HUD & EPA Webcast - 2 pm Wednesday, June 15 - Notice of Funding Availability for the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program - Applications Due July 8

Received today - June 14, 2011

From: Sustainable Communities
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 2:02 PM
To: Sustainable Communities
Subject: Announcing the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program

HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities and EPA’s Offices of Sustainable Communities, Water, and Brownfields and Land Revitalization are pleased to announce a joint Notice of Funding Availability for the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program.

For the first time ever, HUD and EPA will join forces to competitively award $5.65 million to strengthen the capacity of existing grantees from each agency to create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods for American families.

The award program will build upon the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an innovative interagency collaboration, launched by President Obama in June 2009, between the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), HUD and EPA to provide more sustainable housing and transportation choices for families and lay the foundation for a 21st century economy. Award recipients will support a growing network of existing and future HUD and EPA grantees that are advancing sustainable regional planning and development. The network of grantees will exchange ideas on successful strategies, lessons learned, emerging tools, and public engagement plans. The Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities grant program will award funds to capacity building service providers who will work directly with grant recipients from the FY2010, and FY 2011 HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge, HUD Preferred Sustainability Status Communities, and EPA Sustainable Community Technical Assistance and Brownfield Area Wide Planning grant programs.

Applications for the NOFA are due July 8, 2011. Nonprofit organizations, local or state public agencies, for-profit organizations, nationally recognized and accredited Universities or Colleges, or any combination of eligible entities as a Capacity Building Team are eligible to apply for funding. For more information on how to apply, please review the notice of funding availability (NOFA) by clicking here.

                To see the press release for this initiative, please click here.

HUD and EPA will be hosting a webcast tomorrow, Wednesday, June 15, at 2 pm to discuss this new program. We will send out an email with the access information shortly.

For more information on this funding opportunity, please visit hud.gov/sustainability, or contact Rachel Kirby in HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at rachel.t.kirby@hud.gov.

In order to participate in Wednesday’s webinar, you will need both to call in by phone and to log in online.  Instructions are as follows.

Telephone Access

In order to hear webinar audio, please call (877) 941-6029.  There is no passcode—an operator will ask for your name and other optional information, and then connect you to the call.

Internet Access

In order to view the webinar, please visit https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/hud/join?id=58HH9B&role=attend.  You can log on up to 30 minutes before the meeting start time.  If that link doesn’t work for some reason, you can go to https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/hud/join and enter the meeting ID 58HH9B.

We urge you to check beforehand to ensure that LiveMeeting works on your computer.  In case it does not, you may also use the attached slides to follow along.

We look forward to your participation.

Regional Community Development News - June 12 & 13, 2011

1. Slow down, partner up - Tbnewswatch


Patience and partnerships are the key to regional economic development says Stuart Trundle.


And he should know.


The CEO of Venture Taranaki Trust saw his region in western New Zealand go from having the lowest socio-economic indicators in the country to the highest in one decade. Like Northwestern Ontario, Trundle said his region had high unemployment rates and high out-migration to places like Australia before regional economic development started to increase growth rates, salaries and create over 15,000 new jobs in a region of 109,000 people.


The road to economic development had disasters and tribulations, ... key to its success was partnerships between the public and private sectors.


"A new model a new paradigm between the private sector the public sector, that’s both local and central governments, but more importantly the community," Trundle said Monday at Fort William Historical Park, a key-note speaker at the province’s Think North II conference.



"I think it’s actually engaging every single element of your community in the governance process, in the long term planning, that you can really achieve your true aspirations as a province or a region."


One danger is moving a regional economic development plan too quickly Trundle said.


Communities are often tempted to move into strategy before even identifying what a region wants and where the decision-making will come from. What needs to be fixed, what needs to be achieved and finding the proper talent are all necessary questions that need to be answered.


"If there’s a piece of learning I think it’s learning to have run very slowly in these processes. It is a 25 and 50 year horizon for communities to really make significant turns, " he said.


"Sometimes there’s a danger of dumbing down your aspirations and perhaps also thinking too short term around political life cycles rather than intergenerationally," he said. 

...


2. GUEST COLUMN: Time to open dialogue between California, Nevada | Tahoe Daily Tribune


In the final hours of the 2011 Nevada State Legislative Session, the bill known as SB 271 passed, bringing with it opportunities for the two states that bound Lake Tahoe to reinvigorate the spirit of compromise that created the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact more than 40 years ago. The bi-state consensus that brought about that original agreement was no doubt hard-fought, and when Lake Tahoe's future is in the balance, the spirit of compromise has succeeded in bringing the two states together in a significant way.


SB 271 is the latest signal sounding that Lake Tahoe's future is currently in the balance. Discussing bi-state consensus is again in order, but the pressing issues are different. Forty years ago, the problems were rampant growth and a lack of environmental controls on new development. Change was needed.


Today, Lake Tahoe faces an outmoded economic base, aging infrastructure, and the need for a stormwater control program to restore lake clarity that could cost up to $1.5 billion over the next 20 years. Throughout the proceedings on SB 271, the Nevada legislators and stakeholders who worked on this bill showed clearly that they want to protect Lake Tahoe. But they also want TRPA to again be the solution, not the roadblock, to needed changes at Lake Tahoe.


Rather than look at this legislation as a negative, the better view is for the community to see the encouraging possibilities for reasonable reforms it opens up for us.
...

— Joanne S. Marchetta is the executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.


3. County decides to move forward on forensic center | center, county, forensic - Odessa American Online


Ector County Commissioners approved moving ahead with taking over the Permian Basin Forensic Center and operating it as regional consortium ...
County Judge Susan Redford said the offer by the center’s parent company to donate $665,000 to Ector County in building, furniture, supplies and equipment would have expired ...


“It’s not a good deal for us alone,” Redford said.


The Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission has been working with the county to set up this regional group. The PB Regional Planning Commission is a forum for promoting intergovernmental cooperation, coordination and regional planning to address area-wide problems.


Under the plan, Ector County would be the host county and other counties would buy in by paying an annual fee and the cost of the autopsies. Redford said she would form a committee with the regional planning commission to develop a regional model for venture. Twenty-nine counties used the forensic center when it was open. ...
...


4. Lowry welcomes 'fantastic' boost for region - The Irish Times


The €460 million casino and leisure development proposed for Two-Mile-Borris will provide a huge economic fillip to Tipperary and the wider region, ...


“It’s fantastic news,” ... decision to grant permission to the Tipperary Venue, albeit without the 15,000-capacity indoor entertainment venue and against the recommendation of the board’s inspector.


An Taisce, which led opposition to the Tipperary Venue, said that the “split decision” of the board in granting permission to some elements of the project contravened the National Spatial Strategy policy of locating new development in existing designated regional centres, and national climate and transport policy in curtailing car-based development.


... the country has over-capacity of 15,000 hotel bedrooms. “The decision exacerbates the spectre of ghost developments. Once more this is evidence of short-term expediency and developer-led planning overriding national spatial plan and regional planning guidelines,”
...


5. Stegmaier aims to improve life in county, region | Richmond Times-Dispatch


Chesterfield County Administrator James J.L. "Jay" Stegmaier is a passionate man.
...
Ask him about regionalism, which tops his current list of pet projects, and he ... delivers a reasoned explanation for how and why he's able to work, mostly behind the scenes, on quality-of-life issues in Chesterfield and surrounding localities.


... Stegmaier has been a visible and vocal presence on a wide variety of regional issues, commissions and groups.


... Greater Richmond Chamber, the Capital Region Collaborative and Leadership Metro Richmond, among other groups that have worked in recent years to solve regional problems and to improve the quality of life in the area.
...
He says the Board of Supervisors, ... has made regionalism a priority, too. And the leadership in neighboring localities, he said, is amenable to open, honest and occasionally tough conversations about what the area needs.


Some of that, he said, has come about because of a consistency in county leadership.
...


6. Regional habitat plan moving forward - San Antonio Express-News


The Southern Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan ... has been on residents' radar all year, beginning with a standing-room-only crowd that filled the Kendall County Commissioners courtroom on Feb. 14 to warn that San Antonio shouldn't look to Kendall County's private property resources to offset damage to the habitat of endangered species.


At issue is the plan's vision to voluntarily set aside some acreage for endangered species to mitigate, or offset, development in northern Bexar County.


The city of San Antonio and Bexar County are seeking an Incidental Take Permit from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish & Wildlife Service. An incidental take permit is the agency's stamp of approval for development to proceed despite damage to endangered species and/or their habitats.


As part of the permit process, land would have to be purchased and set aside elsewhere in the region to offset the potential damage of development.
...


7. DuPage County Airport a model for regional airport excellence - Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation


Last month, I spoke with members of the Regional Airline Association about the important role regional airports play in American aviation and in our economy.


Regional airports operate more than 13,000 flights a day, which amounts to more than half of all commercial flights nationwide. These airports are also home to the regional airlines that allow Americans to fly where national carriers cannot afford to serve. They connect millions of us to family and friends; they connect local businesses to national markets. They also provide a base for many corporate aircraft fleets and serve as vital reliever hubs for our metropolitan 
airports.


Yesterday, I visited the DuPage County Airport, one of America's busiest general aviation airports and a terrific example of the benefits regional airports provide their communities.
...


8. TIS Committee Focuses on Regional Collaboration, Transportation Reauthorization | National League of Cities


NLC’s Transportation Infrastructure and Services (TIS) Steering Committee met last week in Kansas City, Mo., to work on authorization, transportation finance, regulatory streamlining and goods movement and to discuss the importance of regional collaboration and cooperation.


... discussions on alternatives to the federal fuel tax, strengthening metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and proposals to change the threshold for becoming and remaining an MPO.


...TIS also held a joint session with the Information Technology and Communications Steering Committee on Kansas City initiatives that use information technology for improving transportation programs. Operation Greenlight coordinates traffic across the region to reduce fuel consumption and accidents and emissions.


... successes and challenges faced by the region’s coordinating body, the Mid America Regional Council (MARC), which seeks to improve connectivity and fill the gaps in transportation in the region.
...


9. Shining Light award an honor for regional leaders | Detroit Free Press | freep.com


Spotlighting exceptional people doing outstanding work that uplifts the region is what the Shining Light Awards are all about, and the nomination process is currently under way.
...


The Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, a group of business, government and labor leaders, cosponsor the annual awards.
...
Inspired by longtime Free Press editor and publisher Neal Shine, the Shining Light Awards are presented in his memory and honor individuals who make important contributions to regional cooperation, progress and understanding in metro Detroit.


...


10. Guest voice: Why Erie needs to ramp up historic preservation - Local Columns - Erie Times-News


Many in Erie believe that demolition and more parking lots represent the best way to foster redevelopment of our urban core. ... Six years ago, regional leaders claimed the EMI demolition would attract a taxpaying manufacturer and good jobs. Instead, we have a nice football field in the heart of Erie's historic industrial corridor, with few jobs, and zero tax dollars.
...
The demolition-as-jobs strategy ignores the well-documented fact that across the country, preservation-restoration projects generate many more local jobs than new construction projects. If Erie's political and economic development leaders are seeking to create jobs, they should do what so many other cities have done so effectively: Formulate a policy-driven and multifaceted strategy to adaptively reuse the industrial, commercial, civic, sacred and residential buildings that have been part of our city and this region for generations.
...


11.  New report outlines potential for lakeside areas - Post-Tribune


Identifying projects with the most potential to rejuvenate an industrial corridor of Southeast Chicago and Northwest Indiana is the aim of a report released Monday.


The Urban Land Institute and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority prioritized projects extending from the former U.S. Steel South Works site in Chicago to the company’s plant in Gary. ...


“We spent time looking at projects already on the drawing board,” said Paul Shadle, co-chair of Urban Land Institute Chicago’s infrastructure committee.


The architects of the plan held onto the idea that future success of the corridor is dependent on Illinois and Indiana working together.
...


“The big recognition that we have today is we are on the same team,” RDA Executive Director Bill Hanna said. “At the end of the day the bottom line is we are on the same page, pushing in the same direction and asking the right questions.”
...




12. Regional transportation plan is still too vague for citizens | The Tennessean


A “Long Range Transportation Plan” has been adopted by those with a vested interest in transit and growth ( “Music jams, traffic jams: Consider mass transit,” June 7). Attendance at public meetings revealed little if any interest, by John and Jane Citizen, homeowners and neighborhood associations, etc. Why? It’s too long-range for them — 25 years!


As for the “free” Music City Circuit — it is free at the fare box, for the rider. To be complete and objective, tell us what it is costing per rider.


Current planning merely takes us to the lifestyles of other mega-metropolitan areas that don’t have the appeal of the Nashville of today. Let’s take advantage of their mistakes, instead of repeating them.


Some cities such as Atlanta have state-of-the-art transit and still have traffic congestion — an end product of growth. A challenge to our political leaders and media: Tell us the complete intent of the plan. Tell us what will happen if the plan isn’t executed.
...


13. Watershed planning can prove rewarding | The Columbus Dispatch


More than 1,500 square miles of central Ohio are a blank slate, waiting for locals to decide what land they'd like to preserve, cultivate or develop.


The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has asked local officials, residents and business owners to create maps in five watersheds, identifying areas for priority development, conservation and agriculture - a process called "balanced growth planning."


With central Ohio expected to gain population, making a plan now can help in the future, MORPC associate planner Erin Grushon said.
...


Balanced growth was launched in 2005 by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission in four northeastern Ohio watersheds. The plans were endorsed by the state two years ago, meaning that communities are eligible for state incentives if they follow the maps' plans.
...


14. Are Businesses Fleeing the Suburbs? -  INFRASTRUCTURIST


Crain’s is predicting the fall of the ”the suburban corporate headquarters campus.” At least that appears to be the case in the metropolitan Chicago region. A number of big companies — including Sears, AT&T, Motorola, and Sara Lee — are eyeing a return from their suburban compounds to the Windy City. The trend reflects a new “corporate mindset,” writes Crain’s in a special report:


As the 21st century enters its second decade, many companies are discovering the drawbacks of the isolation they sought. Hard-to-get-to headquarters limit the talent pool a company can draw on and feed a “not-invented-here” insularity that ignores major shifts in industries and markets.


The reason for such moves, writes Christopher Leinberger at The Avenue, is that the “millennial generation” insists on living and working in walkable cities:
...


15. North Eastern Council prepares tourism roadmap - The Assam Tribune Online


Regional planning body North Eastern Council (NEC) has prepared a master plan for the development of tourism in India's northeastern region, an official said here on Monday.


"The draft master plan will be discussed in the NEC meeting in New Delhi later this week," NEC director (human resource development) Sherry Lalthangzo said in a statement. "The master plan was prepared as per the 'NER Vision 2020' by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)," she added.


The 'NER Vision 2020' document, announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2009, sought to spur investment, reduce poverty, enhance connectivity and bring the backward northeastern region on par with the rest of the country by 2020. A total of Rs 14 trillion will be required to implement the project.
...


16. Dump the Pump Day to promote public transportation | Pensacola News Journal


In light of high gas prices, Escambia County Area Transit will join other public transportation systems nationwide to participate in the sixth annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday.


This year’s slogan is "Dump the Pump. Save Money. Ride Transit."


...


ECAT’s general manager and a representative from the West Florida Regional Planning Council will speak about the importance of public transportation and a proclamation will be presented.


... Dump the Pump is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The 2011 National Dump the Pump Day encourages people to ride public transportation and save money, instead of driving a car.


Started in June 2006, when gas prices were $3 per gallon, this national day emphasizes that public transportation is a great travel option that also helps people save money.
...


17. Group hopes to find keys to regional growth - pottsmerc.com


Are you unemployed? Underemployed? Have your buying habits changed? ...


... president of the Chesapeake Group, the consulting firm hired by the Pottstown Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Committee to help figure out how to make the most of this sluggish economy.
...
The idea is to get a picture of the market in the eight municipalities that comprise the group, as well as the surrounding area, to help determine what kind of businesses should be encouraged, and what kind don't stand a change or are already amply represented.


And to get that information, they need your help. The study will be based on a survey that is online ...
...
"This information is extremely important for our fiscal impact strategy,"..."and we hope to use this information to help figure out how many businesses this region a can really support."
"the world has changed very rapidly and there is no good data out there to understand how this economy has put stress on families."
...


18.  8th Annual Conference of Technipolicy Network - Open Innovation for Regional Development  - 26-28 September 2011, Tampere, Finland




Financial Crisis 
19.  Stephen Zarlenga: How the Economists Facilitated the Crisis and Must Now Be Held Accountable - Huffington Post

The ongoing financial crisis presents a rare opportunity for monetary and banking reform. There's no denying that the present "Economics Regime" has been a key cause of the pain, suffering, illness and even death inflicted on America's less affluent; and of the worldwide economic destruction. It's important that the economics profession be held to account for its part in this crisis. This was well expressed by economist James K. Galbraith in his testimony to the Senate Crime Subcommittee on May 4th, 2010:  


"I write to you from a disgraced profession. Economic theory, as widely taught since the 1980s, failed miserably to understand the forces behind the financial crisis." With rare exceptions, those in control of the world's monetary/economic agenda and the theories supporting it have helped bring the world to its knees. Shouldn't they and their theories be held accountable?
... 


Which particular monetary error is most responsible for the tragedies? In our view, the most glaring error is that economists have not understood or appreciated the difference between money and credit.
... 


More bookmarks:  http://www.delicious.com/I.see.regions.work




Regional Communities - "Think Local Planet, Act Regionally." 

Regional Community Development News - June 10 & 11, 2011

1. Don't follow Detroit's route, region urged - Edmonton Journal - Alberta


A new economic road map for the Edmonton region will help the area avoid the wrong 
turns that drove Detroit's economy from 1970s Motor City superpower to financial 
ruin, ... 


The chairman of the committee that developed the 300-page document released Thursday said bad decisions contributed to Detroit's current economic woes. The city went from being one of the most important manufacturing centres in the world to the municipality it is 
today, "run down, hollowed out, fighting for its life," Jackson von der Ohe told civic 
politicians from 24 Edmonton-area communities at a Capital Region Board meeting.


The average sale price of a house in the debt-ridden American city is now $13,000, 
von der Ohe said.


"So what happened? It's a good cautionary tale for all of us to acknowledge just how 
difficult a situation can become, even for a worldleading city region, once things get off 
course. Outcomes are the results of decisions that were made. Things don't just 
happen." 



Detroit bickered with its suburban neighbours, relied on the auto industry without a backup plan, failed to capitalize on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, and was too complacent as schools and neighbourhoods deteriorated and residents moved out, he said.


Detroit's rival city, Chicago, took a different path that has made it the fourth-largest urban economy in the world and an educational, financial and cultural centre of excellence, von der Ohe said.

...


Note: Following is the link to the Capital Region Board - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
where the full report and Executive Summary can be downloaded. My search of the Report PDF and the site found no reference to Detroit or Chicago. "The Capital Region Growth Plan: Growing Forward" is a substantial document and worth a review. 


2.  Charlottesville Tomorrow News Center: Supervisors drop ICLEI membership but 
renew grant commitment


After a lengthy public hearing, a divided Albemarle Board of Supervisors voted ...to 
end the county’s membership in a nonprofit organization that provides software and 
technical advice to communities seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


The vote came immediately after a unanimous vote to continue the county’s 
participation in a $1 million regional sustainability planning grant being administered 
by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.


Eighty-three people spoke at the public hearing, ...


The county joined ICLEI in late 2007 after the board adopted a resolution to join the 
Cool Counties initiative to pursue reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the county 
as a whole. ...


Supervisor Duane Snow said he believes ICLEI is an international organization that 
seeks to control the behavior of Albemarle citizens.
...
Supervisor Dennis S. Rooker said the $1,200 annual membership in ICLEI provided 
the county with a lot of benefits and came without any strings attached.
...



On the subject of the regional planning grant, Rooker quoted from the staff report that recommended continued participation in the three-year joint effort with the city of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia.


“The grant funds additional staff support for updating the county Comprehensive Plan without [the need for] additional county resources, provides for expanded public outreach … and the project heightens the area’s ongoing collaborative and cooperative planning efforts,” Rooker said.


Rooker said pulling out of the grant would be a “slap in the face” to the city, UVa and the TJPDC.


However, Boyd said he continued to be concerned about the grant because he never saw the details in the grant application before it was submitted. He said he would only support signing the contract if the board could control which subject areas staff would study as part of the work.
...



3. RTM Hears Pitch to Convert SWRPA to a Council - WestportNow.com - Westport, 
Connecticut


Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM) barely blinked tonight as it voted 
unanimously on the first six agenda items.


But the final item not even scheduled for a vote—converting the South Western 
Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA), of which Westport is one of eight members, to a 
Council of Governments (COG)—had many members of the legislative body rushing to 
the podium to question First Selectman Gordon Joseloff. 


Joseloff addressed the RTM in a first reading of a proposed ordinance which would 
approve creation of the COG and authorize Westport’s participation in it along with the 
other SWRPA municipalities of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, 
Weston, and Wilton.


“We looked at the other regions in the state and saw there was a movement to this 
form of government,” said Joseloff. He noted that 10 of the 15 regional planning 
agencies statewide have already switched to a COG or similar system known as a 
Council of Elected Officials.
...


4. Kent State study lists 240 ideas for regional collaboration | cleveland.com


From joint fire dispatching to shared accounting departments, Northeast Ohio governments have dreamed up more than 240 ideas to share services and save money, a Kent State University study has found.


The university's Center for Public Administration and Public Policy has compiled a (PDF)  list of 105 ideas to share with local leaders and inspire them to think creatively. A separate list of ideas being implemented is coming soon.


The goal: to get more local governments to pool resources.


"There's a lot of discussion happening in this area right now," said John Hoornbeek, the center's director. "For the most part, it's productive discussion that could give rise to positive changes if local governments can find ways to make some of these ideas work."


The ideas are culled from 16 Northeast Ohio counties, home to 868 separate government entities that spend $20 billion annually to run themselves, according to The Fund for the Economic Future, which worked with Kent on the list.


...


Research Overview -The Innovator's Collaborative Series


For more than thirty years, the Center for Public Administration and Public Policy at 
Kent State University (the KSU Center) has conducted research and provided 
assistance to improve the capacities and performance of Ohio local governments. Of all 
of the subjects addressed by the Center, however, intergovernmental collaboration is 
one of the most relevant to current challenges facing Ohio.


5. Regional fire service plan going nowhere - Port Orchard Independent


Ever since the idea for consolidating South Kitsap Fire and Rescue with its 
counterparts in Bremerton and possibly Central Kitsap was first broached several 
years ago, its proponents have insisted the reorganized entity could offer economies of 
scale that would make it cheaper to operate while keeping service levels at their 
current levels or better.


The draft plan currently on the table, however, offers neither. ... fatal flaw in the plan 
is that the city of Bremerton currently spends about $2.4 million more on its fire 
department than the regional authority could collect in taxes.


The regional fire service plan being considered now fails to address how that gap would 
be filled. ... But of course we all know the answer to that question. Once up and 
running, the consolidated fire district would be our only protection against disaster, 
and we could hardly turn down the request for a tax increase to fund it if the 
alternative was chaos or drastically reduced service levels.
...


6. Panhandle counties prepare for disasters : News : ConnectAmarillo.com


Wildfires have been the big topic for emergency officials ... not 
only the dry conditions but other disaster situations.


It's all part of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission's Emergency 
Preparedness Committee designed to bring everyone up to date and form bonds 
between responders, which Roberts county Judge Vernon Cook said was vitally 
important during wildfires there a few years ago.


"We had 22 fire departments in Roberts county and Miami area and we were able to 
communicate with 4 of them directly by radio. Any emergency management operation 
can't take place effectively without effective communication," says Judge Cook.


Situations like this are why the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission's Emergency 
Preparedness Advisory Committee began holding conferences three years ago, ... 


"It doesn't matter what type of disaster we're talking about, our emergency managers 
have to be prepared to respond to any type situation," ...
...


7. SPC talking smart growth for region - Staff Blogs - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Spent the lunch hour on the 31st floor of the Regional Enterprise Tower trying not to 
think about whether I could make it down so many steps in case of a fire, but the wonk 
in me succumbed to the topic at hand ...


The topic was sustainability. It shouldn’t be a wonky topic. It is juicy, sexy, lush green 
and exciting. Its problem is six syllables. Smart growth has two and that’s the same 
thing, so let’s talk smart.


The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, that august regional planning body that 
sometimes gets a bad rap for such things as the Mon-Fayette Expressway, is talking 
smart. ... 


It appears that SPC has been planning smart, ... 


Court Gould, the executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, is trying to encourage 
more business people to get involved because, as bottom-line folks, they’re driving the 
sustainability bus and can help push for smart planning. In today’s session, the focus 
was on transit-oriented development, which means “put stuff where the buses stop.”
...


8. Work Hard – Work Smart Receives $241,000 Wagner - Peyser Grant | PRLog


Work Hard – Work Smart, a certifying work-readiness initiative of the Wichita Falls 
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ... $241,000 Wagner-Peyser Grant ...Texas 
Governor’s office and distributed by the Texas Workforce Commission. 


Work Hard – Work Smart is collaboration between the Wichita Falls Chamber of 
Commerce, Workforce Solutions – North Texas, NORTEX Regional Planning 
Commission,   ...


“Being located in rural Texas and trying to bring jobs to our area, the Wichita Falls 
region competes with the larger metropolitan areas such as Dallas, ..  How do we make 
ourselves different?  What distinguishes us from Longview, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, 
Lawton (OK) or Ardmore (OK)?  How do we make ourselves different?   We have the 
opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the way we promote our workforce. These 
areas produce very similar workforce statistics. Our goal is to promote 10% of our 
current labor force in Wichita County as possessing the National Career Readiness 
Certificate, “ ...


9. Virginia looking to capitalize on Civil War tourism | Nelson County Times


When West Virginia sells its Civil War tourism, it's also selling Virginia. Ditto for 
Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee.


All five states participate in Civil War Trails, a $7 million operation that's run out of the 
Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.


So when they advertise their Civil War sites, they're also linking to Virginia's, said Jack 
Berry, president of the Richmond visitors bureau, in a presentation to the Richmond 
Regional Planning District Commission ......


"We are history, like it or not," Berry said, "and most known for the Civil War. We're 
not the Big Easy, not the Big Apple. We've got to market history because that's who we 
are."


The city also is fortunate to have more than history. ...Museum of Fine Arts... 
hundreds of other things to do in the region.


"The secret is, there's so much going on. … The Civil War is great. But there's so much 
more."


The diversity has helped the city tourism industry withstand the economic downturn, 
he said.
... 


10. Team chosen for LA Regional Connector - RailwayAge Magazine


Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has selected a joint venture of AECOM and Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to provide conceptual planning and preliminary design for the $1.4 billion Metro Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project, ...


Construction on the connector could begin in 2013 and be completed by 2019, depending on the availability of federal funding. 


The project envisions uniting disparate segments of Los Angeles’ rapidly growing light rail transit (LRT) network, as well as tying LRT in more completely with Union Station, served by Amtrak and Metrolink trains. (See map below.) The 1.9-mile-long underground rail connection will link ... 


The Regional Connector will receive partial funding from Measure R, the half-cent sales tax increase approved by the voters of Los Angeles County in November 2008 as part of the Measure R program, funding transportation improvements totaling $40 billion over a 30-year period.


11.  Call for Papers for the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2012 Annual Meeting


The Call for Papers for the AAG 2012 Annual Meeting in New York, February 24-28, 2012 is underway.  Individuals may present in only one of the four categories: Paper Presentation Illustrated Paper Presentation Poster Presentation Interactive Short Paper Presentation  The Abstract Guidelines provides useful information on how to format the abstract, select keywords, and several other important tips. 




More bookmarks:  http://www.delicious.com/I.see.regions.work




Regional Communities - "Think Local Planet, Act Regionally."