Solving Wicked Problems Requires Regional Thinking

Supporting Public Health Expenditures

The challenges ARPA has been designed to address do not fall neatly within jurisdictional lines. They are complex, long-term, interconnected problems with deep social and cultural roots – wicked problems. These issues will not be solved with status quo thinking and traditional processes, systems or models. As O’Neill has pointed out, the issues that matter most will require “multi-sector, multijurisdictional and multi-disciplinary strategies” (2016, 1). To address the problems at hand, agencies must start thinking and acting regionally. “Local governments can no longer afford to operate independently” (O’Neill 2016, 1).

We have already seen some areas, such as Miami-Dade, Florida and Hampton Roads, Virginia, begin to think and act regionally as they address challenges stemming issues such as climate change and economic development. In 2019 Miami-Dade county and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach released the Resilient305 ⁴ strategy - “a living document that addresses resilience challenges prioritized through intergovernmental and community collaboration.” ⁵ To date they have 24 “action partners” and 29 municipalities that have signed on to support the action items developed in the plan. According to their annual report, this partnership has resulted in approximately $852 million in additional funding towards resiliency efforts such as beach renourishment, affordable housing and stormwater management. The Hampton Roads area has worked collectively on both environmental and economic resiliency. Hampton and Newport, VA have been working together since 2015 to become leaders in coastal resiliency. Through their participation in a workshop with the Dutch Dialogues they have developed a shared understanding of the problems they are facing and potential solutions to the impacts of sea level rise. Additionally, this area has both a regional planning district commission and a regional economic development alliance that design and implement plans for the 11 local governments in the area. The results of this regional coordination has been the development of the 757 Recovery and Resilience Framework ⁶ with the goal of economic empowerment and growth for all. These two regions have realized the significance of working across boundaries, pulling resources and identifying shared goals in resolving complex challenges.

The amount of planning and capital that will be necessary in the future for local governments to be resilient in the face of rising sea levels, pandemics, economic downturns, etc. is far more than one city or county can afford to take on alone. Solutions to frequent flooding, rising tides, housing shortages, unemployment spikes and skyrocketing growth (to name a few) are complicated and costly. In addition, projects, developments and zoning regulations in one community can have negative impacts on another. Miami-Dade and Hampton Roads are demonstrating that much more can be accomplished when local governments work together to pool resources and think strategically about the really big problems facing them all.

The challenges that ARPA is pushing state, local and tribal governments to address require regional cooperation and a tremendous amount of resources. These are issues such as poverty; ensuring access to water and sewage; public health preparedness; homelessness and housing affordability; and closing the digital divide. We have no hope for finding solutions to any of these unless our governments can work collaboratively in their planning and spending efforts and take the time to develop an understanding of all of the potential resources available to them.

For example, I have been working this past year with multiple partners in the Charleston, SC tri-county area to expand access to broadband. Federal funding is coming to the state, three counties, four school districts and a handful of cities in this region on this issue. Private and non-profit organizations are also committed to spending funds to close the digital divide. However, no one is clear on the total amount of federal money coming to the region or how much is needed to ensure digital equity. Each entity is developing their own plan and determining how their funds will be spent without any idea how the other jurisdictions will be spending their money. What if all of these resources were identified and pooled and one comprehensive plan were developed that could identify the full cost of ensuring every resident in the tri-county area had access to high-speed internet at home? Once the scope of the problem, the cost of addressing it and the amount of funding designated to address it is understood, then leadership could grasp how much more is needed and identify from where it could come. This would help the region advocate for additional resources from the state and private and nonprofit partners to fill the gap in closing the digital divide. We are challenging our local leaders to think regionally on this issue as a first step.

Anyone who has worked with local governments knows this is easier said than done. Local elected officials are often extremely hesitant to work beyond their own jurisdictions. Even with nonpartisan elections, the political makeup of neighboring cities and counties can be extremely different resulting in conflicting goals and priorities. Additionally, local elections generally do not incentivize nor reward long-term, bigger picture thinking. Rarely do we see polticial platforms that promise to resolve issues impacting future generations or residents outside a candidate’s jurisdiction. This in turn makes it challenging for appointed staff to work on problems beyond the boundaries of their community – when they already have so many fires to put out and so little time to focus on the day-to-day problems that are more easily resolved. Neighboring cities or counties can seem more like competitors (and often are) than allies. However, strategic regional thinking is the only way our local governments are going to ensure their communities remain livable and accessible to all. In order to do this, local leadership will have to be willing to trust each other, set aside divisive politics, take some risks and share credit – all difficult things to do, particularly for elected officials. I am hopeful that with the promise of potential ARPA funding more areas will see this as an opportunity to try something different and make some regional investments to collaboratively address these problems that no single community can afford to address on their own.

Throughout the country our institutions of higher education are excellent sources of support for facilitating regional conversations. Most states have at least one public service institute or research center affiliated with a public or private college or university. The majority of these institutes are committed to state and local government research and practice and have the expertise and capacity to assist public leaders in engagement, strategic planning, evaluation and visioning. As the director of one of these institutes at the College of Charleston, I have regularly engaged with my colleagues throughout the country to discuss what our role is in assisting our cities, townships, parishes, counties, and states with the implementation of the ARPA funds, COVID-19 recovery, and resiliency planning. Amongst this group there is tremendous interest in and passion for serving our communities as they move in the direction of collectively impacting our residents.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is working with local governments across my state. Just as everywhere else, we have outstanding public servants in our local governments who work incredibly hard, are innovative and are on the front lines of serving people. They want to solve these wicked problems facing us and I am confident they will rise to the challenge if provided the opportunity. I believe it is our role as academics, practitioners, voters and residents to encourage, if not demand, regional thinking in our communities. We have seen it work effectively in several areas, and with a $1.9 trillion investment, we have a tremendous opportunity to make a real difference.