Resurgence of Regionalism

Report Outline
New Interest in Regional Affairs
Initiatives for Multistate Action
Role of Metropolitan Area Councils
Special Focus

New Interest in Regional Affairs

Carter's Pldge to Aid States and Localities

Regionalism is a word that Americans will hear a lot more about in the months ahead. Regionalism means different things to different people. To some, it suggests a broad expanse of the country, like the South, and perhaps connotes loyalty to the region. To others, it concerns metropolitan areas, such as that surrounding New York City. Still others apply the word to a figure of speech that is peculiar to a region or area. Or it can refer to a system of government for a region.

The main reason that regionalism is a subject of increasing attention in the United States in the late 1970s is that Jimmy Carter has become President. Carter is the first President from the Deep South in more than a century, and his election symbolizes the binding up of wounds that have divided two great regions—North and South—since the Civil War. As governor of Georgia, Carter was an energetic promoter of southern regional development.

Moreover, Carter has pledged to governors of several troubled states in the Northeast that his administration would help their region to revive economically. In addition, Carter is a former chairman of a regional council—the Middle Flint Area Planning and Development Commission in Ellaville, Ga.—an experience likely to make him sensitive to regional needs at state and local levels. And his Vice President, Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota, comes from a state that is an acknowledged leader in regional planning and government.