First Presented July 20, 1998 at The World Future Society Conference FutureQuest: Strategies for the New Millennium – Chicago, this launched the Regions Work Initiative and set out the Action Plan that is still being pursued today.

1. Regions Work! What’s a region?
First Presented July 20, 1998 at
The World Future Society Conference
FutureQuest: Strategies for the New Millennium –
Chicago
Tom Christoffel, AICP, FeRSA, Editor, Regional
Community Development News
© 1998

2. Regional?
 “We need boundaries.” - Edith Wiener
 “To solve problems we must cross
boundaries.” Jessica Lipnack.
 Two or more cooperating across a
political boundary is regional.

3. Markets are regional and the
economy is global.
 Production and/or assembly is local.
 Housing, labor, retail markets are
regional.
 There are local consequences of
business placement decisions, but many
decisions are out of local control.
 Local governments were designed to be
local and they are good at it.
 Regions consist of neighbors and peers.

4. Defined regions exist in U.S.
 Formed in the 1960’s.
 Networks of local governments that
are statewide networks as well.
 This structure is now invisible to most
citizens and the business community.
 National Association of Regional Councils (NARC)
 National Association of Development Officials (NADO)
 States - Virginia Association of Planning District
Commissions

5. What’s the right region?
 Metropolitan Statistical Area?
 Watershed?
 Bio-region?
 Sub-state district?
 A different region for each issue?

6. What are the opportunities?
 The right region is when the
geography fits the issue.
 Standard boundaries - counties and
state regions are data building blocks.
 Alignment of data sets on geography
increases efficiency - use a GIS
approach.
 Government alignment of regions
speeds action when needed.

7. Regions work action plan.
 National data sets based on existing
regions.
 Region + or - neighbors (region or
county) to create the regional design
that fits the market/issue.
 Make visible to citizens, business and
industry, non-profits.
 State databases on regional geography.
 Regional Public Corporate Database.

8. “Think Local Planet, Act Regionally.”
Contact - 2012
Tom Christoffel, AICP, M
FeRSA, Editor
Regional Community Development News
Regional Intelligence – Regional Communities, LLC
Box 1444 - Front Royal, Virginia (VA), USA 22630
E-mail: Tom.Christoffel@gmail.com
Land line: 1- 540-635-8582
Cell: 1 -540-664-7037
Web: http://ri-rc.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tomchristoffel

9. Regional Intelligence –
Regional Communities, LLC
Tom (Thomas J.) Christoffel, AICP, Editor
Regional Community Development News
Regional Intelligence-Regional Communities, LLC
P.O. Box 1444
Front Royal, Virginia (VA), 22630, U.S.A.
E-mail: Tom.Christoffel@gmail.com
Phone: 540-635-8582
Web: www.regionalintelligence.com
The “Regions Work” Initiative © 1998 - 2007