The growing momentum toward regional approaches Wednesday, November 16, 2005 If you have any doubt about the growing momentum behind regional approaches to economic development, here are some articles for you. In Delaware, a bank president this week underscored the importance of thinking in terms of the 11 county Greater Philadelphia region. "“In the big picture, we’re all knitted together. We’re all part of one great region. To fail to acknowledge the interdependence of the region is to continue what’s gone on in the past.” Read more. In Kentucky, EDPro reader Kevin Sheilley is engineering the merger of the economic development efforts in four different counties into one effort, Northwest Kentucky Forward. Read more. In Oregon, Portland's economic development efforts are focusing on the region, not just the city. As the article notes, "Portland is not just for Portland anymore. It's biting its self-centered tongue and becoming a cheerleader for the whole region now." Read more. In Evansville, IN, the mayor is calling for broader regional collaboration. Read more. In North Central Indiana, the proposal of the federal government to split the region into two separate time zones has rallied civic leaders to underscore the importance of the regional economy. Years ago, when I worked with Elkhart, South Bend was viewed with distant hostility. Not any longer. Read more. West Virginia's Advantage Valley, patterned after North Carolina's Advantage West, is moving forward with its regional agenda. Learn more. Civic leaders in North Mississippi have launched the North Mississippi Enterprise Initiative, Inc. a non-profit public and private regional partnership for entrepreneurial growth in North Mississippi. Learn more. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links 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. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: 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.

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