Saturday, June 19, 2004
Getting regional cooperation in the Monongahela River Valley near Pittsburgh is tough. The economy is down, and the region has not recovered from the first wave of globalization that hit the region in the 1970's.
Mayor John DeLuca of Monessen, PA (population: 8,700), has been trying to rally his colleagues to form a council of governments. Last week, he managed to persuade 10 or 22 river communities to attend a meeting.
Supported by David Lewis, an architecture professor from Carnegie Mellon University, DeLuca is showing the type of determination that's needed to move regional economic development forward.
As DeLuca noted at the meeting: " "We feel our problems are all the same. Our roads are bad, our buildings are dilapidated, tax bases are shrinking while labor and other costs are going up,. We need to work together to find ways of sharing these burdens if we are going to survive."
Regional approaches to economic development are not easy. But in a global econoomy, they are the only path forward. Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Regional collaboration in the Mon Valley?
