I tripped across this website: Citistates.com I don't get it. What is about? Is someone familiar with it? Please Clue Me.
MZ -- Clueless in California
I tripped across this website: Citistates.com I don't get it. What is about? Is someone familiar with it? Please Clue Me.
MZ -- Clueless in California
Not if it's a planning site with no linky-linky to Cyburbia.Originally posted by Michele Zone
Seriously, on the surface it appaears to be a collaborative blog regarding regionalism and related issues. From the "What we are" page:
The Citistates Group is a network of journalists, speakers and civic leaders focused on building competitive, equitable and sustainable 21st century metropolitan regions.
The Group's forte is communications -- using its journalistic, speaking and facilitation skills to stimulate active debate on the real-world choices facing 21st century American regions.
Formed in 1995, the Citistates Group is an LLC (limited liability company) that functions in a virtual mode, with no central office or staff. Its principals are syndicated columnist and author Neal Peirce, government/civic leader and writer Curtis Johnson, and Farley Peters, a veteran government activist who serves as business manager and speaking agent.
The Group offers one-stop access to its Associates -- a group of about 20 leading American thinkers with specific experience and insights on the forging of stronger, more coherent American regions.
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
Thanks. That fits with my first impression -- that it was some kind of business website. But it seemed not very navigable...um, not very "transparent" as to how one got around and learned what they had to "offer", either on the site or business-wise. And the excerpt you provided fits with my impression: I (still) cannot really tell from that WHAT they are offering. (Of course, my business website is probably even guiltier. :-} Oh well.)
Neil Peirce and his Citistate guys have gone to some cities around the country and prepared "Citistate Reports" -- reports that examine the competitive economic status of the city and recommend actions. Frequently they recommend consolidating city and suburban governments to reduce overall costs of services and gain a competitive advantage.
I think they recommended this to the Louisville, KY region some years ago, and within the last year Louisville merged with its surrounding county.
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