ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607050021
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
THE RECENT addition of Wythe and Bland counties to the New Century Region begs the question of what a region is, or should be.
The New Century Region, so named by the New Century Council, now includes the counties of Alle-gheny, Bland, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke and Wythe, as well as the cities of Clifton Forge, Covington, Radford, Roanoke and Salem.
Hundreds of volunteers working with the council have come up with strategies for pursuing what they call a "preferred future" for this region.
The idea is that, given our declining demographic and political clout within Virginia and our uncertain place in a global economy, a future actively sought by regional planning will be preferable to a future imposed from without.
The idea is precisely right.
By some definitions, Wythe and Bland are a long way from Roanoke, the region's natural hub. But residents of those counties do travel to the New River and Roanoke valleys to buy goods and services. From their business and municipal leaders' point of view, why remain isolated from an effort to promote long-term prosperity in Western Virginia?
From New Century's point of view, the council is having trouble enough keeping the New River Valley interested in a shared future with Roanoke. But why not accommodate two counties that have two interstates and a lot of land? And why exclude parties who validate your endeavor by seeking to join it?
A glaring omission from the New Century Region, made more glaring by the addition of Wythe and Bland, is Bedford County. There are reasons for its omission, mostly having to do with half of Bedford County being in Lynchburg's orbit. But, surely, any strategy for this region needs to include Smith Mountain Lake as a major re-source. For that matter, should Lynchburg be in New Century?
Too big can be unworkable. A New Century Council committee is looking into the possibility of getting the region defined as a single Metropolitan Statistical Area. That might require a legislative exception to federal census rules. Will the addition of Wythe and Bland further complicate this effort? And what happens if other counties beyond them want to join New Century?
Certainly, compactness matters in defining a region - as does the fact, not just the wish, of shared interests. But the point of this discussion is to suggest that a region's boundaries will shift appropriately, depending on who's defining them and the purposes for which they are being defined. We have to be pragmatic about this.
For some purposes, the Roanoke and New River valleys and Allegheny Highlands are, practically speaking, separate entities. For other purposes, including their fate in a global competition for good jobs, they are inextricably linked. In search of economies of scale, efficient development and maximum use of assets such as Virginia Tech and Roanoke's downtown, the region's parts need each other.
It's important to remember the New Century Council isn't a government, nor does it aim to become one. No one has to pay it tribute or listen to anything it says. It exists only to serve shared goals.
Similarly, the New Century Region's boundaries aren't set in law. They are self-created. Who belongs to the club depends in part on who wants to belong. The region's future depends, you might say, on who prefers it.
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