The Alliance for Regional Development, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is hosting the Summit on Regional Competitiveness on Friday, September 27, 2013.The Summit will focus on the major policy areas addressed in the Chicago Tri-State Metropolitan Area OECD Review and the region’s preeminence in the global economy.

 

The Summit will feature four panels, each addressing a specific component of competitiveness: innovation, transportation and logistics, green growth and workforce. Each panel will feature leading figures from the private sector, academia and government. There will also be keynote speakers and a town hall meeting.

 

As the OECD Review stated “The region faces challenges associated with articulating and implementing region-wide plans… All key public and private sector stakeholders know what needs to be done and why it needs to be done if the region is to sustain its role as a driver of national growth and of global competitiveness.  At issue is how to go about developing these action plans in a meaningful way, how to put them into place effectively, and how to monitor progress and measure success over time.”  This Summit will be an historic opportunity to begin the “how” discussion. More details will follow in the upcoming weeks.

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OECD Releases Study on Cities and Green Growth

 

The Review of the Chicago Metropolitan Tri-State Region was the first OECD Study of a region in the United States. One of the four key focus areas of the review, Green Growth, was also a focus area in three other international regional studies - Paris, Stockholm, and Kitakyushu - and two country studies - China and Korea. On May 23-24, 2013 the OECD hosted The Cities and Green Growth - Urban Evolution Conference in Stockholm, Sweden to discuss how cities embrace and meet the challenges of urbanization and the shift to greener economies. The conferece brought together experts in the green sector from around the world, including Dean Amhaus, Executive Director of The Water Council and Howard Learner, President & Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, from our region. The focus of the event was the potential of cities and regions around the world to foster economic growth and reduce environmental impact through innovative policies and political commitment. During the conference, the OECD launched Green Growth in Cities, the Green Cities Program report, which integrates the findings and best practices of all six green growth studies, including that of our region. Access the full report Here.