"America’s cities—complex and constantly shifting—are the heart and soul of our national economy. The Brookings Institution’s Blueprint for American Prosperity provides the clear thinking and creative planning needed to ensure their growth and vitality, during the election year and beyond."
— Ronald L. Walker II, President & Founding Partner, Next Street Financial"We need to ensure that all our cities—both large and small across America—offer opportunity and hope. We depend on our cities and metro regions for economic growth and the Brookings Institution's Blueprint for American Prosperity is a national agenda for action and renewal that we must take very seriously during the election year."
— John Schneider, Vice President, MassInc."We work closely with other communities across the country and find that many of our issues are similar – infrastructure, workforce and education, growth – yet we don’t find these are the issues being addressed at the federal level. A national strategy for helping all regions across the country tackle these same issues makes so much sense – let’s leverage the limited resources we all have by collaborating and finding a common solution. We are competing in a global economy. This Blueprint can help to connect national policy with regional and local efforts so that we are all working towards the same end goal – a better way of life for all."
— Charles Van Rysselberge, CCE, President & CEO, Metro Charleston Chamber of Commerce"Federal policy should at least follow the Hippocratic oath, "Do no harm." Yet too often metropolitan goals are thwarted by a federal overlay that stifles innovation and excellence. The Blueprint provides insight into the importance of achieving congruence between metropolitan needs and federal structures. Most importantly, it charts a course for repairing a system with fundamental flaws."
— Dana Beach, Executive Director, South Carolina Coastal Conservation League"It's imperative that the federal government provide substantive participation in the development of strategies designed to assist regions, such as Charlotte, realize their full economic potential. It appears that current policies inhibit, rather than support, the visionary thinking initiated at the local level."
— Ronnie Bryant, President & CEO, Charlotte Regional Partnership"Chattanooga and other metropolitan regions across the state have worked to address the issues around human capital, innovation and education with increasing success. What has been missing is the recognition, especially at the Federal level, of the vital role that metropolitan areas play in our economy. As a result of the Blueprint, more focused and effective Federal initiatives for metropolitan areas will help all of the metro areas in Tennessee build upon their success and address continuing challenges."
— David Eichenthal, President and CEO, Community Research Council"Metropolitan regions are so unique they have to be in the drivers’ seat of defining what it is they need for their success. In metropolitan Chicago where I do my work, there’s a number of assets that don’t exist in the same way as in other places and if the federal government took a one size fits all strategy, it would really stifle that kind of creativity. I think government ought to take the lid off of innovation and encourage the private capitol markets to be part of the solution and part of the investment in our solutions."
— MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council"The commitment of Chicago Metropolis 2020 to promoting a regional agenda for metropolitan Chicago would be greatly enhanced if the federal government recognized that we are a nation of regions. The Brookings Blueprint for American Prosperity is the right initiative at the right time. We are proud to be a partner in this effort."
— George A. Ranney, President & CEO, Chicago Metropolis 2020"The Brookings Blueprint for American Prosperity couldn't be more timely for Cincinnati USA. Through a process we call Agenda 360, business, civic and government leaders across our region have come together to develop a comprehensive plan for deploying our assets in a coordinated manner in order to fuel continued social progress, economic prosperity and community building. Federal and state support will be critical to the success of these efforts."
— Ellen van der Horst, President & CEO, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce"Our industries need to transform into smart industries. Universities play a critical role in creating knowledge industries and the knowledge workers that support those industries. But we also need stronger federal and state partnerships to do that. Unfortunately, the consequences of standing still are immense."
— Nancy Zimpher, President, University of Cincinnati"Like other cities across the country, the neighborhoods of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are woven together by the region we share. The Blueprint for American Prosperity provides a much needed emphasis on the federal policies that promote the solid regional planning so integral to equitable, sustainable, and shared growth."
— Timothy M. Bray, Director, The J. McDonald Williams Institute Foundation for Community Empowerment"America needs to unify behind a new agenda for American prosperity, one that is geared to the realities of the 21st Century global marketplace. We are not a divided nation of red and blue states, of separated enclaves of cities, suburbs and small towns, but rather that we are a metropolitan nation in an urban age. We need a federal government that leverages the assets of our metro economy to ensure America’s prosperity far into the future."
— Mayor Mark Funkhouser, Kansas City"Metro areas are the building blocks of national prosperity, yet progress at the regional level is entirely dependent on the coherency and consistency among federal, state and local government policies. Federal policies, in particular, have the greatest potential to unleash innovation and provide the critical framework to coalesce and connect regions. Yet when federal policies are inconsistent or unfocused, we miss opportunities or waste resources at the regional level."
— David Warm, Executive Director, Mid-America Regional Council"Our metropolitan regions are the result of the vision, investment and hard work of generations of Americans who believed in the future. Because they are a rich milieu of people and ideas, metropolitan regions can easily be divided against themselves. The Blueprint provides a powerful tool for coalescing our public and private leaders around a message and engaging them in actions that enhance and leverage the unique economic, social, cultural and geographic strengths of metropolitan regions."
— Jewel Scott, Executive Director, Civic Council of Greater Kansas City"The Blueprint gives us an opportunity to set a national agenda for the first time that will begin to address the issues that are just critical in terms of the ability for America to compete globally. As we’ve seen in Europe, there’s a prime need to begin to develop alternative modes of transportation systems that can in fact deal with weak market areas of the country, linking new communities and old communities with universities and other kinds of places where new jobs and technology are merging. I think that a failure to act at this point is simply going to accelerate the deterioration of infrastructure throughout the United States."
— Richard D. Baron, Chairman & CEO, McCormack Baron Salazar"At a time when regions throughout our country are engaged in a fierce global competition to stimulate wealth, jobs, talent and investment, the Federal government must be a full enabling partner to these metropolitan efforts. At present, this partnership is not coming close to fulfilling its full potential. The four key ‘metropolitan platforms’ in the Brookings Blueprint for American Prosperity --- innovation, human capital, infrastructure, and quality of place --- can be the essential building blocks for America and its major metro areas to help the U.S. restore and retain its powerhouse role in economic growth and quality of life. The continued economic re-emergence of regions like St. Louis, in the heartland of this country, depends on fully realizing these potentials."
— Dick Fleming, President & CEO, St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association"Los Angeles County has the 17th largest economy in the world, but social and economic inequalities threaten the future of our region. Like metropolitan areas throughout the country, we need to capitalize on our demographic, educational, and economic strengths to build prosperity for all residents. The Brookings Institution's "Blueprint" will play a critical role in creating a national metropolitan agenda to benefit our urban residents."
— Elise Buik, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Los Angeles"In the language of my profession – law – Memphis and Shelby County represent Exhibit A in support of the Blueprint Initiative. We are an integral part of a larger regional community, one which has by federal standards polluted the air and despoiled our common water table. Many of our indigent medical patients use the same hospital, the operation of which is driven more by federal than local mandates. Right or wrong, good or bad, recognized or overlooked, we are all regionally in the same boat.
To avoid the depths of failure or the rocky shoals of futility, the federal government should allow us to better synchronize our energies and row in unison toward the lighthouse standards they’ve outlined. The bottom line is that we row together or we sink together."
— A C Wharton Jr., Mayor, Shelby County, Tennessee"Forty years ago, Nashville took a bold step to consolidate what then was the Nashville region. As a region, we have benefited from the fruits of that action in government efficiencies and visionary thinking. The Blueprint is also a bold step that introduces and positions metro regions for recognition and visionary action among all levels of government…which can lead to unprecedented economic prosperity for our regions and nation."
— Ralph Schulz, President & CEO, Nashville Chamber of Commerce"The Blueprint for American Prosperity promises to provide a framework through which the nation's metropolitan centers can collectively call our federal government to account when it comes to managing the biggest challenges of the 21st Century -- globalization of the economy, improvement of our education and health care systems, and modernization of urban infrastructure."
— Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO, Partnership for New York City"Bringing cities and suburbs together, as equal partners, to forge economically, environmentally and socially stronger metro regions is critical to the nation's future. Brookings understanding of the need to create a consensus for such an alliance, first within suburbia and then between cities and suburbs, means the Blueprint is likely to be a plan for success in reshaping federal attitudes and priorities. Hofstra is pleased and proud to be a partner in this crucial endeavor."
— Lawrence C. Levy, Executive Director, National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University"Strong, vibrant communities are at the core of our country’s strength. As a company that’s been serving America’s communities for over 75 years, Allstate is proud to partner with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. Now is the time for robust dialogue on critical issues facing our cities and suburbs, and we are excited to be a part of the many new ideas that are to come."
— Sari Macrie, Vice President, Allstate Insurance Company"In today's global economy, economic growth and competition happens at the regional level. It is clear that we need a new partnership between federal, state and regional officials and the private sector to invest in the future of our regions, improve their competitiveness, and strengthen the national economy."
— Steven T. Wray, Executive Director, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia"Greater Phoenix Leadership is proud to partner with The Brookings Institution to pursue an action agenda to address concerns we share. We are aggressively addressing several of the very same items within Arizona. This “Blueprint" affords us a great opportunity to join in the national debate as well."
— Thomas Franz, President & CEO, Greater Phoenix Leadership"Metropolitan areas have a key role in promoting the prosperity of the nation. Since they are the economic engines of America, their survival and their success are directly related to how America succeeds and prospers. “The competition is no longer city versus suburb, county versus county. It’s no longer this half of the region versus that half of the region. We are in a global world. It is now our metro areas versus other regions of the entire globe."
— Dan Onorato, Chief Executive, Allegheny County"Economic activity both nationally and globally is increasingly focused on major metropolitan areas, where finance, talent and infrastructure come together, and on other regions with specialized skills and assets. Nearly all of the world’s trade and investment activity happens within and between these centers, which encompass both core cities and their surrounding regions. Today, any strategy for economic competitiveness needs to include a major focus on metropolitan regions."
— R. Sean Randolph, President, Bay Area Council Economic Institute"We are well into a new economic era, characterized by fierce global competition among metropolitan megaregions, and, like it or not, there is no turning back. Those regions and nations that do not rise the challenge will be left by the wayside. With a national strategy to invest in innovation, human capital, infrastructure, and quality of place, America’s metropolitan megaregions can succeed in the global economy, and our entire nation will reap the benefit."
— Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council"In the Puget Sound, we already recognize our shared economic interests and environmental and social values critical to our quality of life. We welcome a national effort to better align federal policies and programs with the entrepreneurial spirit of our region’s people and businesses."
— Ron Sims, Executive, King County"The causes and the consequences of climate change are felt most acutely in our nation’s metropolitan regions – exacting a rising toll on people, place and planet. The Blueprint for American Prosperity recognizes that environmentally sustainable development and land use must be a leading strategic response to drive economic growth, stimulate innovation and increase the competitiveness of our nation’s vital centers, while expanding equity and opportunity for all their citizens and strengthening our environment."
— Doris W. Koo, President & CEO, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.