Regional planning - at the federal level and in many areas of the country - is celebrating 50 years of practice. Yet the role of implementation is something that few regional agencies have the authority to do. By its very nature, regionalism is the art of collaboration. Somewhat surprisingly, federal transportation provisions are often the catalyst for integrated and collaborative planning efforts.
Read More…America enjoys the world’s strongest economy, and our long-term national growth and prosperity depend on strong regional economies. These in turn, rely on tackling the societal challenges that can slow growth and result in disparities across income and racial groups. Just as each region’s challenges, assets, geography and culture are different, there is no one model of collaboration. Over the last year MZ Strategies worked with a number of regions on these issues, including in metro Washington where COG just released its 2016 State of the Region Report looking at Economic Competitiveness threats and opportunities.
Read More…If you haven’t noticed, we are in a time of “renewed regionalism” and the common theme across these efforts is better integration across issues to better respond to the complexity of the challenges that no single jurisdiction alone can address. Climate adaptation and resiliency clearly fits right in this wheelhouse, whether working together to recover from a major weather event or to find strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here are a few thoughts from involvement last week by Mariia Zimmerman of MZ Strategies at the Institute for Sustainable Communities: "Think Resiliently, Act Regionally" Leadership Academy.
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