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Topics
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Neal Peirce
Chairman,
The Citistates Group
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High-resolution
portrait
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Neal Peirce is a foremost writer,
among American journalists, on metropolitan regions — their
political and economic dynamics, their emerging national and global
roles. With Curtis Johnson, he has co-authored the Peirce
Reports (now called Citistates Reports) on compelling issues of metropolitan futures for
leading media in more than 20 regions across the nation. Reports of recent years include Boston Unbound, released in May 2004, a report on the
San Diego-Tijuana citistate area for San Diego Magazine, South
Florida for the Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Kansas City for the Kansas City Star, and
South Texas for the San Antonio Express-News.
In 2004-2006, Peirce took a lead role in conceptualizing and launching the New England Futures Project, starting with a six-part monthly Peirce-Johnson series -- printed by 27 newspapers -- focused on how that that historic six-state region deals with its 21st century energy, transportation, growth, higher education, broadband and health challenges.
In 1975, Peirce began — and
continues today — the United States’ first national column
focused on state and local government themes. Syndication is by
the Washington Post Writers Group. His 10-book series on America’s
states and regions culminated in The Book of America: Inside
50 States Today (W.W. Norton, 1983). His more recent books were
Citistates: How Urban America Can Prosper in a Competitive World,
and Breakthroughs: Recreating The American City.
Peirce was one of the founders and
then a contributing editor of National Journal, and was active
in the ’60s as political editor of Congressional Quarterly.
He was a member of the National Civic League’s executive
committee from the early 1970s to 1995 and was one of the founders
and co-chair of the National Academy of Public Administration’s
Alliance for Redesigning Government.
Known widely as a lecturer on regional,
urban, federal system and community development issues, Peirce has
been a familiar figure before civic, business, academic and professional
groups nationally. He has appeared on Meet the Press, the
Today Show, National Public Radio and local media across the country.
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Speech Topics
The Citistate Era
and age of globalization
demands that regions learn to take command of our own social, economic
and environmental fortunes. How do they do that? How’s a new
regional vision forged? If big government isn’t the answer,
how can civic forces and business be mobilized to forge new directions
for regions? And is the time ripe to expand the regional vision of the multi-city "mega-regions" of the 21st century world?
Green Energy — There's lots of talk these days about "green," energy-saving buildings -- and some amazingly efficient and attractive ones are being built. But the bigger question is: Can we have energy-efficient neighborhoods, cities, regions, states? Can our building and planning deal with global warming? Some progressive city and state leaders are pointing in that direction. What's needed is a full, nationwide commitment -- built from the grassroots up.
Sprawl development
has emerged as a key villain of our times —
polluting our air, devouring our open spaces, emptying
out our historic cities and towns, locating jobs
miles beyond the reach of poor inner city peoples.
We’ve tolerated a half century of it. For the
sake of sustainable 21st century communities, are
we ready to curb it now? The smart growth movement is making the case for new state and local policies, exceedingly well. Now issues of obesity and health are enlarging the debate. So what's missing to register truly dramatic advances?
The State-Region Nexis —
Smart states will support the growth of strong, mutually supportive
regions — not just for the sake of the regions, but because
it makes smart politics and economic sense.
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Recent Speeches
May 31, 2006 -- Detroit Regional Chamber, Mackinac Policy Conference --
“Taking Control of Your Community’s Destiny”
May 18, 2006 -- Urban Park and Recreation Summit, Chicago - Concluding speaker
April 24, 2006 -- Northeast Regional Preservation Leadership Meeting - principal speaker- Portsmouth, N.H.
April 19, 2006 -- Annual Downtown Meeting, Boise, Idaho - keynote speaker
April 13, 2006 -- Sustainable Racine, Racine, Wisconsin - series speaker
March 13, 2006 -- Federal Reserve Bank of Boston - On New England Futures
October 9, 2005 -- St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association -- dinner speaker
October 28, 2005 - New England Board of Higher Education - 50th Anniversary Conference, Mystic, Conn. April 13, 2005 -- Valley Leadership Livability Summer, Phoenix, Arizona
March 16, 2005 -- University of Delaware -
Center for Community Research and Service: "Thriving Communities in a Thriving Region:
Opportunities for Wilmington and Delaware"
September 14, 2004 -- University of Arkansas at Little Rock -- Regional Conference keynote
as well as remarks to the U.S. Green Building Council, Arkansas Chapter
Little Rock, Arkansas
September 16, 2004 -- Michigan Chamber of Commerce -- 2004 Futures Conference,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
For a full Peirce biography, click here .
Last updated July 19, 2006
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