return to Trends contents page Additional Notes: For more on regional cooperation, see our Sprawl Resource Guide.

Regional Cooperation from Metropolitan Pressure Points, by Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr., City of Rochester, New York (Planning Commissioners Journal #32, Fall 1998) "A HUD study of metropolitan regions [America's New Metropolitan Economy, 1988] found that where communities emphasized cooperation over competition within their regions, greater success in expanding economic prosperity and creating jobs was the result. In other words, when cities and suburbs work together they can expect more new investment, business expansion, and employment and income growth than when they act independently. Empirical evidence also shows that suburbs which surround healthy cities stand a better chance of vitality than those that surround sprawled-out cities. These findings are not surprising. Modern businesses depend so much on coordinating decentralized activities that they often regard small, locally-competitive governments as a throwback to pre-global times. Today's businesses seek out locally-cooperative, globally-competitive regions for expansion or relocation. In other words, there is an intimate connection between regional economic development, regional land use planning, efficient local government, local quality of life, and corporate competitiveness in the global economy." William A. Johnson, Jr., is now in his second term as Mayor of Rochester, the third largest city in New York. Prior to being elected Mayor in 1994, Johnson served for 21 years as President and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester. Regional Focus in Comprehensive Plans from The 21st Century Comprehensive Plan, by Michael Chandler (Planning Commissioners Journal #31, Summer 1998) "For much of this century, community land use plans were developed with little consideration shown for surrounding localities. Over the past decade, however, changes in technology, in business and economic systems, and in federal and state policies that bear on land use, have made clear that localities are interdependent. As such, localities are increasingly aware that they must work together to solve common problems. Inclusion of a regional assessment or impact strategy section in local plans -- as well as broader efforts to ensure that neighboring communities' plans are consistent with each other -- will undoubtedly become a more common practice in coming years." Michael Chandler is a Professor and Community Planning Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Chandler also conducts planning commissioner training programs across the country, and is a frequent speaker at workshops. He is a regular columnist for the Planning Commissioners Journal.