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CREATIVE CITY NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER
2001
ISSUE 3: REGIONALISM
ISSUE IN FOCUS: Regionalism
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ISSUE IN FOCUS: REGIONALISM
Twenty years ago, trade and economic boundaries were clearly
defined and easily contained within city, county and state
borders. Cities did not expend much effort in projecting what
influence urban policies might have on outlying suburban areas.
The outlying areas in turn were equally disinterested in the
problems and policies of the inner city. Today, the same cities
and suburbs are realizing that their economic vitality and
quality of life are inextricably intertwined. With e-commerce
not only quickening the pace of life, but also effectively
shrinking the distance that separates both national and international
markets, the concept of regionalism offers these once self-contained
municipalities a port of entry into today's global economy.
The trade-off is that cities and suburbs must learn to take
a broader view of their self-identity, and enter the global
market as a region.
Regionalism is the catch-all term used to refer to a new
concept of both governing and marketing. Regions are the basic
economic units in today's global economy, in terms of their
input, output, workforce development, wages, technology, infrastructure
and common goals. Regions are further connected by the growing
interdependency of cities and surrounding suburbs. Fiscal
pressures on local governments have forced them to pursue
more joint ventures, alliances, and cost-sharing initiatives
with regional partners. Welfare reform has illuminated the
spatial mismatch of jobs and skilled workers and shown that
it takes more than effective transportation and transit systems
to affect these disparities.
Finally, only regions, working together with a well-informed
citizenry, can combat the harmful effects of sprawl, which
cause such common regional ills as traffic congestion, decreased
economic competitiveness, increased highway and infrastructure
costs, and loss of a sense of community. To further complicate
efforts, achieving a regional identity depends upon the combined
efforts of three once-disparate sectors of society: business,
the government, and nonprofits.
Partners for Livable Communities Addresses Regionalism
In December 1999, at the Bridging the Divide conference sponsored
by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD
Secretary Andrew Cuomo noted in his keynote speech that any
effort to address urban/suburban inequity, and its resulting
problems such as decaying urban cores, traffic congestion,
and concentrated poverty, needed to be dealt with in a "regional
template." Because these problems ignore jurisdictional
boundaries, a new framework for leadership and action must
be developed in order to address them.
Partners for Livable Communities (PLC) has been working on
the concept of regionalism since 1997, when we organized a
visit for city officials and board members to the Alpine Diamond
region of Europe to study a unique planning and governing
structure. Three separate municipalities in three different
countries have come together to act as one region in the areas
of transportation, economic development, and marketing. That
same year, Partners organized a conference in Rochester, N.Y.,
Steps Towards Regional Solutions. The goal of this event,
which took place at the Freedom Forum, was to provide an opportunity
to share thoughts on and strategies for finding regional solutions
to local problems. Partners brought this concept to the national
level in October of 1999 with "Crossing the Line: National
Leadership Forum on Regional Strategies" in Memphis,
Tennessee.
At Crossing the Line, one of the recurring themes brought
up by presenters and participants alike, was the need to introduce
new leadership to the concept of regionalism; to bring non-traditional
players to the table. "Regionalism," explained Minnesota
Representative Myron Orfeild, "is sort of a multi-faceted
gem in some ways. Many of the interest groups see a different
facet that they care about. If you can combine their collective
interest, you can achieve something" (Orfield, Myron,
Crossing the Line Report, Partners for Livable Communities,
Washington, DC, 2000).
PLC believes that concentrated poverty (most often found
in our central cities) is a major impediment to making our
regions globally competitive, livable, and sustainable for
the coming century. New players and non-traditional leaders
must understand the economic and social benefits to acting
regionally on issues of urban/suburban inequity, and the consequences
for all communities within the region, when they fail to do
so.
Inequities within metropolitan regions have received a lot
of attention in academic research. This research is reviewed
by Keith R. Ihlanfeldt in "The Geography of Economic
and Social Opportunity in Metropolitan Areas," contained
in Governance and Opportunity in Metropolitan America, a recent
report published by the National Research Council (Ihlanfeldt,
Keith R., The Geography of Economic and Social Opportunity
in Metropolitan Areas, National Research Council, Washington,
DC). One of the early works on the regional economic value
of the inner-city, "All in It Together: Cities, Suburbs,
and Local Economic Regions", by William Barnes and Larry
Ledebur (Barnes, William R., and Ledebur, Larry C., All in
It Together: Cities, Suburbs, and Local Economic Regions,
National League of Cities, Washington, DC, 1993), makes the
connection between inequality and the performance of metropolitan
economies. The report, through studies of major metropolitan
regions, ties the economic health of the suburbs firmly to
that of the inner cities.
Further background can be found in papers prepared for the
Bridging the Divide Conference by Myron Orfield, David Rusk
and James Riccio. Riccio, Senior Research Associate for the
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation, postulates that
inner-city residents are geographically isolated from job-markets
and job-training opportunities, as well as role models and
routines of life that prepare youth for the workforce. These
problems are exacerbated by the low quality of schools, health
care, and other services in poor neighborhoods. He goes on
to explain that the problems of the inner city affect the
surrounding suburbs in the following ways: spillover crime;
population exodus leading to increased traffic congestion,
crowded schools, and inflated property values; and what he
terms as a "labor opportunity cost" - the inability
to fill labor needs with a skilled workforce.
In a 1998 report, Paul Gottlieb reviews the literature on
metropolitan inequities and their consequences for metropolitan
economies in "The Effects of Poverty on Metropolitan
Area Economic Performance: a policy-oriented research review."
Not surprisingly, Gottlieb discovers that the research in
the field varies in quality and approach and that the researchers
have not arrived at unanimity on the important issues raised.
Given the important real-world implications of the research,
however, Gottlieb suggests, "We must convene metro-level
practitioners in order to discover what they want to know,
and what kind of evidence they would find to be both persuasive
and useful (Gottlieb, Paul D., The Effects of Poverty on Metropolitan
Area Economic Performance, National League of Cities, Washington,
DC, June 1998).
In his Washington Post Writers Group column released April
30, 2000, noted expert Neal Peirce discusses the four faces
of regionalism - government reform, entrepreneurial alliances,
smart growth advocates, and community-based regionalism. "Regional
prosperity is clearly linked to reducing poverty and inequality,
according to research by Manuel Pastor, Jr. of the University
of California, Santa Cruz...But there is a problem..."
Pierce writes, "...leaders of today's four varieties
of regional alliances often don't know each other, much less
work together. The huge, impersonal nature of many regions,
plus ethnic and cultural gaps, separate the camps. Yet if
ways can be found to 'connect the dots,' regional advocates
can reinforce each other and be much more effective"
(Pierce, Neal, Regional Surge Shows Four Faces, Washington
Post Writers Group, April 30, 2000).
RELATED ARTICLES & RESOURCES
The
State of the Region Project
Regionalism,
Small Version
Virtual
World: The New Suburb?
Crusading
against Urban Sprawl
A
Breakthrough for Regions under Political Radar Line?
The
Regionalist
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