CRT Expands Role to the National Level

Longtime followers of Cumberland Region Tomorrow know that CRT works at the local level to implement Quality Growth strategies and tools in our Middle Tennessee communities and at the regional level with scenario planning and visioning and regional collaborative action through POWER OF TEN efforts. For the last several years CRT has been given opportunities to expand its scope of work and influence to the national level as well. For the last four years CRT Executive Director Bridget Jones has served on the board of Smart Growth America, representing the Southeast Region. This role has created many connections for CRT’s work, national expertise and resources including invitation of national speakers for annual POWER OF TEN Regional Summits and access to national experts that enrich CRT’s work.

One example of national resource connection is CRT’s new grant-based partnership with the Surdna Foundation for leadership in creating the Tennessee Regions’ Sustainable Communities Roundtable. This new state-wide effort will connect and leverage Regional Visioning, Quality Growth Implementation and Sustainable Communities efforts among the Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Jackson Regions through lead regional, state and national organizations. CRT began its partnership with the Surdna Foundation as part of grant opportunity in October of 2011. The Surdna Foundation seeks to foster just and sustainable communities in the United States by distinguishing and supporting healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures.

CRT Executive Director, Bridget Jones recently met in San Francisco, California with fellow Surdna grantees to share CRT Quality Growth best practices and resources with non-profit, government, and private sector agencies committed to creating more economically competitive, sustainable, and livable communities and regions. Jones was invited by Surdna to be part of a panel discussion titled Regional Approaches to Building Strong Local Economies. She reported on Middle Tennessee regional Partnership 2020 and state level Jobs4Tn efforts, along with representatives from New York and Ohio, on regionalizing economic development efforts. She highlighted the Middle Tennessee Region’s success in collaboratively addressing our Top Regional Issue of Economic Competitiveness through effective regional implementation and current opportunities to align and connect with new state level urban and rural economic development initiatives.

More recently, CRT participated in the 11th annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in San Diego, California. The conference included best practice and cutting-edge tools shared by lead organizations in the smart growth and sustainable communities fields. The conference theme, Smart Growth for Economic Recovery, featured national leaders, mayors and councilmen from Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, Seattle, Washington D.C., Brooklyn, New York, and many more. The speakers explained the economic and cultural importance of building safe, healthy, and livable communities in support of their economic objectives. One noteworthy presentation by Kim Walesh, Chief Strategist and Director of Economic Development of San Jose, California, illustrated how successful implementation of the San Jose region’s Grow Smart Bay Area plan was key to maintaining the Silicon Valley’s long-term economic competitiveness. CRT staff participated in field tours designed to show first-hand examples of San Diego’s and Southern California’s best practices, and lessons learned from recent smart growth projects. In all, the conference lasted three days and allowed CRT staff to engage and network with some of the country’s top minds and leaders in smart growth, sustainable communities, community and economic development fields.

Be Sociable, Share!

•