For nearly 30 years I have advocated for the regional decentralization of the United States. We are simply too big with too many cumbersome bureaucracies. We are too complex. We have gone beyond human scale, into an impersonal, inhuman world. We need to rethink size and consider  the advantages of regional cultures and regional industries. The following is an excerpt from my book, Building the Agricultural City: A Handbook for Rural Renewal
What is regionalism?
—Regionalism is the means by which we can reconstruct society with a human face—if we have the collective will to do it.
—Regionalism is a form of decentralization, and is at odds with our overly centralized system, which seeks to impose uniformity in every sphere of activity.
—A sustainable economy within a region will not impose an agricultural or manufacturing system that has no place within it. Its economy is built on the sustainable use of its resources.
—Regionalism creates a home for us. People find greater identification within an area demarcated by a common topography than with an area described by arbitrary state boundaries.
—Regionalism fosters local production over the importation of goods.
—Regionalism fosters a regional culture.
—Regionalism can enable rural America to maintain population. The development of local businesses and the encouragement of entrepreneurs create jobs within the region, enabling the population to stabilize and grow.
—Regionalism is a collective art. The process of getting people to participate on a large scale will take time; but getting people on board, a few at a time, eventually creates a momentum that attracts greater numbers.
WHAT REGIONALISM IS NOT
—Regionalism is not an exercise in fence building. Regional boundaries are indeterminate. There are no sharp demarcat ions between adjacent ecosystems.
—The regional societies that may evolve will not be governmental units. They will not have legal status. They will consist of a network of contracts and agreements between privately owned businesses, corporations, and
governments—federal, county and municipal. They will, of necessity, carry on trade nationally and internationally.
—Regions as viable economic and cultural entities will not be the product of any governmental body. They will only originate with and grow through grassroots efforts.
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