closely with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Last June, the DOT, EPA and HUD created the unprecedented interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Rooted in six Livability Principles, the three agencies are working together more closely than ever before to meet President Obama’s challenge to coordinate federal policies, programs, and resources to help urban, suburban, and rural areas build more sustainable communities. Traditionally there has been no coordination among federal housing, transportation and land use investments. For the first time the federal government will speak with one voice when it comes to housing, transportation and environmental policy, and in doing so will be partner to regions and local governments instead of a barrier.
,,,
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2010/HUDNo.10-028
3. Quality of place bill sets growth terms - Mainebiz Daily -
A bill working its way through the Legislature aims to make quality of place — that catchphrase made popular by the 2006 Brookings Institution report that plugged the state’s mountains, beaches and historic downtowns as key to its economic growth — a priority in regional development.
Members of the Maine Quality of Place Council, a group Gov. John Baldacci created in the wake of the Brookings report, say it would mean a big step forward for economic development. Not everyone, though, is convinced the legislation will achieve its intended purpose.
LD 1389, “An Act To Create Regional Quality of Place Investment Strategies for High-value Jobs, Products and Services in Maine,” lays out a new way of thinking about economic development by focusing on a region’s assets rather than its needs, says Dick Barringer, chair of the Quality of Place Council and a professor at the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Policy.
Traditional economic development “looks at an area’s weaknesses and tries to correct them, rather than looking at its strengths and trying to build on them,” he says. The asset-based model, as opposed to the need-based model, has been catching on in states like
Proposed last year, but carried over into this legislative session, the bill directs the council to work with economic development districts to develop quality of place investment strategies, identifying assets like historic downtowns, working waterfronts, arts and culture centers and agricultural land. …
...
http://www.mainebiz.biz/news45833.html
4. Cisco
... The brief: Gale would borrow $35 billion from
New
As far as playing God (or SimCity) goes, New Songdo is the most ambitious instant city since Brasília 50 years ago. Brasília, of course, was an instant disaster: …
Being seriously ahead of the curve explains why Gale had such a hard time finding a tech partner … Gale decided a plumber would be a better fit and threw Microsoft over for Cisco.
… Cisco is expected to wire every square inch of the city with synapses. … it promises this city will "run on information." Cisco
And that
… As of now, we
…
It was this crushing demographic trend that drew Cisco into the instant-city business. …
In announcing Cisco
...
"Cities are highly complex systems, and one of the elements of highly complex systems is that when you monkey around with them, their predictability goes to zero," says Pip Coburn, a technology analyst …
5. Regional partnership
Faced with a $250,000 deficit, Charlotte Regional Partnership chief Ronnie Bryant stood before his bosses last July and put his job on the line.
The economic development group, which gets half of its $3 million budget from state and local taxpayers, was seeing cuts in state and private dollars. It needed to cut more costs or raise more money. …
Also in July, a group of senior economic developers wrote the partnership's chairman, questioning the group's spending and heavy administration costs.
…
Local governments, which contribute more than $793,000 to the partnership, face shrinking budgets. At least one member county, York, is considering withdrawing from the group, questioning whether it's worth the $53,000 in the difficult economy.
…
The partnership was spun out of the Charlotte Chamber in 1991, with the mission of selling the 16-county region to the world and enticing companies to move here. If a company becomes interested in the area, the partnership passes on the lead to local recruiters.
The intent was to end turf wars among local economic developers and to market the area more effectively with a collective voice.
…
Bryant says he stands by his methods and assigns the criticism to a "philosophical difference."
He said he's cut back on advertising because the partnership can't afford to run an effective national campaign. Instead, he said, his recruiters visit site-selection consultants and attend trade shows and industry meetings to interact with decision-makers.
The bulk of the group's advertising is limited to ads at the
Bryant said the ads are worthwhile because of the thousands of passengers that travel through the hub daily. The group gets a discounted rate. "It's a no-brainer," he says.
He also thinks the group's Web site and targeted e-mail blasts are more effective than traditional ads.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1228354.html
6. Mega-regionalism: A Southeastern economic engine? - The
First there was regionalism, an economic-development trend that linked
Now comes mega-regionalism, an attempt to create a seamless economic corridor between
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is a key player in the newly formed Piedmont Alliance for Quality Growth. Organized last November, the
Of pre-eminent importance for the 40-odd government, business and academic officials who comprise the
“This whole concept of mega-regions is a phenomenon that’s occurring primarily from economic forces. We didn’t plan it; it’s already here,” Harry West, a former executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, said Friday. “We’re trying to make sure the growth we attract is of a quality and sustainable nature.”
The
Example: foreign car-makers dot the Interstate 85 corridor from BMW in
Cities and states, though, fight fiercely for every business or corporate relocation. Why would they cooperate in a mega-region?
...
http://www.ajc.com/business/mega-regionalism-a-southeastern-286839.html
7. Speak out on regionalism at forums - Natchez Democrat -
Over the last seven months, it has been so refreshing to experience the outcome of the three area Chambers of Commerce working together in an effort to build a united coalition for advancing community and economic development in this region. We have continued to meet on a regular basis and it has been exciting to see that everyone on the committee is taking part in our effort to pull together in order to make this community everything that it can be.
Various experts have helped identify our strengths, as well as our weaknesses, but just having this knowledge is not enough. Now is the time for us to formalize a plan for moving forward and taking action.
It should come as no surprise that our greatest identified strength is our citizens — a diverse, talented and caring group — lacking only a viable plan for uniting and moving our community forward. In order to formulate this plan, our chambers of commerce have set dates for three forums at which the public will be able to address the Miss-Lou Regional Steering Committee, ask questions, as well as make suggestions on how the group should move forward.
…
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2010/feb/03/speak-out-regionalism-forums/
8. Super Bowl host city gets game, but not necessarily the attention - Dallas Morning News –
When Super Bowl Sunday arrives, the obscure city of
Much of the glitz and glamour of the Super Bowl is happening far from the stadium in
City Manager Danny Crew said he can point to little impact that the Super Bowl has on Miami Gardens, the home of Sun Life Stadium and the Miami Dolphins.
"There
The area near Sun Life Stadium can
Although he welcomes the Super Bowl, Crew said it
For all their differences,
And both are also overshadowed by their bigger neighbors.
The Super Bowl host committees preach regionalism, but it
In
9. Stevenson and Cleghorn attend
St. Johns County District 1 Commissioner, Cyndi Stevenson, and Jason Cleghorn from the county’s Growth Management department, have been selected to attend the 2010
The Academy educates Regional Leaders and invests in the future of regional communities through a mission to make Northeast Florida a better place to live and work through a series of programs covering topics like Equity, Diversity, Land use, Quality of Life, Emergency Preparedness, Housing, Healthcare, Transportation, Environment, Water resources, Economic Development and Regional Visioning.
Commissioner Stevenson and Jason Cleghorn were selected from a group of very well qualified candidates to attend the Academy this year.
The Regional Leadership Series is for those with a sincere commitment and motivation to serve the Regional community.
It is for participants who have the willingness to invest the time and energy required and have the ability to make arrangements to attend the required programs.
The RLS is for leaders representing business (large and small), education, nonprofits, agriculture, government, healthcare, elected officials, and media.
In short, the Regional Leadership Series is for anyone who understands the importance of Regionalism and is committed to Regional visioning and growth for the betterment of our communities.
10. U.S. Regional Communities - sub-State, State or multi-State - in news articles.
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
.01 Guest Commentary: 5 Keys to
... five keys to the City
.02
Gary Post Tribune -
Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. came out swinging on the side of regionalism for Northwest Indiana and against the town of
http://www.post-trib.com/business/2015734,lakeshore0128.article
.03 Chamber endorses KC E-tax
The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has issued a statement endorsing the 1 percent
...
http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/21299
.04
BusinessWeek - USA
New York Governor David Paterson proposed changes to a payroll tax aimed at assisting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, saying it would restore about $230 million in revenue this year to the cash-strapped transit agency. Paterson, a Democrat, recommended raising a so-called mobility tax on
.05
Huffington Post (blog) -
Today I was thrilled to attend a press conference held by Senator Michael Bennett, FTA chief Peter Rogoff and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper announcing that the federal government has agreed to loan $300 million dollars for the Denver Union Station redevelopment. Since 1881, the
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judy-montero/denvers-transportation-fu_b_451728.html
.06 Mayor: Metro riders come first
As Mayor Annise Parker awaits reports from transition committees studying the Metropolitan Transit Authority, fundamental questions loom about how the agency should deliver and pay for services and its role in shaping regional growth and development. Parker has signaled that she is not wedded to conventional wisdom about Metro, even suggesting eliminating fares to increase lagging ridership. While acknowledging that Metro would have to cope with the loss of fare revenues — $66 million in 2009, about 20 percent of its expenses — she said it is a discussion the agency needs to have. The mayor, who appoints five of the nine members of Metro
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6856178.html
.07 Rotary speaker promotes regionalism, excited for growth of
The
The Great Lakes Bay Region is on the right track for future growth and development. So says William Rustem, co-director of a state group that’s promoting regional alliances throughout
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2010/01/rotary_speaker_promotes_region.html
.08 Is regionalism actually taking flight in
Business Review West Michigan - Mlive.com MI,
...West Michigan’s decades-long quest to achieve regionalism. More than 15 years ago, business leaders in West Michigan — some quietly, some more vocally — expressed a desire to see
...
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2010/02/is_regionalism_actually_taking.html
.09 Regional chamber recognizes community service
Northern Virginia Daily -
The Top of Virginia Regional Chamber held its annual Regional Greater Good awards dinner Jan. 29 at Millwood Station to recognize businesses and individuals whose leadership and community involvement benefited the area in 2009. "Even in the worst of economic times, a positive energy is still in our community," Jim Youngblood, market president of Virginia National Bank, said in his opening remarks. ...
http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2010/02/regional-chamber-recognizes-community-service.php
.10 How regionalism works
A plan by the City of
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100205/OPINION02/2050315
.11 Re-evaluating priorities, goals: Rawlins Public Works Department and City Hall cope with staff reductions
Daily Times - Rawlins, WY, USA
... 12.5 city staff layoffs would help offset a projected $1.1 million budget deficit in capital and operational funds this fiscal year and mitigate next years’ projected $2 million shortfall. These deficits are largely the result of diminished state sales tax revenue, the likely upcoming elimination of the food tax subsidy and other reductions in state funding, he said. Stolns said the reductions would require more interagency cooperation and the reassigning of duties. “We’ve seen as the numbers dropped, (cooperation) become more of a necessity. … We’ve started using everybody’s talents,” he said. “You may be in (another) division, but you still work for the city. It’s good for all of us to remember who we work for.” ...
http://www.rawlinstimes.com/articles/2010/01/29/news/doc4b627f4cca3df728477279.txt
.12 Safety Risks At Regional Airlines Detailed By PBS
NPR - USA
The crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 last February — in which 50 deaths were attributed to pilot error — exposes widespread safety problems linked to lax regulation, according to an investigation by PBS. Among the risks found in the Frontline report: long hours and low pay at regional carriers, where some pilots become captains with less than a year of experience. As PBS correspondent Miles O
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123496427
.13 Even regional casinos struggle through year-end
GamingTodaySlotsToday - USA
Any hopes that regional casinos would turn positive during the fourth quarter reporting season ended last week when Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. (PNK), Penn National Gaming Inc. (PENN) and Ameristar Casinos Inc. (ASCA) reported on the quarter that ended on Dec. 31, 2009. Pinnacle Entertainment said its net loss narrowed to $242 million or $4.03 per share compared to the previous year when the loss was $297.7 million or $4.97 per share. ... Company officials described the reporting period as challenging. "While the first half of the year was solid," said interim CEO John Giovenco, "the continuing deterioration of the economy resulted in less visitation and lower play per customer." ...
http://www.gamingtoday.com/industry-news/story.bv?storyid=24581
.14 Schneider National to hire 2,500 drivers in 2010
Schneider National Inc. of
http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2010/02/08/daily7.html
.15 Saints
Victoria Advocate -
The entire Who Dat? nation along the
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/feb/08/bc-fbn-super-glauber-columnnd-_-sports/?sports&nfl
.16 Proposal: Regional fire agency could save $800K
A regional fire agency serving the city of Reno and Washoe County could free up fire companies and save the region much as $800,000, according to study recommendations from a California consulting group. ... The study recommends a joint fire authority board manage the regional fire agency. The board would be comprised of two Washoe county commissioners and two
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14353957
.17 Eat-onomics With Paul Willis of Niman Ranch
Fast Company -
FC: What
PW: It
FC: What does Niman Ranch do to tackle that problem?
PW: We provide a market for farmers that raise livestock with high animal welfare standards and are generally part of a diversified farm. Most of our farmers don
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/stephanie-schomer/write/qa-paul-willis-niman-ranch
.18 The Amazing
WEBTRAFFICIDEAS.com
16. Community Activities - involvement inside the regional community can contain sponsorship and participation in regional actions and celebrations. Advertising solutions assist your involvement and exposure by way of handout treats, present bag inclusions, drink bottles, t shirts, balloons, stickers, confectionery and snack packs. ...
http://www.webtrafficideas.com/the-amazing-twenty-ways-to-promote-with-promotional-products/
11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet Contents
.01 MP Ken Clarke issues warning to One North East
Journal Live -
SENIOR Conservative MP Ken Clarke has warned development bosses he will consign them to the dustbin as he cracks down on the “last arms of John Prescott’s unwanted plans for regional governance”. In a bullish attack on the £270m regional quango One North East Mr Clarke told business leaders in
.02 MMRDA woos global investors for funding
Daily News & Analysis -
With a kitty of about Rs15,000 crore, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) may be considered the richest planning body in the country. But with an investment of Rs1.14 lakh crore required to implement its 16 premier infrastructure projects, the authority is wooing worldwide investors to come to its rescue. Last week, MMRDA chief Ratnakar Gaikwad appealed to a world conference of architects, urban planners and investors being held in the city to pledge investments for the metropolitan region. At the conference, organised by the Chicago-based Council on
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_mmrda-woos-global-investors-for-funding_1344756
.03
The
http://thejakartaherald.com/indonesia-and-the-world-2010-part-2-of-2/
.04
Northwest Regional Development Agency (press release) –
Liverpool City Council (LCC) in partnership with Foundation, a climate fund for the
http://www.nwda.co.uk/news--events/press-releases/201001/liverpool-foundation.aspx
.05 Olympic torch travelling through one of the most diverse regions of
As the Olympic torch run makes its way through metro
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/olympics/83835132.html
.06 Arroyo launches
Inquirer.net -
President Arroyo described the Urban Luzon Beltway as being composed of the southern part of Central Luzon, the entire Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon region) and half of Region IV-B-- specifically the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque--which have been the country
.07 Putin to chair meeting of govt commission for regional development
ITAR-TASS -
... The development strategy of the information society in the Russian Federation that the Russian president approved on February 7, 2008 sets as one of the priorities higher efficiency of the state management, better cooperation between the civil society and business with the state authorities, a higher quality and quicker provision of the state services. One of the main components of the strategy is the concept of forming the Russian electronic government, ... In most Russian constituent territories the Internet portals were created to provide the official information about the work of the state authorities and state purchases. The agencies and structures, which are in charge of the informatization in the regions and the transition of the state services in the electronic form, were determined. Regional information systems are being created. In several federal constituent territories complex solutions are under development to embrace the informatization of all spheres of the work of regional authorities and the whole scope of the state services. ...
http://www.tass-online.ru/?page=pages&pageID=24&langID=2
.08 SPO supports decentralization
B92 -
The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) wants laws passed to encourage a decentralization of the country, SPO Director Aleksandar Jugović said. “The SPO is strongly against any kind of initiatives for creating an independent statistical Sandžak sub-region, and we are serious in our efforts to decentralize
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=02&dd=07&nav_id=65043
.09
The Economist -
... for the past 20-odd years a pan-Asian conversation about the benefits of deeper integration has only grown. The end of cold-war tensions within
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15452622
.10 Disasters are not rare, so prepare
FT.com -
A natural event that kills more than 50,000 people has occurred, on average, once every four years since 1970. ... . Given the frequency of natural catastrophes, we need rapid response teams on a global scale analogous to local fire departments. In every region of the globe, we should have a rapid response organisation, under clear leadership, primed to organise the logistics, search and rescue teams, medical support, drinking water, basic nourishment and shelter within hours of a natural catastrophe. Each regional group would be responsible, with the affected government’s permission, for mobilising and managing the initial emergency response – for at least the first week after a disaster. It would direct the allocation of NGO resources in this period, ensuring that the most important are landed, unloaded and delivered where needed. ... Very bad, very big surprises happen often. They are all man-made to some extent. We need to be prepared – and we need stronger global management of them on this small planet.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e80454a-0925-11df-ba88-00144feabdc0.html?catid=9&SID=google
.11 Regionalization Heralds New Era in
Regionization is a new project which heralds a new era in
.12 National anti-regionalism strategy to be drafted
Ministry of Endowments and Guidance is to draft a national anti-regionalism strategy. The ministerial committee of preparing the national strategy asked the ministry of endowments to draft the strategy which aims at enhancing moderation and combating bad thoughts in the society in addition to raise awareness about tolerance and loyalty for the nation. The strategy will be drafted in accordance with Holy Quran, laws, previous approved strategies and international conventions which have been ratified by
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news204647.htm
.13 Progress on
(Video and text) The East African Community (EAC) is the regional intergovernmental organisation of the Republics of Kenya,
http://unitedafrica.blogspot.com/2010/01/progress-on-east-africa-community.html
.14 PRRD mulls carbon neutrality
Energeticcity.ca -
The Peace River Regional District [http://www.peaceriverrd.bc.ca/] is taking more steps towards becoming carbon neutral by 2012. Directors met in
http://www.energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/01/28/10/prrd-mulls-carbon-neutrality
.15 The Next Decade's Top Sustainability Trends
WorldChanging.com
What trends are likely the next ten years? … 8. Focus on Urban Agriculture and Foodsheds - Time Period: 2012-2019 - As fuel prices rise and unexpected energy shortages occur, food prices will rise rapidly, especially for food that must be transported long distances via airplanes, stored and processed. The alternative is greater local and regional food production in and around cities. Existing cities in Latin America (
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010922.html
.16 It
NewsBlaze - Folsom, CA,
... Besides, talking about Mumbai, he said nothing insulting except that Mumbai belongs to all Indians. It is really a matter of shame that two Senas have taken over the rights of Mumbai treating it as their exclusive property. It is also not clear who is ruling in
http://newsblaze.com/story/20100207133055jams.nb/topstory.html
.17 Crown Beverages eyes regional market
New Vision -
LOCAL soft drinks manufacturer, Crown Beverages, is set to roll out its operations to other regional economies. The move, according to the company’s board chairman, Amos Nzeyi, aims to consolidate its market share amid increasing competition in the beverages industry. “Crown Beverages will cross borders and I believe with everybody’s support, we will be able to achieve this,” Nzeyi said. He was on Saturday speaking at an event to celebrate the company’s achievements for the past year at Hotel Africana in
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/709487
.18 Megaslumming - A Journey Through sub-Saharan
Share The World
Kibera has become one of the most infamous slums in the world. But the visiting pop stars, politicians and Western journalists seldom explain how the enduring poverty and inequality in
http://www.stwr.org/megaslumming-a-journey-through-sub-saharan-africas-largest-shantytown.html
.19 First-Ever Drop In Filings Under Patent Cooperation Treaty Seen In 2009
Intellectual Property Watch (blog)
International patent filings under the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Patent Cooperation Treaty fell for the first time in three decades in 2009, owing to a deep economic downturn, WIPO officials said today. Overall patent filings fell 4.5 percent in 2009, but industrialised nations were particularly hard-hit, and are also expected to have slower growth rates in 2010 than emerging economies. ... The picture was more variegated at the national level. The biggest industrialised-country players in the international patent system saw major declines in their filings in 2009, with the
12. Blogging about Regional Communities Contents
.01 Regional Economy vs Global Economy
Loving Home in Practice
The horrible consequence of the predominance of global scale business (manufacture, logistics and retailing) is that regional marketplaces have been utterly destroyed. ... There clearly are regional businesses, but the norm is of national and global scale. ... At the time when the global retailers became prominent, they superceded (killed) regional marketplaces. The regional retailers, regional wholesalers, and largely regional manufacturers, all vanished in the 1980’s and 90’s. The institutional structure of the regional manufacturers and the networks of wholesalers is now destroyed. ... There is no warehousing and middle-men structure to support regional retailers, and those that would try would face financially compromised customers (paying late, going bankrupt). Its a remote prospect at this point. ... A state has very limited powers relative to the supply chain of labor standards (slave and child labor), environmental (toxins, deforestation), monopoly practices, etc. There is no regional scale governance. A large consequence of the shift to a regional scale economy would a great increase in the distribution of employment. If manufacturing, distribution, and retailing is relatively local, then jobs will be as well. …
http://rwitty.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/regional-economy-vs-global-economy/
.02 Economic Development Marketing and Attraction: Communicating Your Community’s Economic Competitive Advantage
Inside Business Blog
In developing a community’s or region’s economic development marketing and attraction strategy, it’s important to have a greater understanding of the regional economy and its industries. The more accurately one can identify those industries and firms that best match the community’s existing capabilities, the more accurately one can target their economic development marketing and attraction efforts.
.03 Vote with Your Fork! State of the Pantry Report
Adventures In Daily Living
Here are our goals, in no particular order, with the over-arching consideration in parentheses.
* to shun misery-laden production practices (personal ethical health, preservation of small parcel agriculture[usually]),
* to shun edible-food-like products that have factory origins (personal physical health, personal financial health, regional environmental health*).
* to shun farming practices that rely on the intense use of petroleum-based fertilizers (personal health, regional environmental health).
* to shun foods laden with antibiotics and insecticides (personal physical health, community/regional environmental health).
Here is our State of the Pantry report:
Goals Met:
* Beef -- Misery-free grass-fed beef born, raised, and butchered in one set of pastures within our region. Purchased directly from farmer.
* Eggs -- Our own misery-free yard-fed hens give us plenty of these.
* Flour -- Organic regional flour milled by locally-owned flour mill.
…
http://www.adventuresindailyliving.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-with-your-fork-state-of-pantry.html
.04 The commons as a common paradigm for social movements and beyond
CommonsBlog
We can only promote the commons as a new narrative for the 21st century if they are identified as a common denominator by different social movements and schools of thought. In my point of view, enforcing the commons would be not only possible, but strategically intelligent. Here are 15 reasons why: … 6. Focussing the commons brings three big C into a new balance: Cooperation, Command and Competition. There is no cooperation without competition and vice-versa, but in a commons based society the recognition is gained by those who perform best in cooperation and not in competition. The slogan is: Out-cooperate instead of out-compete. The specific rules for cooperation in a commons system vary from setting to setting. Nobody can command them from above. From commons research and practice we learn, that all over the world many commons governance systems are self-regulating, that means: they are creating their own monitoring systems. Or they are self-regulating and coordinate at different institutional levels. …
and http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2642
.05 Neo-liberalism beats Neo-realism
Politics in Motion
According to Neo-liberals there are many cases in which institutions do matter. They can: provide information; reduce transaction costs; make commitments credible; establish focal points for coordination, and in general facilitate the operation of reciprocity (Keoane & Martin 1994). What Keohane & Martin defend is that, contrary to Neo-realist belief, states can functionally make use of the existence and good function of institutions to improve the quality of information and optimize potential gains from cooperation. They also make more than, as Mersheimer criticizes, simply preventing cheating. Institutions have the ability to work as moderators and control to a certain extent “fears of unequal gains from cooperation” (Keohane & Martin 1994). ...
http://politicsinmotion.blogspot.com/2007/05/neo-liberalism-beats-neo-realism.html
13. Announcements and Regional Links. Contents
.01 International Conference of Innovative Cities - March 10 -13 -
Four Days, Four Major Themes:
1 - The Revival of Cities | Remarkable experiences on social and technological innovations that are competing for the construction of a new urban environment (including the environment for the development of the new industry)
2 - The reinvention of the government from cities | Remarkable experiences on management innovations (including urban planning and management of policies and innovative programs)| Remarkable experiences on political innovations (including policies and politics) | The City as "Living Organism".
3 - The development governance in cities | Remarkable experiences on innovations for the endogenous development | Remarkable experiences on innovations for sustainability | The City as a Network and Sustainability of Cities.
4 -
http://www.cidadesinovadoras.org.br/english/
.02 Regional Studies Association Sessions and Annual Regional Studies Journal Lecture by Professor Paul Krugman - April 15 & 16 at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) Annual Conference, Washington D.C., USA
Thursday - April 15th
Regional Studies Association - Day of Sessions
Session speakers: Ann Markusen,
Henry Yeung and Susan Christopherson
Session topics:
* Innovation and Restructuring
* Ecological and Social Perspectives
* Urban Responses and Strategies
* Regional Resilience Panel Debate
* Regional Resilience Plenary - Professor Ed Glaeser
“Two Centuries of Urban Resurgence and Decline”
Regional Studies Journal Annual Lecture
Friday April 16th - 12:40pm
Professor Paul Krugman - Nobel Prize Winner
“The New Economic Geography, Now Middle Aged”
To attend the above sessions please register for the AAG Annual Conference.
Day rates available. Discounts apply if booking before 17th March
http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/2010/index.htm
Regional Studies Association - www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk
.03 Oceanology International 2010 Conference - 9 - 11 March -
Oceanology International is the world’s premier meeting place for the marine science and ocean technology community. The Oceanology International 2010 conference, developed with the Society for Underwater Technology, will focus on the five core technical disciplines: Navigation & Positioning; Hydrography/Geophysics; Marine Environment; Geotechnics; Ocean Observation and Forecasting.
http://www.oceanologyinternational.com/
14. Financial Crisis. Contents
.01 The Celtic Tiger Savaged the Irish - RenegadeEconomist
Fred Harrison lectures to five hundred people at Trinity College Dublin and explains where to go from here for
Video - 7:27 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPBWTJsc5Og&feature
Books: http://www.fredharrison.org/publications.asp
.02 Think the PIGS Are in Trouble? These 7
The inevitable coming of the sovereign debt panic finally engulfed
Notable among three of the PIGS are their relatively small populations, and small contributions to either world or European GDP. While
I’ve identified seven large
...
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 over 2000 regional related sites.
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=000551187207053117963:m1gvkhigkeo&hl=en
My name is Tom Christoffel. I
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
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 Google Search services. 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. Regional Community Development News is published bi-monthly based on news reports as of the publication date.
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Questions, comments or items to feature in Regional Community Development News?
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Tom (Thomas J.) Christoffel, AICP - http://www.regional-communities.com/
