January 2006
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ARS LETTER TO YOU |
Regional Stewardship and the Issue of Urban Sprawl
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David Soule
Associate Director, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University
Member, ARS Board of Directors
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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.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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THE REGIONAL FILES |
Florida Chamber Leads Statewide Regional Stewardship Effort
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Florida held the nation?s first statewide Regional Stewardship Alliance Summit in October 2005, bringing together 10 organizations that have been working on regional approaches in own their parts of the state to coordinate their efforts and share resources and information.
Attendees included the several regional chambers of commerce, the South Florida Regional Planning Council, Northeast Florida Regional Council, 1,000 Friends of Florida, Enterprise Florida, Tampa Bay Partnership, Florida Atlantic University, several state agencies, and Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood. Robert Grow, the founding chair of Envision Utah, inspired Florida?s regional partners with the story of how the Salt Lake City region has embraced regional visioning as the key to a quality future. At the summit, the Florida Regional Stewardship Alliance (FRSA) also launched an online index and web discussion group. (See the ?Innovative Ideas? article for more information about the Index.)
[FULL ARTICLE]
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INNOVATIVE IDEAS |
Florida Alliance Launches Online Index, Discussion Site
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The Florida Regional Stewardship Alliance (FRSA) in 2005 launched the Florida Regional Stewardship Alliance Index, an online index and discussion group dedicated to promoting regional approaches to improving Florida's economic competitiveness and quality of life.
The index is meant to monitor progress toward implementation of the recommendations of ?New Cornerstone,? the Foundation's 10-year economic blueprint for Florida published in October 2003. The report included more than 40 recommendations for statewide and regional action by dozens of potential partners. (For more information about ?New Cornerstone? and the FRSA, see ?The Regional Files?.) The index lists each of these recommendations and provides an opportunity for partners to post updates on their activities in any of these areas.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Taxpayers Deserve Efficient Services
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Brian Calhoun
Fresno Bee (California)
December 21, 2005
Fresno City Council member Brian Calhoun attended the National Forum in Louisville and wrote the following report which was published in the Fresno Bee.
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Most would agree that running a well-managed organization in the 21st century using a 19th century handbook would at the very least draw criticism from its shareholders. Why then would today's taxpayers not want the modernization of their local government organizations?
"If only we could just merge the local governments in this region, things would be so much better for everyone." This sentiment was originally expressed in Louisville, Ky., in 1947 when community members launched their first attempt at merging the city of Louisville and Jefferson County into one consolidated government system. Four ballot initiatives and 58 years later, Louisville Metro has become a national model for the successful merger of city and county, and Louisville rightfully takes pride in sharing its numerous government efficiency stories.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS ACTIVITIES |
2006 Regional Stewardship Awards
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The Alliance for Regional Stewardship is now accepting applications for the 2006 Regional Stewardship Awards. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2006.
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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 .
[FULL ARTICLE]
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ARS ACTIVITIES |
Save the Date! Next ARS National Forum on Regional Stewardship to be held in Chicago, Illinois, May 3-5, 2006
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Forum theme will be "Creating Competitive Regions"
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The next ARS National Forum on Regional Stewardship will be held in Chicago, Illinois, May 3-5, 2006, at the Hotel Allegro. The theme of this spring's Forum will be "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. Regions are encouraged to bring multi-sector teams to the Forum to participate in this workshop.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Urban Sprawl: A Comprehensive Reference Guide
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David C. Soule (ed.)
Foreword by Neal Peirce
Greenwood Press, 2005
ISBN: 0-313-32038-1
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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.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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New Opportunity Forecast Released
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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.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Northeastern Illinois Planning Effort Selected for 2006 National Award
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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.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Amy Carrier Departs ARS
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Amy Carrier, Alliance Manager since July 2003, spent her last day with ARS on January 20th. Amy came to ARS from Georgetown University, where she received a Masters in Public Policy and had worked as a research analyst in the alumni office. As the sole full-time staff member of ARS, Amy quickly took over the many day-to-day details of managing the organization.
During her time with ARS, Amy oversaw five National Forums and coordinated two years of the ARS Regional Stewardship Awards. She took over the monthly e-newsletter in January 2005, changing the format and introducing the ?Regional Files,? and was responsible for the upkeep of the ARS website. Amy also developed RegionLink, ARS?s newest resource for regional practitioners. She worked closely with the Board of Directors to oversee the implementation of new programs and activities, and to build ARS?s national network of practitioners.
[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
Phone: /Fax:
Email:
Web: regionalstewardship.org
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