Groups engaged in regional collaboration in Washington state?s Central Puget Sound; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and California?s San Fernando Valley were the recipients of ARS?s 2006 Regional Stewardship Awards at the ARS National Forum last month in Chicago. While representing three dramatically different U.S. regions with diverse sets of challenges and opportunities, these collaborative efforts play a common role by achieving ?tipping points? for change in their communities.
Since 2004, ARS has annually recognized groups engaged in cross-jurisdictional, multi-sector collaboration to implement the four principles of regional stewardship with its Regional Stewardship Awards. The awards recognize regions that demonstrate progress in creating an innovative economy and livable community and fostering social inclusion and collaborative governance to share their story with other regional practitioners so they can learn from these successful examples. Descriptions of this year?s award winners and their regions follow below.
The sponsors stipends for award recipients and in 2006 expanded its support to allow for site visits and media coverage to raise awareness of the awards. Morgan Family Foundation President Becky Morgan was the founding chair of ARS and continues to provide her vision and guidance to the alliance.
Central Puget Sound, Washington
When the Boeing Company decided to relocate its world headquarters in 2001 and subsequently announced it would locate an assembly site for its new 787 jetliner, Washington ?s governor convened a diverse coalition that successfully campaigned to keep the 787 at home. This effort give birth to the Prosperity Partnership, a coalition of business, labor, government, academia and non-profit groups dedicated to developing and implementing a regional strategy for the four counties around Puget Sound.
The Prosperity Partnership?s model was developed after several international study missions sponsored by the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, and ultimately based on that of Barcelona, Spain. Its staff is based at the Puget Sound Regional Council, which houses the region?s Economic Development District and is the regional transportation and management planning agency. The strategy is based on cluster action initiatives to support the region?s economic clusters, and foundation initiatives to support the needs of employers, including ensuring a well-educated and adaptable workforce, building an effective transportation system, cultivating a strong civic community, and preserving and enhancing the natural environment.
The Puget Sound Regional Council adopted the Prosperity Partnership strategy in September 2005 and began implementing 18 action items in 2006. Early tangible results include the establishment of a $350 million life sciences discovery fund, investing $8.5 billion in statewide transportation, and changing the state?s tax incentives for clean energy. But most importantly, the Partnership has created a new mindset for the region, with new linkages and relationships that are transforming the way community leaders do business.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Three agencies representing the Pittsburgh region shared a Regional Stewardship Award: the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and Regional Workforce Collaborative.
The Allegheny Conference on Community Development was created back in 1944 to deal with Pittsburgh?s air pollution problem, which made the region unattractive to investment and skilled labor. In the 1990s the Conference adapted to major changes in the regional economy due to restructuring of the steel industry by expanding its membership and activity beyond the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to include nine neighboring counties. In 2000 the Conference created strategic partnerships with the Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, a regional think tank; Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, a regional marketer; and Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, a regional business organization. In 2003 these four regional organizations became a single entity.
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a regional planning agency, is collaborating with the Conference and others on Project Region, a set of activities to help the region develop a consensus for a growth plan. The Regional Workforce Collaborativewhich includes workforce investment boards, community colleges and economic development organizationsis institutionalizing the connections between education, workforce training and a strong economy, which in turn is being marketed by the Conference.
Tangible results from these groups? efforts include the attraction of Independence Air and Southwest Airlines to replace the loss of US Airways?s hub at Pittsburgh International Airport, the preservation of the US Air Force Reserve 911th Airlift Wing (which has a $160 million impact on the economy and provides 1,700 jobs), and investing $250 million in water quality and sewer improvements that leveraged up to $3 billion in federal funding.
San Fernando Valley, California
The enormity of the devastation from the 1994 Northbridge earthquake made it clear to leaders in California?s San Fernando Valley that they had to start thinking and acting as a region. The Economic Alliance of San Fernando Valley was incorporated in 1995 to grow, strengthen and sustain the Valley?s economic base and improve the quality of life in its five-city region, which includes Calabasas, Burbank,Glendale, San Fernando, and one-third of Los Angeles.
The Alliance and its eight strategic partnersthe Valley Industry & Commerce Association, United Chambers of Commerce, , Southland Regional Association of Realtors, San Fernando Valley Conference & Visitors Bureau, Valley International Trade Association, Valley Leadership, and the Small Manufacturers Association of Californiaoperate under a collaborative model consisting of a 150-member board representing businesses, governments and non-profit organizations. The power and reach of this leadership has enabled the Alliance to gain the ear of the City of Los Angeles.
Perhaps the Alliance ?s greatest success to date was the establishment of the Metro Orange Line dedicated busway, which opened in October 2005. The partnership also convinced local, state, and federal officials created a separate statistical district for the Valley, which enables easier benchmarking of regional indicators and for the region to better define itself. The Alliance has also been active in marketing the region and is beginning to tackle workforce development by forming a Training Alliance between three community colleges.
