Regional action involves public, private, and civic institutions in analyzing regional change trends and developing visions for better regional futures.

 
Though definitions of regionalism vary, it can generally be described as “an ideology and to political movements which demand greater control over the affairs of the regional territory by the people residing in that territory, usually by means of installation of a regional government. It is essentially bottom-up, decentralizing (of political power), and political.”  

Another definition of regionalism is that “places have relationships and connections to other places that should not be ignored… many pressing environmental, social, and governance problems cannot be solved by independent jurisdictions acting alone… cross-jurisdictional problems demand cross-jurisdictional solutions.”

Put together, regional planning and action involves making relationships and connections between places, people, and processes at a regional scale and analyzing what emerges.  Regional planning and action involves public, private, and civic institutions in analyzing regional change trends and developing visions for better regional futures.  It also involves assessment and evaluation for continuous improvement. Ideally, regional action brings these institutions into collaborative relationships and incorporates a broad range of social, economic, political, cultural, and ecological values.

References

Jonas, Andrew E.G. and Stephanie Pincetl. 2006. “Rescaling Regions in the State: The New Regionalism in California.” Political Geography 25:482-505.

Katz, Bruce. 2000. “Editor’s Overview.” Pp. 1-8 in Reflections on Regionalism, edited by B. Katz. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.

Keating, Michael. 1997. “The Political Economy of Regionalism.” Pp. 17-40 in The Political Economy of Regionalism, edited by M. Keating and J. Loughlin. Portland, OR: Frank Crass.

Keating, Michael and John Loughlin. 1997. “Introduction.” Pp. 1-13 in The Political Economy of Regionalism, edited by M. Keating and J. Loughlin. Portland, OR: Frank Crass.

Larner, Wendy and William Walters. 2002. “The Political Rationality of ‘New Regionalism’: Toward a Genealogy of the Region.” Theory and Society 31(3): 391-432.

Pezzoli, Keith. 2000. “Frontiers of Regional Ecology: A Workbench Approach.” Presented at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Annual Conference, November 2-5, Atlanta, GA.

Williams, Colin H. 1997. “Territory, Identity and Language.” Pp. 112-138 in The Political Economy of Regionalism, edited by M. Keating and J. Loughlin. Portland, OR: Frank Crass.