Smart Regions US: Introducing the Concept

Applying the power of the Information Age, SmartRegions.US Introduces a new concept that addresses urban congestion and housing issues as well as promoting a rural demographic renewal and full rural-urban economic integration. The key: the Suite of Telecommuting Applications that allows a new Freedom of Residential CHoice while fighting climate change.

Smart Regions support a Community-based Vision for the Future

If you are tired of your daily commute, frustrated by public and private sector failures in addressing the real issues you face, and if you believe that government policy is at best out of touch and at worse, incapable of resolving complex issues due to its inability to bring the necessary stakeholders together, then this blog is for you.

If you believe we can, and should do better; I encourage you to participate in the effort. This blog is about engaging the community in refining and promoting strategies to solve problems and leverage future opportunities to enhance the region (the definition of which is the subject of my next post). It will provide you with the tools necessary to make progress effectively and strategically.

SmartRegions.US is about capturing the benefits of the Information Age

In the 1970’s AT&T promised that society would be able to “Access anything, from anywhere at any time.” Almost fifty years later we have the technology but not the policies to fully realize this new empowerment— if we address the elephant in the room; the market has been distorted by those who want to maintain the status quo. Until the governmental budgeting process ceases being an assemblage of non-integrated programs and becomes an implementation tool that strategically moves us toward a vision for the region many policy makers will continue to preserve the trends of the past rather than seeking the opportunities of the future. This must change.

Anyone who looks at our policy environment objectively understands that most significant issues are approached from multiple, often conflicting, points of view. Data sources are often skewed and much of the important information remains hidden due to a lack of transparency. I believe firmly that the community must engage in this process and that is the only way that we can create an environment in which we move data to information to knowledge. It is the only way to understand our opportunities and to define a vision for the future.

Community Policy Concerns

Over the next few posts I will address each of the following issues within the context of the knowledge Pyramid.

• Defining a Smart Region that reflects its Economy
• Urban congestion, climate change and telecommuting
• Urban-Rural integration, broadband, smart region definition and leadership
• Changing work culture, competitiveness and quality of life
• Community Activation, personal freedom and accountability

Legacy Policy Sustain the Status Quo

The first rule of planning is always to accurately document your current status. If your plan is based on false assumptions, you can not achieve the desired outcome. The SmartRegion.US concept ‘Slays the Status Quo’ by challenging AND CHANGING the following presumptions:

• Presumption that the ‘region’ should be defined by political jurisdictions
• Urban regions, by themselves, are capable of being major players in the global marketplace- or even surviving without rural support
• Rural areas are doomed to continued decline because everyone prefers living in a city
• Agricultural industry is representative of small town concerns and viability
• Assumption that the citizenry truly are complacent and impotent in asserting a common voice in support of common sense
• Policy that physical transit alone can solve the congestion problem

Working Virtually; LIving Locally

The Telecommuting Mindset asserts that anything that can be delivered electronically should become an option whenever cost effective.

A population redistribution based upon individuals seeking a higher quality of life, would reduce the costs associated with urban density as well as those related to the sparsity of rural populations

Continued expansion of a socially responsible private sector could significantly address numerous social issues- urban and rural

Rebuilding urban and rural neighborhood vitality is key to resolving many social issues
Together we can have an honest dialogue about our collective future.