COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING 

COMMUNITY REGIONAL CONNECTIONS INITIATIVE

WHEREAS, the source of and solution to many of the current problems and opportunities faced by communities extend beyond the geographic boundaries associated with local government jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, to address these problems in a long-term, comprehensive way, local government officials are finding it necessary to work together through multi-jurisdictional or regional approaches to problem-solving; and

WHEREAS, the 2nd Annual State of the Cities Report states that "the greatest challenges facing metropolitan communities – from job mismatches to crumbling infrastructure and from disinvestment to sprawl – are regional in nature;" and

WHEREAS, the State of the Cities Report also states that "the incentives for cooperation between cities and suburbs -- and the institutions for putting that cooperation into practice – are weak;" and

WHEREAS, HUD has proposed a $100 million Regional Connections Initiative that will spur the search for regional solutions to regional issues, encouraging communities to begin to work together and develop strategic plans to emphasize coordinated metropolitan economic growth and action on a range of environmental and social equity issues; and

WHEREAS, the HUD Secretary has announced that the Regional Connections Initiative will be carried out in collaboration with the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, a partnership of the National Association of Counties and The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which grew out of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development and is dedicated to fostering intergovernmental partnerships at the local level;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to fund the Regional Connections Initiative for FY99; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors commend the HUD Secretary and his Department for encouraging the vision of regionalism as the most effective approach for facing today’s urban challenges.