On August 11, Peter Orszag and others from the President’s budget/economics team released a memo to all executive agencies and departments entitled “Developing Effective Place-Based Policies for the FY 2011 Budget.” The memo asks agency and department heads to identify three to five programs that show special promise for achieving better outcomes through place-based approaches. According to the memo, “place policies target the prosperity, equity, sustainability and liveability of places — how well or how poorly they function as places and how they change over time.” The memo also recognizes that “change comes from the community level and often through partnership; complex problems require flexible, integrated solutions” and ends with a strong call to action with respect to regionalism, “federal investments should promote planning and collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries. Given the forces reshaping smaller communities, it is particularly important that rural development programs be coordinated with broader regional initiatives.”
Any thoughts on how SOG might play a role in advancing some of the models at work in NC—like the Kerr-Tar Hub, Local Gov’t Service Corps, regional water planning, etc.?
Will Lambe authored the NC Rural Center report, Small Towns, Big Ideas, and he served as Director of the Community and Economic Development Program at the School of Government from 2009 to 2014.