I fondly remember talking to Bob Yaro in early 1990 and telling him that the map of regional organizations in Massachusetts looked like an explosion in a paint factory.  I wish I could say that things have changed for the better, but we still love to divide things up in New England .

We have what may be a genetic imprint of throwing off authority imposed from higher powersalmost 250 years later, we still celebrate our attempt to create tea in the waters of our harbor.  This stubborn belief in bringing government closer to the people has its benefits: After all, our town meetings are the purest form of democracy in the world.  If you are registered to vote, you can be a member of your local legislative body for the evening and find yourself voting on budgets, land use controls, and police contracts.  But our regional sense is not so sharply honed.  Neal Peirce and Curtis Johnson suggest in their Boston report that we are missing that "collaborative gene" that makes other regions work.  This makes regional stewardship a challenge.

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To recognize the work of innovative regions and exemplary organizations, the Alliance for Regional Stewardship (ARS) Board of Directors established an awards program for regions that have made measurable progress towards implementing the Principles of Regional Stewardship and demonstrated effective and sustained cross-jurisdictional and multi-sector collaboration.

The Regional Stewardship Awards are presented to regions that demonstrate progress in all four Principles of Regional Stewardship:

• Innovative Economy
• Livable Community
• Social Inclusion
• Collaborative Governance

Applicants that do not demonstrate progress in all four Principles will not be considered.

Applications for the 2006 Regional Stewardship Awards are due February 1, 2006. Click here to download the 2006 Regional Stewardship Awards application packet.

For more information on the Regional Stewardship Awards, please contact Michele Baker at or call .

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Urban sprawl is an occurrence that has gained much national attention in recent years. It is not only an issue of land use, but also a legal, political, and social concern. It effects our schools, the environment, and race relations. Comprehensive enough for high school students and also appropriate for undergraduate students, this book delves into the challenges of urban sprawl by looking to some of America's top thinkers on the matter, including Robert Yaro, the President of the Regional Plan Association. Other cutting-edge articles include a preface about the emergence of sprawl by nationally syndicated columnist Neal Peirce, views about race and class by former mayor of Albuquerque David Rusk, and views from Curtis Johnson, president of the Citistates Group, about transportation dynamics. Additional contributors include John Parr, President & CEO of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship; Doug Henton and John Melville, founders of Collaborative Economics; Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and CEO of PolicyLink; Alexander von Hoffman, Senior Research Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies; and Myron Orfield, Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota Law School.

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The Great North Alliance (GNA) recently released the 2005-2006 Great North Opportunity Forecast.  The Forecast informs private, civic, and public decision-making processes with sound information, good intentions, and an appreciation of the global standing of the Twin Cities region. Examining the Twin Cities? historic strengths and the current trends, GNA offers information for shaping the destiny of our region and addressing issues critical to future opportunity.

In this fourth benchmarking of regional social and economic competitiveness, GNA again consider four measurement areas, or building blocks, necessary for regional innovation:  Development Capacity, Innovation Capacity, Resource Flow, and Current Performance. New this year is an increase in the number of indicators employed to 120 from 58 in past reports. GNA added more attention this year to indicators of social health, government performance, and entrepreneurial value added among others.

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Washington, D.C. -- With northeastern Illinois expected to grow by 1.9 million people over the next 25 years, a new vision -- one that will accommodate this anticipated growth in an efficient, coordinated and sustainable manner -- is guiding decision making around the region. This vision is a key component of the 2040 Regional Framework Plan, recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Planning Award for a Plan from the American Planning Association (APA).

"The innovative use of technology and broad community outreach ensure that this plan will be a guiding light for those making land use and public policy decisions in the southeastern Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana metropolitan area," said Carol Rhea, AICP, chair of the APA awards committee. "This framework not only recognizes the importance of local planning, but the role that local residents and elected officials play in carrying out the vision," she said.

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