Regional Government Innovations

There are many types and forms of regional government agencies. These include regional planning commissions, council of governments, regional advisory committees, regional allocation agencies, and special purpose regional agencies. Even so innovative approaches to regional government and cooperation among general-purpose local governments are relatively recent phenomena. The first section of this volume provides the reader with a comprehensive introduction and overview to the field of regional government in general, and of recent regional government innovations throughout the nation in particular. The second section provides 25 case studies that examine outstanding examples of public and nonprofit initiatives and programs that promote regional government throughout America. The final section studies current trends in regional governance, the evolving role of regional councils, and the regional challenges posed by increased global competition. A directory of regional and national resource organizations dealing with regional government as well as a comprehensive annotated bibliography are included at the end of this volume.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Edited by Roger L. Kemp

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 357
Bibliographic Info: resources, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2007 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3155-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     v
Preface     1

PART I: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
1 The History of Regional Planning    9
2 The Evolution of Regional Governance    23
3 Models of Regional Governance     32
4 Regional Reform without Boundary Changes     47
5 The State of Regional Government     55
6 Regional Governance and the Post-Industrial Economy     61

PART II: CASE STUDIES IN INNOVATION
7 Regional Transportation Planning through Federal Legislation     73
8 Rails-to-Trails Projects in Regions of Georgia, Maryland, and Mississippi     83
9 Economic Development in the Appalachian Region     87
10 Cooperative Transportation Planning in New York and New Jersey     93
11 Corridor Planning in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Oregon    98
12 Transportation Planning for Growth Management in California, New Jersey, and Washington  104
13 Watershed Management and Conservation in Georgia     112
14 A State and Its Regions Plan Together in Georgia     116
15 Annexations and Tax Sharing Agreements in Michigan     126
16 Urban Partnerships and Regional Competitiveness in Virginia     131
17 Waterfront Planning along the Hudson River in New Jersey     148
18 Joint Economic Development Planning in Springfield, Ohio     152
19 Conservation Easements along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin     159
20 Metropolitan Government in the Twin-Cities Area of Minnesota     173
21 Regional Planning and Growth Management in Portland, Oregon     179
22 Revenue Sharing and Urban Growth in the Denver, Colorado, Metro Area     192
23 Fiscal Regionalism in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania     198
24 Financing Arts and Cultural Organizations in the Denver, Colorado, Region     204
25 Regional Growth in Management Systems in Seven States     211
26 The City of DeBary Contracts for Services with Volusia County, Florida     227
27 The Cities of Greensboro and High Point Share Services with Guilford County, North Carolina   230
28 Building Regional Leadership in the Atlanta, Georgia, Area     232
29 Promoting Regional Governance in the Baltimore, Maryland, Area     240
30 Regional Initiatives Among Fragmented Governments in the Dayton-Springfield Metro Area   247
31 Making the Case for Regional Cooperation in the Greater Philadelphia Region    255

PART III: THE FUTURE OF REGIONALISM
32 Trends in Regional Governance     271
33 Regional Governance and Regional Councils     287
34 Global Competition and Urban Reform     294
35 Regional Excellence in the 21st Century     301
36 The Future of Regionalism     306
37 Regional Government Renaissance     320

Regional Resource Directory     329
National Resource Directory     333
Bibliographic Essay     337
About the Contributors     343
Index     345