Councils of governments (CoGs—also known as regional councils, regional commissions, regional planning commissions, and planning districts) are regional governing and/or coordinating bodies that exist throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. CoGs are normally controlled by their member local governments, though some states have passed laws granting CoGs region-wide powers over specific functions, and still other states mandate such councils.

Organization and function

CoG members are drawn from the county, city, and other government bodies within its area. CoGs can offer planning, coordination, and technical assistance to their members, administer programs at a regional level, and act as intermediaries between the local government members and the state or federal government. A typical council is defined to serve an area of several counties, and addresses issues such as

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

and municipal planning,

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

, and

community development The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists ...

pollution control Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

, transit administration,

transportation planning Transportation planning is the process of defining future policies, goals, investments, and spatial planning designs to prepare for future needs to move people and goods to destinations. As practiced today, it is a collaborative process that ...

human services Human services is an interdisciplinary field of study with the objective of meeting human needs through an applied knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall qua ...

, and

water use A water footprint shows the extent of water use in relation to consumption by people. The water footprint of an individual, community, or business is defined as the total volume of fresh water used to produce the goods and services consumed by th ...

. Councils of governments also play a role in regional hazard mitigation and

emergency planning Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

and in the collection, analysis, distribution of

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

and

cartographic Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

/ GIS data.

Federal transportation planning

CoGs may either be distinct from—or encompass—regional

Metropolitan Planning Organizations A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authoriti ...

(MPOs) and Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs). MPOs are multi-governmental urban transportation planning entities that arose out of the requirements of the

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962 A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

, which made federal financing for urban transportation projects contingent upon the existence of a "continuing, comprehensive, urban transportation planning process undertaken cooperatively by the states and local governments". RTPOs are bodies similar to, and inspired by the model of MPOs, but organized for rural areas. Though RTPOs existed for decades, they were only formally recognized by on a federal level by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) of 2012. Of the 556 CoGs in the US, 165 operate an associated MPO, and 265 operate an associated RTPO.

History

Though voluntary non-profit regional organizations had existed for several decades before, CoGs in their modern form began in 1947, with the Atlanta Regional Metropolitan Planning Commission, followed by the Northern Virginia Regional Planning Commission in December of the same year. By 1950, there were 18 CoG/regional planning organizations in the US, and by 1953, the number of such bodies had increased on 40. CoGs saw explosive growth during the 1960s and 1970s, driven by federal and state funding incentives and mandates. At present, the National Association of Regional Councils estimates that currently "of the 39,000 local, general purpose governments in the United States (counties, cities, townships, towns, villages, boroughs) a total of more than 35,000 are served by oGs.

By state

Some articles exist on the councils of government in a particular state: *

Councils of governments in California In California, councils of governments are voluntary organizations of local governments within a specific region. They are organized as joint powers authorities and funded by dues from their member governments.{{Cite web, last=, first=, date=, ti ...

Councils of governments in Connecticut Councils of governments in Connecticut are organizations that bring together the chief elected officials and/or professional managers from member municipalities in Connecticut. The bodies are meant to aid coordination among neighboring cities an ...

Councils of governments in North Carolina The North Carolina Councils of Government (or the Regional Councils of Government) are voluntary associations of county and municipal governments, established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1972 that serve as an avenue for local governme ...

Councils of CoGs

Several national organizations exist to serve the needs (and lobby for the interests of) regional CoGs. These include the National Association of Regional Councils (formerly the National Service to Regional Councils), the National Association of Development Organizations, and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Similar associations (most voluntary, but some state-mandated) also exist at the state level. They include: *California Association of Councils of Government *Michigan Association of Regions *New York State Association of Regional Councils *Northern Arizona Council of Governments * Texas Association of Regional Councils *Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions

References

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External links

National Association of Regional CouncilsNational Association of Development OrganizationsAssociation of Metropolitan Planning Organizations