Sunday, July 30, 2006
Pulling a regional alliance together is never easy.
Take the case of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance. As the following article notes, "Nearly 17 months into a merger that created one regional economic development agency for Hampton Roads, some family counseling might be needed." Read more.
The difficulties emerge on the other side of the state, as well. A recent study team pointed to the challenges of coordinating activity between Blacksburg (home of VIrginia Tech) and Roanoke. Read more.
At moments like these, I recommend civic leaders take the "Shanghai Perspective". It may be true that the civic leaders in Hampton roads are having difficulty workiing together -- or, that civic leaders in Blacksburg and Roanoke are not on the same page. But businesses in Shanghai don't care. If we're competing in a global economy, we should be able to see ourselves from Shanghai. From that perspective our local differences shrink in importance.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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.
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.
Virginia faces the challenges of regions
