April 2006
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ARS LETTER TO YOU |
ARS Welcomes David Thornburgh
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John Parr
President & CEO, Alliance for Regional Stewardship Member, ARS Board of Directors
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Last fall the ARS Board of Directors started a process to look at the future of the organization. This work developed the Strategic Roadmap 2006 2011. A major element of the plan was to hire a full-time CEO. We are pleased to announce that David Thornburgh of Philadelphia has been chosen to lead ARS as it begins the implementation of this vision for the future.
David B. Thornburgh was named Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Economy League, Southeastern Pennsylvania (PEL) in August, 1994. The Economy League is a business-led civic organization founded in 1936 to provide private sector leadership in promoting better government and a more competitive Pennsylvania . The League has four offices statewide, and Mr. Thornburgh leads the office in Philadelphia that covers the City of Philadelphia and the four surrounding counties. He reports to a board of over 65 senior private sector leaders from the region’s leading companies and universities.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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THE REGIONAL FILES |
Northern Kentucky Releases 10- Year Regional Vision
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For the third time in the past quarter century, stakeholders from Northern Kentucky’s Boone, Kenton and Campbell Countieslocated across the Ohio River from Cincinnatihave joined those from the region’s six southern counties to collaboratively author a long-term vision for where their region wants to be in 10 years and a roadmap for how it can get there.
is the successor to Forward Quest, a non-profit organization created in 1996 to implement the recommendations of North Kentucky ’s last regional long-term planning effort. The 1996 plan in its turn followed up on a 1981 regional strategic planning initiative commissioned by then-Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown. Those plans had a dramatic impact, including the development of the Covington riverfront and industrial and office parks in Boone County .
In March of 2005, a leadership team of about 180 people representing a cross-section of civic, business and government stakeholders reviewed the original Quest initiatives and changes that have occurred in the community since 1995. The region today is home to 350,000 people and is expected to more than double its size to about 750,000 by 2015and add another 60,000 by 2030.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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INNOVATIVE IDEAS |
Lessons from and Next Steps for the John W. Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship
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In 2001, the late John W. Gardner, one of America ’s leading public citizens, authorized the use of his name for the John W. Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship. In a letter to Becky Morgan, co-founder and initial President of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, he said:
Now is the time to dream big thoughts. I am very excited about your idea of creating an Academy for Regional Stewardship to prepare our leaders for the complex challenges of our communities. It combines two themes that have been an important part of my own life’s work: leadership and community.
Since that time, what have we learned from our experience with the Academy and what are next steps going forward? The Academy has had the opportunity to work in 10 regions over the past several years. This article highlights some key lessons learned.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Central Florida Kicks Off Regional Growth Effort
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The population of the seven-county, 86-city, Central Florida region is projected to more than double by 2050, from 3.5 million to 7.2 million. It is little surprise then that a key question facing the region is how it will be able to sustain this growth.
“How Shall We Grow? Creating a Shared Vision for Central Florida ” is a 15-month project designed to find answers to this important question. The non-profit group myregion.org is coordinating the project, which is being funded by the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Department of Transportation, Central Florida MPO Alliance, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, myregion.org and the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In January and March, myregion.org held the Central Florida Regional Leadership Academy , an emersion into the issues associated with “How Shall We Grow?” and the first effort of its kind in Florida . It was cosponsored by the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, UCF Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies, Florida High Tech Corridor Council, and Walt Disney World.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS ACTIVITIES |
Board Plays Large Role in Central Florida Effort
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Nearly half of the ARS Board recently participated in the first regional leadership academy in Florida ’s history. Conducted by myregion.org, “How Shall We Grow?” is a 15-month effort to create a regional strategy for growth in seven-county central Florida , whose population is expected to surge from 3.5 million to 7.2 million by 2050. (See Innovative Ideas piece in this enewsletter for more details about the academy)
ARS Board Chair George Vradenburg and member Robert Grow in January spoke to a group of more than 70 elected officials, civic and business leaders from across Central Florida about national and international best practices. Vradenburg is president of the Vradenburg Foundation in Washington DC and chairs the Potomac Conference, a regional stewardship organization in the DC region. Grow was the founder of Envision Utah, which is widely recognized as one of the country’s most successful public involvement efforts for the development of a broad-based, long-term growth strategy for a major metropolitan area.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS ACTIVITIES |
Share Your Region's Story on RegionLink
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Does your region have advice and experience to share with others about its journey toward regional stewardship? Consider submitting them for publication on RegionLink (www.regionlink.org), the interactive, online community for regional practitioners.
RegionLink is hosted by the Alliance for Regional Stewardship and is accessible to ARS members. RegionLink’s database contains hundreds of documents, including case studies and regional best practices for practitioners to learn from, profiles of regions with successful stewardship activities, and reports and presentations from ARS conferencesall of which are searchable by topics such as transportation, economic development, housing, security, and leadership.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS ACTIVITIES |
Still Chance to Register for National Forum in Chicago May4-5!
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The 13th ARS National Forum on Regional Stewardship will be held in Chicago, Illinois, May 4-5, 2006, at the Hotel Allegro. The theme of this spring's Forum is "Creating Competitive Regions."
Sessions on Thursday morning will highlight initiatives in the Chicago region. Afternoon sessions will explore issues such as the role that neighborhoods play in regional competitiveness, and the importance of the business sector. On Friday morning, there will be an interactive workshop for participants to develop strategies for improving their region's competitiveness.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS E-Newsletter Administrative Information
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Contact Information
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Alliance for Regional Stewardship
, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Web: regionalstewardship.org
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RegionWatch Index
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