THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 21, 1995 TAG: 9504210499
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Advocates of regionalism pushed beyond forging greater cooperation among cities Thursday and urged more partnerships with the business sector, universities and even neighborhoods.
``We want partnerships at all levels, not just with the state and not just with each other, but we need partnerships with our corporate friends. . . (and) our leaders in the neighborhoods,'' said Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim, who hosted a forum on regionalism at the Norfolk Waterside Convention Center.
The proponents, mostly political and business leaders, asserted that cooperative efforts in Hampton Roads must become more widespread if the region is to compete successfully with metropolitan areas in other states and economic regions around the world.
``Doing nothing is not an option,'' Fraim said. ``We need an agenda that focuses on the economic performance of the entire region, that levels the playing field so that city boundaries become meaningless.''
The speeches were presented at a ``mini-summit'' on the future of Hampton Roads, sponsored by the Urban Partnership, a statewide coalition of 16 municipalities and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
The partnership formed last spring. Since then the advocates have been gathering data to show that Virginia metropolitan areas are behind competing regions, such as Charlotte; Nashville, Tenn.; and Jacksonville, Fla.
``We are a family of neighborhoods. We are a family of cities. And it's time we started acting as such,'' Fraim said. ``Each member of the family must be committed to a common future and committed to the long haul.''
Neighborhood involvement in solving regional problems could be an emerging trend. On Saturday, the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations is hosting a conference for civic leagues from across South Hampton Roads. Fraim, Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf and other leaders now endorse such efforts.
``A lot of the solutions to these problems. . . also are going to come from our neighborhood leaders,'' Fraim said. ``So we need to find ways to nurture those communications with them.''
Oberndorf said neighborhood participation in regionalism is overdue. But she urged that civic leagues carefully consider proposed solutions because ``ultimately the citizen pays the freight.''
Keynote speaker Neal Peirce, a nationally syndicated columnist on urban issues, declared that ``regionalism is coming out of the closet.'' He applauded efforts to include neighborhoods ``so citizens feel they have a stake in it.''
Banker Robert A. Hunter, area president of First Union National Bank, said cities and suburbs must support each other.
``How can we continue marketing quality of life,'' he said, ``when many of us in this region don't enjoy it? If suburban cities don't help urban cities with their problems, those problems will surely spread.''
Urban cities, he added ``have a stake in helping suburban cities, for example like Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, with transportation and water needs.''
Hunter also urged community participation in solutions. ``Grass-roots planning of this nature not only builds strong neighborhoods and cities but also lays the civic infrastructure upon which regionalism can be sustained,'' he said. by CNB