Making Regional Policy Dialogues Work: A Credo for Metro-Scale Consensus Building

How can metropolitan areas address the complexities of development that transcend the capabilities of individual local governments, especially when building consensus on initiatives that cross political boundaries is so difficult? The history of efforts to address metropolitan growth in terms of ensuring housing affordability, open-space preservation and timely investment in infrastructure shows that no single entity or level of government can adequately address such issues on its own. In addition, even when regional and metropolitan governments, created specifically for this purpose, try to impose "regional solutions" they are likely to meet fierce municipal resistance. Instead, what is required are collaborative efforts to generate tailored solutions that involve all relevant decision-makers and stakeholders.