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APRIL 2004 |
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| ARS ACTIVITIES | |
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Registration Fees Increase Soon!
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 Time is running out to register for the next National Forum on Regional Stewardship, set for May 19-21 in Austin, Texas. Addressing the theme, Propelling the Regional Agenda: The Role of CEOs, this meeting of regional leaders will focus on the key contributions of corporate executives to improving the competitiveness, livability and long-term viability of regions and cities. The Forum will be dedicated to the memory of long-time Austin businessman and civic leader Neil Kocurek, who participated in the strategic repositioning of Austins economic base from a center of government and higher education to a region of technological innovation, even as he mentored and nurtured a succeeding generation of activists and public-minded citizens.The main program will begin on Thursday, May 20, but individuals arriving early may elect to participate in one of two regional tours, one focusing on initiatives in the Austin area, and the other on Austins neighboring metropolis of San Antonio. Sessions emphasizing the accomplishments of the Austin region will address CEO involvement in general visioning, K-12 and higher education, multi-modal transportation, and natural resource sharing. Additionally, presenters representing past and current participants in the John W. Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship will discuss proven strategies for shaping a regional vision, meeting the jobs/skills mismatch, balancing the interests of industry, development and environmental protection, attracting and nurturing the creative class, and more. The recently renovated historic Driskill Hotel, located in downtown Austin, is the venue for the May Forum, and is offering the discounted rate of $155/night for single or double rooms. To make room reservations, visit the hotels website at www.driskillhotel.com or call and mention the Alliance for Regional Stewardship. New or renewing organizational stewards receive two free Forum registrations, while individual stewards receive a $50 discount. The registration fee for all other attendees is $150 prior to April 28, 2004 and $200 thereafter. Regional Stewardship Award. Four Regional Stewardship Award honorees have been selected, and will be announced and presented in Austin at the closing luncheon on Friday, May 21. The first-ever presentation of these awards, which include cash prizes, should prove both exciting and informative. ARS will work with the Award recipients to disseminate the lessons of their achievements in the coming months. A constantly updated, detailed draft agenda and other information on the May Forum are available at regionalstewardship.org/register4forum.html. For more information on the National Forum on Regional Stewardship or the Regional Stewardship Award program, contact Amy Carrier, Alliance Manager, by e-mail at or by telephone at . [JOIN THE NETWORK] [REGISTER FOR THE FORUM] |
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Gardner Academy Update
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Austin Forum Roundtable; Statewide Academies in Florida
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 The John W. Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship provides technical assistance to regions that want to connect regional leaders to national best practices. While Academies are designed to address specific regional issues, they follow an Academy process focused on diagnosing challenges and opportunities, identifying appropriate best practices, and developing a collaborative regional strategy by working with a regional stewardship team. Regional action initiated through Gardner Academies will be discussed at the upcoming National Forum on Regional Stewardship in Austin, as will Academy-related work in the area of attracting and retaining talent. Additionally, several regions in Florida have expressed interest in starting Academies. For more information on the Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship, or if you are interested in initiating a project, contact either Doug Henton, Academy Coordinator, at or John Parr, President and CEO of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, at (please include a reference to the Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship in the subject line).[FULL ARTICLE] |
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| NEWS YOU CAN USE | |
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Boston, Massachusetts
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 Each month, we profile a national organization with which ARS has partnered to reach a broader audience capable of initiating action across sectors and jurisdictions. (For a full listing of ARS Strategic Partners, click the About Us button on the home page of this website.) In profile this month is CEOs for Cities, a national bipartisan alliance of mayors, university presidents and nonprofit leaders that seeks to advance the economic competitiveness of cities. The organization was founded in the spring of 2001 during a time of hopeful trends in such key indices of urban health as population, crime and employment, with a mission to strengthen and promote the public-private and government-neighborhood partnerships that had contributed to reversing a decades-long pattern of social and economic decline in central cities. Ann Lang is executive director of CEOs for Cities. For more information, visit their website at www.ceosforcities.org or call .[FULL ARTICLE] |
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| REGIONAL EXCHANGE | |
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Compact Development Saves Money |
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| PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA | |
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Reviewed by David Lampe
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 David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, has produced an interesting volume on the inequities and perversities of the U.S. tax code that will shock some and infuriate othersbut thats the idea. His familiarity with the tax code and inventive schemes to abuse it flows from his long experience as the Times tax reporter. Far from a handbook for tax cheats, the book is a call to action for honest taxpayers to demand reforms that will close corporate loopholes, preclude sheltering techniques available principally to the very well-to-do, and relieve the growing tax burden on the middle class.[FULL ARTICLE] |
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A Metro Merger Wave: Could it Be? |
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 Could America be ready for a wave of city-county consolidations? Until this year, it would have seemed madness to suggest so. Since the 1960s, when Nashville, Jacksonville and Indianapolis put together mergers, no major city-county consolidations took place until Louisville and surrounding Jefferson County voted to join in a dramatic 2000 referendum. Even Louisville seemed an inevitable odditya place where an array of city and county services, economic development efforts, even a wage tax base, had been shared for years. But rub your eyes and catch whats occurring at this very moment: Serious discussions of merger proposals across the Northeast. [FULL ARTICLE] |
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Tell a Friend! |
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We invite you to forward this e-newsletter to a friend or colleague. You can subscribe by visiting the ARS website at https://regionalstewardship.org. The ARS e-newsletter is delivered electronically, free of charge. |
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Contact Information |
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Alliance for Regional Stewardship , Philadelphia, PA 19104 Phone: /Fax: Email: Web: https://regionalstewardship.org |
With the collapse of the 1990s stock market bubble and several years of national economic slowdown, a tense new climate of austerity has sharpened debates over government spending, economic development, and the physical growth of states and metropolitan areas, making public leaders increasingly eager for fiscally prudent ways to simultaneously support their communities and stimulate their economies. To point out the potential of compact development for contributing economic stimulus, the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities and the Brookings Institution have released Investing in a Better Future: The Fiscal and Competitive Advantages of Smarter Growth Development Patterns. The paper concludes that during times of tight budgets, more efficient and beneficial growth strategies make more sense than ever. To view an Acrobat compatible version of the report, direct your browser to 
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| RegionWatch Index |