Academics, community activists, and politicians have
rediscovered regionalism, insisting that regions are critical
functional units in a world-wide economy and, just as important,
critical functional units in individual American lives. More and
more of us travel across city, county, even state borders every
morning on our way to work. Our television, radio, and print media
rely on a regional marketplace. Our businesses, large and small,
depend on suppliers, workers, and customers who rarely reside in a
single jurisdiction. The parks, riverfronts, stadiums, and museums
we visit draw from, and provide an identity to, an area much larger
than a single city. The fumes, gases, chemicals, and run-off that
pollute our air and water have no regard for municipal
boundaries.
This book lays out a variety of opinions on regionalism, its
history and its future. While the essays do not comprise a debate,
pro and con, about regionalism, they do provide a wide array of
perspectives, based on the authors' diverse backgrounds and
experience. Some contributors have made close academic studies of
how regional action occurs, in various states like Minnesota,
California, and Oregon; others give an historical account of a
particular region like that surrounding New York City; and yet
others point out aspects of regionalism--race, especially-- that
should not be ignored.
Why did past efforts at regional collaboration fall apart? What
did regionalist efforts of decades ago leave undone, and what new
goals should regionalists set? Without an understanding of these
questions, policymakers and advocates may find themselves
"reinventing the region." This book provides an important
understanding of how regionalism has played out in the past, how
policies shape places, and the possibilities and limits of regional
action.
Bruce J. Katz, director of the Brookings Institution Center on
Urban and Metropolitan Policy, was formerly chief of staff at the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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