This proposal outlines Building Successful Regions (BSR), a five-year research project examing regional salience and success.  The project follows up an 18-month planning phase in which an interdisciplinary team of scholars and practitioners developed concepts, established methodologies, and generated preliminary data and writings as a foundation for further work.

BSR uses the lens of economic and demographic regional challenges to investigate how regions matter now, what constitutes regional success and resilience (defined as success over time) in the face of these challenges, and what factors, including regional asset bases, governance modes, actor choices and civic practices, help to build and sustain regional success and resilience.

The project interweaves quantitative data analysis, qualitative case studies, and other targeted methods (including GIS mapping, organizational surveys, and content analysis) to generate theoretical and practical insigts.

Principal Investigator:
Margaret Weir

Contact Information:
Tel: 510.643.1602
Email: mweir@berkeley.edu
Website: http://brr.berkeley.edu/

Funding Information:
John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation

Start Date: 10/1/06