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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 - .20
Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet … 11.01 - .20
Blogging about Regional Communities … 12.01 - .09
Announcements and Regional Links … 13.01 - .04
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
1. State official: development takes holistic approach - Winchester News Gazette -
David Terrell, director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, was in
Terrell said, "The community has to buy into the whole idea of economic development. You have to look at the totality of your community."
Then he listed some of the ingredients of economic development: …
Terrell also preached the growing importance of working on a regional basis for economic development.
"State-wide we haven
The Union City Community Economic Development Committee has been working across State Lines for more than four years on the theory that what
Terrell said, "Every county has projects that are important to the region, that can bring value added to the region and to its individual communities."
While economic development specialists have been talking about regionalism for several years, Terrell said this time the idea isn
"We are hearing conversations (about regionalism) that we
Projects will be selected by priority and must be part of a plan, Terrell advised. Funding decisions will include an evaluation of the economic impact on the region.
Terrell was a guest at the EIDD
http://www.winchesternewsgazette.com/articles/2010/03/07/news/doc4b94247581f6b588261276.txt
2. Regional cooperation must succeed - Lansing State Journal -
An improved regional awareness will come to mid-Michigan out of necessity and with it, eventually, will come more and better efforts to combine government services.
As state and local governments face another year of financial crisis, it's more clear than ever that finding more ways to cooperate and leverage money-saving efficiencies will be vital.
… build on what the region already has started by finding ways to copy it elsewhere. Focus on what has already succeeded and build upon it.
Those who believe it's the wrong course or can't be done should take a deeper look at the lengthy list of existing partnerships.
Start with law enforcement. The Tri-County Metro Narcotics Squad is a highly successful cooperative that dates back to 1968. … Ditto with the region's shared SWAT and dive teams - local leaders must analyze what works.
Other shared services come so naturally we may forget to notice. Books and other media move efficiently through Capital Area District Library, serving patrons at 13 branches. The Capital Area Transportation Authority …
Other shared efforts include the Capital Area Groundwater Alliance and the Tri-County Regional Planning Authority. [http://www.tri-co.org/]
In the works: shared emergency dispatch, shared booking for the Lansing and Ingham County jails, possible shared property assessing services, possible combination of Lansing city and Board of Water & Light garages.
As the number of such efforts under study increases - and it will - the government officials and workers involved need to keep in mind some basic rules.
Everyone at the table deserves to be treated with respect, even in moments of heated debate.
Refusing to succeed is not an option, it's obstructionism.
The region's future depends upon improving its ability to find more ways to work across boundaries to achieve the a common good, in government or elsewhere.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100228/OPINION01/2280537/-1/RSS
3. Quad-City chambers crafting regional strategy - Quad City Times -
“One Quad-Cities” emerged as a recurring theme Wednesday as area chamber members gathered to discuss ideas they would like to see included as the bi-state area moves toward a single economic development strategy.
… two shareholder input sessions hosted by the Iowa Quad-Cities Chamber and the Illinois Quad-City Chamber. …
Tara Barney, the
Participants offered input on suggestions for goals linked to quality of life, work force, collaboration, business attraction and marketing, and regionalism — all pieces of the future strategy.
The chambers have hired AngelouEconomics, an Austin, Texas-based economic development consultant, to help create a plan to grow the region’s economy. The firm previously worked with the
“There are a lot of regional efforts out there, but very few cross state lines … ,” Steve Vierck, AngelouEconomics’ president, said. However, he stressed that regionalism “makes you more competitive so you’re stronger than other regions.”
Vierck said alignment is the key to Quad-City planning efforts. “You don’t need a full new plan. You have several plans in place. We just need to align them.”
Barney said that since December, the chambers have been working to begin combining strategies that include the D1 Initiative, Blueprint 2010, the former Quad-City Development Group’s strategic plan, the Global Growth Initiative, and the plans of individual cities and counties. Their efforts also are folding in the visions of Quad-Cities First, an entity led by the chambers that replaced the development group.
...
http://www.qctimes.com/business/article_8cfa60dc-273d-11df-b9bd-001cc4c002e0.html
RC: Bi-State Regional Commission http://www.bistateonline.org/
4. To some, urban sprawl is a stretch - Montreal Gazette –
Is there really such a thing as urban sprawl in
Ten years after the creation of the Montreal Metropolitan Community[http://www.cmm.qc.ca/], municipalities on and off
The MMC was formed in 2001 as a prelude to the municipal mergers forced by provincial law. On-island and off-island elected officials were to come together on the body to discuss issues of regional importance.
Today, the MMC council's 29 representatives - all of them mayors or councillors from cities in the
There is a sense of dรฉjร vu on the regional political landscape, as the 15 representatives from the
Unresolved issues relating to sprawl and fiscal fairness continue to dominate, just as they did back in 2001.
The MMC council holds limited political power, compared with city councils in the region and the two "agglomeration" councils in
The city of
But negotiations fell apart in 2005, when off-island municipalities complained that the regional planning bodies to which they had long been affiliated - municipal regional counties, or MRCs - had not been given a political voice in the land-use talks.
…
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/some+urban+sprawl+stretch/2609295/story.html
5. Self-Organizing the Sun Corridor – The New Republic –
Regionalism is too often thought to require government initiative. As a result, progress is associated with full-on structural reform--and so the controversy (and usually frustration) begins.
Look to the Intermountain West, however, and it becomes immediately clear that regionalism need not require top-down government overhaul, and especially need not require it at the “super-regional” scale of the “megapolitan” spaces described by the Metro Program’s 2008 report “Mountain Megas.”
… Sun Corridor of
...
Leadership, and Southern Arizona Leadership Council--represents a unique multi-metro public/private push to make serious investments in the region’s innovation capacity.
… landmark resolution of planning coordination among the megalopolis’ three critical local government associations: MAG [http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/display.cms], the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) [http://pagnet.org/], and the Central Arizona Association of Governments (CAAG) [http://www.caagcentral.org/]. By dint of the resolution, a new multi-metro Joint Planning Advisory Council will now be established in
In short, regionalism (and super-regionalism) are alive and well in the Intermountain West and elsewhere, but not as matters of formal government initiative. Though the new super-regionalism is voluntary and self-organized, it is in no way insignificant.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-avenue/self-organizing-the-sun-corridor
6. War over waste - The News-Enterprise -
A bill in the Kentucky House of Representatives authorizing formation of a pilot wastewater program in seven
HB 221 — spearheaded by Rep. Linda Belcher, D-Shepherdsville, and two Louisville Democrats, Reps. Steve Riggs and Larry Walker — allows for the creation of a regional wastewater commission or commissions in Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson, Meade, Nelson, Oldham and Spencer counties “for the purposes of preserving water quality and developing infrastructure in the Salt River Basin sufficient to promote and sustain industrial, commercial, and residential development.”
The bill cites commercial and residential development from the
…
As the area grows, Lee said it is important to look for ways to build consensus across county lines and streamline wastewater collection and service efforts, creating more synergy within the state.
By making it a pilot program, he continued, the state can determine the feasibility of regionalization.
…
Special legislation?
A commission under this bill would not be identified as a utility, so it would not be subject to Kentucky Public Service Commission oversight. That proposed autonomy has some groups crying foul, claiming the bill will produce the same problems some
“This bill now opens the door to allow six other counties to (endure) the same crap we’ve had to deal with,” said Col. Paul Holliger, operations manager of a group called Stop Invisible Taxes.
Holliger said the bill is almost a “carbon copy” of legislation put into place for metropolitan sewer districts, and it grants a regional commission the authority to set rates and fees with little involvement by the counties or residents.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?053+article+News.Local+20100223181223053053019
RCs:
Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency - Bullitt, Jefferson,
Lincoln Trail Area Development District - Hardin, Meade, Nelson - http://www.ltadd.org/
7. Base closure moved SC coastal economy forward – Business Week -
A $750 million Boeing assembly plant with thousands of jobs and a $100 million wind turbine test facility were just two of the announced developments that boosted the
The government was closing the Charleston Naval base and naval shipyard, the region was still recovering from its 1989 battering by Hurricane Hugo and local leaders were using apocalyptic language to warn of a coming economic implosion.
"The weeds begin to grow in the cracks in the pavement and the tumbleweeds of broken dreams and shattered lives blow down the street," Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. told the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission in 1993.
It was the same year David Ginn, now the president and CEO of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance [http://www.crda.org/], moved to the
…
The closing of the base in 1995 cost more than 20,000 government jobs.
Ginn said it also brought fundamental change in the area economy, bringing together communities once in competition to work together to attract investment to the whole region.
…
The regional development alliance, formed in 1995, had an early win when Nucor Corp. announced a $500 million steel mill in
There were 18 more industrial announcements in the region that year and 20 more in 1996, Ginn said.
"It unleashed the power of the private sector by taking this Navy presence out," said Ginn.
Local officials used what was called a hot turnover at the old base. Instead of taking years with master plans, they quickly got companies into existing warehouses and other base facilities. Within six years, 5,000 new jobs has been created and more than $141 million had been invested at the base.
…
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9E61OPO0.htm
RC: Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester COG - http://www.bcdcog.com/
8. Can regionalism work? -
…
Calls for consolidation have grown in recent years with the sinking economy. Local municipal budgets have been hit hard by cuts in state funding and a decline in local tax revenue. While there has been consolidation of some government functions across the region - such as the Capital Area District Library and Tri-County Regional Planning Commission - there are issues still in the way of future consolidation.
And they
But one political veteran says the financial realities facing local governments might be the impetus that pushes governments past those issues.
"The ongoing state budget crisis is forcing people to consider options that they wouldn
Political will
In 2008,
Despite
Bernero has recently suggested the Lansing Police Department merge with
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100228/NEWS01/2280563/Can-regionalism-work
9. Controversy in
If you live in a city or suburb, chances are your regional government has tried to get your attention. Did you notice? Many of the issues your regional government is grappling with are actually important to you: the quality of the air you breathe, the quality of public transportation, the availability of green open space, and more.
As important as these issues are, I can almost guarantee that planners from your region have had to work extra hard to convince the press -- not to mention the citizens that live and work there -- to pay attention. The problem is, regional planning is about as exciting to the public as televised bowling and the press don’t seem to find the topic as newsworthy as it should be.
And then there is
... President Sarkozy created a political and media frenzy this past year when he announced his intention to design a new
His push has been to look past local political boundaries and acknowledge the new Paris that is emerging -- one that is both larger in geography and socio-economically more diverse. ...
Sarkozy retained 10 architectural teams with heavy hitters, such as Richard Rodgers, and asked them to “think big” on how to physically redefine the
As it turns out,
It also turns out that Grand Paris flies directly in the face of the regional coalition building effort under way. An important number of leaders that comprise the region’s 1,231 jurisdictions are already forging a common agenda ...
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0226_paris_wagner.aspx
RC:
The Regional Council - http://www.iledefrance.fr/english/conseil-regional/
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 This could have been the time...
Lansdale Reporter - Serving North
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If ever there were a natural time for considering regionalizing police coverage in the Souderton-Telford-Franconia area, it should have been now. Both Souderton Police Chief Charles Quinn and Telford Police Chief Douglas Bickel are retiring. With the chiefs gone, there would have been no reason to fight over who would head up such a regional force.
But
http://www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2010/03/03/opinion/srv0000007725062.txt
.02 Norwell Question of the Week (1): Don Mauch
Wicked Local Norwell -
This proposal was not a “merger,” of two libraries as much as it was an outsourcing of one of Norwell’s valued assets. In fact, certain town officials, behind the backs of Norwell’s Library Trustees and staff, chose to “shop,” the library to
http://www.wickedlocal.com/norwell/newsnow/x776889917/Norwell-Question-of-the-Week-1-Don-Mauch
.03 Regionalism, light rail a priority for Downtown
Crain's
Regional leaders confirmed a commitment to regionalism and light rail at the Downtown Detroit Partnership's annual luncheon today. ... praised the work of the drafters of the Detroit Declaration, a statement of support combined with 12 policy principles endorsed by many of
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100304/FREE/100309902#
.04 Imagine Greater
Inside
Imagine a community where developers work hand-in-hand with neighborhoods and environmentalists, and business people embrace them all. There is communication and active listening taking place in the group. Far fetched? Not if you are a part of Imagine Greater Tucson, a collaborative effort to provide a blueprint for life in our community as it continues to grow. Many regional visioning efforts have taken place in the past, and the Imagine Greater Tucson group is interviewing those who were involved to learn from them. It will help them design a present process. The blueprint developed by Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO) and the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan are examples of implementations of community priorities that area already in progress. Imagine Greater Tucson is broader in scope and will build upon these earlier efforts. ... When diverse groups come together, as was proven with
...
http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2010/03/05/opinion/columnists/carol_west/doc4b9061d942b6d595547393.txt
.05 Schools see benefits of regionalism, but they
Regionalism would ultimately benefit the school district, but a specific plan for sharing of resources and new tax revenue among
http://www.hudsonhubtimes.com/news/article/4780428
.06
Mainebiz -
A new coalition that would collaboratively market the greater
http://www.mainebiz.biz/news45970.html
.07 Cieslewicz, Hochkammer and Derr: Cost shifting unravels regional cooperation
The State Journal has long been an advocate of regional cooperation, and we agree that a regional approach almost always saves money and results in better service for our residents. Unfortunately, the
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/mailbag/article_fe336722-2930-11df-ab15-001cc4c002e0.html
.08
whatsupjacksonville.com
The Northeast Florida Regional Council recently packed the house at UNF to present awards to the individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations that foster regional cooperation in
http://www.whatsupjacksonville.com/?p=1245
.09 Tri-Town Boards of Selectmen moving forward with regionalization plans
Wicked Local Marion -
Tri-town selectmen got together recently to talk trash, more specifically how pooling their rubbish removal and recycling might benefit the three towns. Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester Selectmen decided at their Feb. 25 meeting to move forward with the examination of regionalizing trash and recycling collection, directing Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagnรฉ to proceed with drafting requests for quotations (RFQs) to eventually be transmitted to waste management companies. ...
.10 Ayer, Shirley form regional school district
Residents in Ayer and Shirley voted overwhelmingly today to form a two-town regional school district. Special town meetings were held in both towns. The Ayer vote was 287 to 33; Shirley’s vote was 508 to 161. Parents and officials hope that by consolidating services, the district will have more money to spend in the classroom. “I think a majority of the people see this as an educational opportunity – something where we can put more resources into teaching and learning,’’ said Cheryl Simmons, a member of the Ayer/Shirley Regional Planning Board. ...
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/03/ayer_shirley_fo.html
.11
South Coast Today - MA,
Full regionalization with Lakeville is probably the best course of action, but the process is best undertaken in small steps. That majority sentiment emerged at a joint meeting of
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100303/NEWS/3030323/-1/ne
.12 Rail is
.13 Leading SPUCC a happy fit
KearnyHub.com -
Dena Beck ... was elected president of the South Platte United Chambers of Commerce [ http://www.spuccne.com/ ] “It’s been interesting and fun to watch the organization evolve. It’s a 75-year-old organization that got started basically because of water issues and seeing the need for a regional approach to issues in rural
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/article_61bc5028-2ae0-11df-b36c-001cc4c002e0.html
.14
Koolaupoko News
The Bill, SB2340 SD1, that can save the Kaneohe Bay Regional Task Force has been assigned to Rep Ito’s Water, Land and Ocean Resources committee with a second referal to Finance. Rep Ito blocked the companion legislation when the House Bill was assigned to his committee. We can expect him to kill SB2340. He will only change his mind when he receives overwhelming community support for the Kaneohe Bay Regional Council [http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dbor/bor_kbrc.htm ]. The
http://koolaupoko.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/save-kaneohe-bay-regional-council-2/
.15 Councilmember involved at national level for
EVLiving - Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Tempe City Councilmember Mark Mitchell has been reappointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2010 CityFutures Panel on Community and Regional Development. Mitchell is a past Chair of the panel. According to the NLC, the panel “identifies challenges to successful regional governance, explores effective local solutions, supports research, and provides guidance and recommendations to city officials.” In 2010, the panel will address the topics of economic development and sustainability. ...
http://www.evliving.com/2010/03/05/mark-mitchell-city-futures-panel/
.16 MY 35: Regional Leaders Meet to Discuss I-35 Corridor Improvements
Journal Post -Austin, TX, USA
During the next six months, four Interstate 35 Corridor Segment Committees along the I-35 corridor will meet monthly as part of a new citizen-driven planning effort to develop a blueprint of improvements for the corridor. These committees are comprised of regional community, business, and transportation leaders. Once each segment committee completes its regional blueprint, it will collaborate with the I-35 Corridor Advisory Committee, as well as other I-35 Corridor Segment Committees, to consolidate each regional blueprint into a comprehensive, long-range mobility plan for the entire I-35 corridor. Dubbed “MY 35” this effort will result in a plan that reflects the interests and concerns of citizens for the corridor. ...
.17 ET alliance lists endangered property sites
The regional sites highlighted by the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance on Monday range from homes to schools, church buildings and farmland. But they all share a common feature: They are threatened places that the historic preservation organization believes should be saved. ... Patterned after Knox Heritage
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/mar/02/et-alliance-lists-endangered-sites/
.18 Study eyes impact of jobs gained, lost in
Among politicians and economic development officials, 100 does not always equal 100, especially when it comes to jobs. Now the Center for Regional Development at
http://toledoblade.com/article/20100305/BUSINESS07/3050332
.19 Regional control of Lambert big change of political flight path
KMOX.com -
... the Mayor suggested all the region
http://www.kmox.com/Regional-control-of-Lambert-big-change-of-politica/6447453
.20
The two-day regional life sciences summit at the University of Missouri-Kansas City promises detailed discussions about the main theme: animal-to-human health collaborations. … William Danforth, chancellor emeritus of
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2010/03/08/daily4.html
11. Other Regional Community News for Our Local Planet Contents
.01 EU regional policy investment, no charity, says commissioner
Realdeal.hu
The EU
http://www.realdeal.hu/20100308/eu-regional-policy-investment-no-charity-says-commissioner
.02 Federation signs onto OAS-substitute regional community
SKNVibes.com - St. Kitts &
REGIONAL leaders agreed to the formal creation of the Community of Latin American and
http://www.sknvibes.com/News/NewsDetails.cfm/13288
.03 Frankly Speaking…Local regional realities – and failure
Stabroek News -
This is my briefest layman’s assessment of Guyana’s attempt – real or cosmetic – to decentralize socio-political, economic authority into the hands, minds and brains of the people who live throughout the length and breadth of our Blighted Republic. ... Writing here lazily and purely from memory, I recall that the late Desmond Hoyte, as minister of something superintended the division of
.04 Tories seek to clarify RDA policy in letter to MPs
The
Conservatives have attempted to end a damaging row over regional economic policy with a letter to backbenchers from the Shadow Cabinet. Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman, MP for
.05 The
The Guardian -
In a region that has taken more than its fair share of battering from the storms of the recession, two significant developments have provided an optimistic vision of the future for one of the traditional industrial powerhouses of
http://www.guardian.co.uk/heartofenterprise/west-midlands-reinvented-itself
.06 East Midlands
BBC News -
The regional select committee is about to publish a report in March highlighting some of the most glaring deficits. A breakdown of Government figures by the East Midlands Regional Assembly shows the region gets just 46% less than the
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/politics_show/regions/east_midlands/8552822.stm
.07 REA questions new Government guidance on regional renewables targets
Greenwise Business -
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has today questioned whether new Government guidance designed to help regional authorities assess their areas’ potential for renewable and low carbon energy, will do anything to help regions meet their renewable energy targets. The guidance, issued by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at the end of last week, aims to provide a more standardised approach to identifying which are likely to be the most appropriate areas for renewable energy projects. DECC has provided detailed guidance on a range of renewables, including large and small scale onshore wind, biomass, hydro power and solar energy. ... Each region in
.08 People will get a say on local body reform plans – at last
Whangarei Leader - NZ
Whangarei residents are finally getting a chance to have their say on local government reforms. Last year Northland
.09 We
Scoop.co.nz
At the same time as
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=22018
.10 Why EU is in dilemma over payment of funds for regional development
Business Daily Africa -
Just who should we deal with? This seems to be the latest dilemma facing the leadership of the European Union (EU) following the findings of a new audit that partly blames a crowded field of organisations for the in-effectiveness of a special fund aimed at supporting regional economic integration in
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539546/872552/-/9x8vm7/-/
.11 Economic Potential of Regional Economic Communities in
Afribiz.info
The Western consumer markets will no longer be the growth engine for the global economy, says Dominick Strauss-Kahn, President of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There are obvious alternative markets developing like
http://www.afribiz.info/?p=3402
.12 Community Radio Broadcasters of
AsiaPasific.AMARC.org
Community radio broadcasters from 20 countries of the
http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2010
.13 City positively replies to PP No 19/2010
BeritaJakarta.com -
Govt. Regulation (PP) No. 19/2010 regulating about Governor Duty Implementation, Authority and Finance Position as a govt. representative in provincial is positively accepted by the city govt. ... the new stage to start the implementation of provincial governance implementation shift, from the previous autonomy regional to shift as a representative of the central giovt. “The PP is implemented to manage provincial governance structure nationally,” said Gamawan Fauzi. The Home Minister explained that the PP is a starter to manage provincial governance in order to set governor authority as the representative of the central govt. based on Act No. 32/2004 about regional governance.
http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/en/newsview.aspx?idwil=0&id=14033
.14 DINKI ON REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Radio Srbija - International Radio
In order to encoourage production in undeveloped municipalities and balanced regional development, the Serbian government has adopted a programme worth 100 million EUR, Minister for Economy and Regional Development Mlaฤan Dinkiฤ told a press conference. More from Zorica Mijuลกkoviฤ. The programme adopted by the Serbian government envisages the granting of loans under favourable terms to stratetic investors, who want to start production is some of the poor regions, stressed Dinkiฤ. The requirement for the loan is a marketable investment and the programme is being realized through the Fund for Development. ...
http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10215&Itemid=56
.15 Not more quakes, just more people in quake zones
The Associated Press - Google News
First the ground shook in
It
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h15IYOYm3RQQ9sySx-w-c1dYWJ2wD9EANS781
.16 Roundtable Discussion on Disaster Risk Reduction Held
International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
A roundtable discussion on Disaster Resistant Sustainable Livelihood Framework and Decentralized Disaster Risk Management by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction and Practical Action ... In Practical Action experience of DRSL framework in Duryog, Nivaran in Sri Lanka, DRSL utilizes technology systems like roof water harvesting, ground water harvesting; disaster sensitive farming practices and crop varieties; community based access road construction and community based constructions of minor irrigation channels and flood mitigation structures. It also utilizes processes and approaches like local seed production and delivery systems; land use planning at village level; community based natural resource governance; promotion of agricultural research and innovation as a measure of adaptation to climate change.
.17 French President seeks easier international financing for nuclear energy
Creamer Media
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that he is going to push international financial institutions to "eliminate the ostracism of nuclear energy in international financing". ... the economics of civilian nuclear power required an initial investment of billions of euros followed by very low operating costs, which requires long-term funding at reasonable rates. For many countries, this creates a barrier that prevents them adopting nuclear energy. ... "Civil nuclear energy is an economic choice .... Frankly, I do not understand why international financial institutions and development banks do not finance civil nuclear energy projects. The current situation means that countries are condemned to rely on more costly energy that causes greater pollution," he said. "I propose to change all this. The World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the regional development banks must make a wholehearted commitment to finance such projects." ...
.18 Stellarton to withdraw from PRDC
Pictou Country
The town of
http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2010-03-08/article-897743/Stellarton-to-withdraw-from-PRDC/1
.19 Playing Well With Others: The Modern Effects, and Future Implications, of Economic Governance With Regards to Collective Ownership
i Magazine – CUNY –
...
Applying what we know about collective ownership and the lasting effects of a disorganized system of governance shows us that long term effectiveness depends on several key measures: cooperation among the sciences (i.e., that data and research are accessible to and can be comprehended by all the involved disciplines); education of the users (so that they are clearly aware of the long-term benefits of cooperation); and limitations of governmental rules and regulations (which tend to be blanket rules that may apply to all sectors of a resource). ...
.20 Legible
Slate.com
http://www.slate.com/id/2246105
12. Blogging about Regional Communities Contents
.01 Downsides of Consolidation #1: Neighborhood Redevelopment
Urbanophile - Passionate about Cities
I think the lesson here is that there are always, always trade offs to be made in governance. The trick is to understand the trade-offs you are making and take steps to try to mitigate the inherent problems with the model your city and region operate in. Based on this and the previous post, we might say at high level that for big box government, the pros are stronger civic consensus and cohesion, generally stronger regional and downtown growth, a fairer tax base, and a general lack of totally failed central cities and suburbs. The cons are a weaker city neighborhoods, redevelopment challenges outside of downtown, weaker urban identity, and lower quality development. For small box government it is basically the inverse of this. The pros are a strong central city & urban identity, higher quality development, more redevelopment opportunities. The downsides are civic fragmentation and lack of consensus, the potential for a failed central city, some failed suburbs, and possibly weaker downtown growth. ...
http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/02/28/downsides-of-consolidation-1-neighborhood-redevelopment/
.02 Larry Harvey Speaks at the Regional Culture Mixer
BlogBurningMan
Join us for this very special event! This social mixer is a rare opportunity to meet the visiting 100+ Regional Contacts and community leaders from all over the world! They will be in town to participate in the 4th Annual Regional Leadership Summit. Designed to strengthen and spread Burning Man’s culture, the
http://blog.burningman.com/?p=6674
Global Regional Directory http://regionals.burningman.com/regional_directory.html
.03 THE NECESSITY OF COLLECTIVE ACTION IN THE TRANSITION MOVEMENT
Transition
Richard Niebuhr and his brother Reinhold Niebuhr, two of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the 20th century, wrote extensively about the problem of “individualist overemphasis.” They considered it in “the big four sins of Western culture—along with racism, militarism and economic imperialism. My experience as a writer on environmental causes for thirty years and two years in the Transition Movement is that “the greens” by and large are tone deaf and visually impaired when it comes to seeing the absolute for collective team action. ... What I mean by corporate action is a team of men and women showing up on the ground at a specific day and time. They are on the same page. They see the need and they do the deed. They share the same core values and they are friends in the best sense of the word. ...
.04 Question
You Envision We Listen Blog
What could be the role for the
http://youenvisionwelisten.blogspot.com/2010/03/question.html
.05 Climate Induced Migration: Don
Of Peace and Politics
... climate specialist, mentioned four ways that climate change and migration interact:
1. Desertification and increasingly long drought seasons push people out of their homelands (a relatively slow migratory pattern).
2. Rising seal levels will force people to relocate (slow).
3. More frequent and intense natural disasters induce displacement and people often never return to their original homes (this results in quick, mass migration-- we are seeing more of it already).
4. Competition over resources leads to conflicts, displacement (this could be large scale, and is the scariest option in many ways).
She also provided a lot of hope, though. She mentioned that remittances from migrants back to their home countries far outweighs any government or foreign commitments and that if that resource stream could be tied to adaptation projects it would be a tremendous resource. The entire panel also reiterated that often the very necessity of sharing resources means that there is increased cooperation about things like water rights. Cooperating on environmental issues can then begin to break down other barriers, such as ethnic, religious or political differences. Perhaps the very direness of the situation will force humanity to become more peaceful and cooperative.
http://www.fcnl.org/intern_blog/2010/03/climate-induced-migration-dont.html
.06 African Regional Findings and Plan of Action for the Advancement of the Right of Access to Information
Sabodala_Voix des Communautรฉs Miniรจres Affectรฉes par l’exploitation de l’or
...
REGIONAL PLAN OF ACTION
To give effect to the Atlanta Declaration and the African Regional Findings, we call upon the relevant stakeholders to undertake the following actions:
For Regional and International Bodies:
1. The African
1. The African
The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Access to Information should be provided an enhanced mandate and the necessary resources and support to:
1. carry out an analysis of existing relevant regional Charters, Declarations, Protocols, Conventions and other instruments to determine their scope, application and limitations and provide recommendations for making them more effective and, where necessary, for future instruments;
.07 Regional Internet Registries Conducting Internet Community Consultation on ITU IPv6 CIR Proposal
Circle ID
The Regional Internet Registries are conducting a Internet community consultation process regarding the recent ITU IPv6 Country Internet Registry (CIR) proposal. In collaboration with the other Regional Internet Registries, APNIC hosted a special session at APNIC 29 / APRICOT 2010 to give the global Internet Community an opportunity to discuss the issues and ramifications of the alternative model proposed by the ITU. For those interested in the outcome of the recent face-to-face session, a raw transcript and session summary statement are available here: ...
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20100303_regional_internet_registries_itu_ipv6_cir_proposal/
.08 Environmental Service Learning
Students of all ages can participate in Environmental Service Learning projects that will impact the way they think about the Earth, their bioregion, their local community, and their peers. Students reflections on their actions and impact can be an interesting and powerful motivational tool to instigate many positive changes in the world. ...
http://creecorg.blogspot.com/2010/03/environmental-service-learning.html
.09 Black
Censored News - bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is seeking year-round regional coordinators! ... BMIS strives to have our organizing grounded in the needs and input from people on the land at Big Mountain Black Mesa, which necessitates lots of communication, translation, and trips to the land. In addition, we serve as a bridge between outside supporters and the resistance community. We envision a regional coordinator structure that will help us strengthen our ties to outside supporter communities, and build capacity and connection to the land and elders. We are a small, all-volunteer collective and are unfortunately unable to accomplish all that we would like to see in support for traditional resistance communities on the land. Regional coordinators will help us in regards to capacity, as well as aid BMIS in staying accountable by providing input and suggestions from supporter communities nationwide. Most importantly, we hope that regional coordinators will help us build a national network that can support Big Mountain/Black Mesa, as well as regional indigenous resistance struggles, and social movements for the liberation of all peoples and the planet. ...
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/02/black-mesa-indigenous-support-regional.html
13. Announcements and Regional Links. Contents
.01 Innovation and the American Metropolis - 20th Annual Regional Assembly - April 16, 2010 - Regional Plan Association -
Innovations in technology and management are transforming our lives; how are they changing our cities? RPA
The Regional Assembly is
More information & registration: http://www.regionalassembly.org/2010/
.02 Call for Papers - The Search: Future dynamics of regional development - NORSA 2010 June 21 - 23 -
University consortium of Seinรคjoki,
We are inviting papers from various academic fields concerned with the processes and practices of regional development. Themes of the sessions include, but are not limited to:
- Leadership, collective action and regional development
- Regional innovation systems and environments
- Constructing regional advantage
- Institutions, processes of institutional change and governance
- Culture, creativity and regions
- Issues of peripherality in border regions
- Regional engagement of higher education institutions
- Urban - Rural Interaction: Economic, Social and Political Dimensions
- Small businesses and regional development
- Potential of built environment
- CGE simulation models in economic impact assessment
We welcome papers from academics and other people with academic interest from Nordic countries,
Further information on the conference programme and excursions, venue, abstract submission, registration fees etc. is available on the conference website www.ucs.fi/NORSA
or by e-mail norsa2010@uta.fi
.03 Valley Up -
Valley Up focuses on regional change and real life solutions that will help the
Featured Speakers
Linda Resnick, author of Rubies in the Orchard and Co-Chairman of the Roll International Corporation
Luis Santana, recipient of the 2009 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and Executive Director of
Ideas Worth Sharing
* Individual and collective actions that advance community health
* Young leaders: Why they ran for office and how they won
* Creative reuse: The transformation of old buildings to new uses
Information: http://www.greatvalley.org/conference/index.aspx
.04 "Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely (High Reliability and Crisis Management)" - BookTV – CSPAN -
“In a crisis there are no secrets.” Ian Mitroff, Mitroff Crisis Management - How can people or groups tell whether others are deliberately steering us down faulty paths? Mitroff delves into how organizations and interest groups lure us into solving the "wrong problems" with intricate but inaccurate solutions that are based on faulty and erroneous assumptions---and offers strategies and solutions. This address is to the Commonwealth Club of California. Mitroff explains why institutions, businesses and government, deal poorly with crisis. Only 15% of organizations, by his estimate, have the ability to view problems systemically and are crisis-prepared. Abraham Silvers is co-author of the book.
BookTV Video: http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/292366-1
14. Financial Crisis. Contents
.01 Banks Take Advantage of States in Fiscal Crisis
Stateside Dispatch - Progressive States Network -
The same large banks whose unregulated actions were primary contributors to the economic downturn have also been manipulating state and local governments to profit from budget deficits for years.
Essentially, banks are alluring states with the promise of a means to cut borrowing costs and increase returns through the use of an interest rate swap. The mechanism is a derivative that allows cash-strapped municipalities and states to exchange interest payments on a variable bond deal for an allocation of funds from a bank. So, the bank would establish a fixed rate on the bond and swap for the variable "interest rate of the bond that was set by larger macroeconomic forces, such as the Federal Reserve." Unfortunately, the results have been disastrous.
These type of deals are losing propositions for states and municipalities. Under unfavorable marketing conditions, interest payments and fees associated with these deals can jump dramatically. Since the federal government decreased interest rates to shore up financial institutions, the banks were able to profit tremendously while budget gaps at the local and state level continue to grow. As Mike Elk from the Campaign for
"While banks are still collecting fixed rates of from 4 percent to 6 percent, they are now regularly paying state and local governments as a little as a tenth of one percent on the outstanding bonds...Banks and states were supposed to be paying equal rates. However, with the Fed lowering interest rates, which was anticipated, now states and local governments are paying about 50 times what the banks are paying...To make matters worse, these state and local governments have no way of getting out these deals. Banks are demanding that state and local governments pay tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in fees to exit these deals."
The deals have cost state governments and taxpayers almost $28 billion in interest and fees at a time when states are already collectively facing billion dollar deficits and considering huge cuts to essential public services.
…
http://www.progressivestates.org/node/24653#1
.02 Governor Christie: "Time to Hold Hands and Jump Off the Cliff" - Chris Christie For President?
Mish
In an amazingly candid appraisal of the sorry state of affairs in
The speech is 24 minutes long and well worth a listen because it is both an honest admission of the problem, and a refreshingly accurate appraisal of what the solutions are. He chastised the legislature, unions, municipalities, and affordable housing initiatives while promising to do something about all of those.
Unfortunately I cannot find a transcript, nor is there a YouTube video but you can Watch Christie
Video: http://njn.net/television/webcast/ontherecord.html
15. Custom search: region, regions, regional communities Contents
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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.
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