Neal Peirce looks at a few examples where regions have pooled their powers to utilize ARRA stimulus funds to create programs and jumpstart regional efforts.
Kansas City, Missouri worked with its regional neighbors to direct its federal stimulus money towards a troubled 150-block area officials are calling the "Green Impact Zone". Cities and counties in the San Francisco Bay Area teamed up to organize how money from the various stakeholders could be bundled to achieve regional goals.
"The Kansas City and Bay Area regions aren't alone. The Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program has been able to identify several others–among them Memphis, Chicago, even smaller areas like Cape Cod in Massachusetts and Flagstaff, Ariz.–where regions have "gotten their act together" to connect dots and make ARRA funds serve cohesive areawide agendas.
Normally regions wouldn't have the funds for such far-reaching–and one could argue historically long-delayed–initiatives. Which is why the Recovery Act offered such a rare opportunity. Understandably, people are judging the stimulus legislation–celebrating its six-month anniversary this month–on jobs it's created. Estimates are running as high as 1 million, a serious anti-recession move."
FULL STORY: Could the Recovery Act Help Reinvent Government?
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden
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German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence
Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.
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