The Role of Ad Hoc Regional Alliances in Managing Growth

In: Public works management & policy: a journal for the American Public Works Association, Band 6, Heft 2, S. 114-125

Abstract

This article discusses the establishment of the Cape Fear Regional Growth Team as an example of the emergence of ad hoc regional alliances nationwide. These alliances, characterized by the lack of a formal leader, strict organizational boundaries, or imposed rules or regulations, exist solely because it is in the interest of the members. They are an organizational response to a world of "wicked problems" where no one is in charge because solutions require the voluntary cooperation of members representing multiple jurisdictions. The emergence of ad hoc alliances suggests that effective regional growth management in the future should not rely solely on the creation of traditional bureaucracies or top-down rules but also use dynamic coalitions and cooperative relationships based on mutual needs and interests. A viable vision of how a community should grow cannot be mandated from above; it must be created from within if it is to be sustainable over the long term.