Power of Ten Summit

In 2009, Cumberland Region Tomorrow (CRT) formed a partnership with the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation to identify and drive action toward regional issues of concern and opportunities for the 10-county middle Tennessee region. This partnership resulted in formation of the Power of Ten Regional Summit, which annually brings together targeted stakeholders and decision makers from across the region and state to address middle Tennessee's shared issues of regional importance. The summits provide opportunities for policymakers and regional leaders to share best practices and to learn from other peer regions and state and federal experts about issues related to quality growth and regional implementation.

Since 2009, over 50 organizations from the private, public, university, and nonprofit sectors have signed on as sponsors and partners. Annual Power of Ten summits serve as the platform for education, collaboration, and regional calls to action related to middle Tennessee's continuing growth and development.

CRT conducted research for the 2009 Power of Ten Regional Summit. Survey results helped to identify and focus the conversation on collaboration and set the stage for consensus on six issues of regional importance:

• Transportation/Transit
• Land Use/Quality Growth/Sustainable Development
• Infrastructure
• Open Space Conservation
• Air and Water Quantity and Quality
• Economic Competitiveness

Eighty-one percent of respondents felt regional collaboration was critically important for the region's future. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean called for formation of a Middle Tennessee's Mayors Caucus and a private-sector Transit Alliance in 2009, which continues to provide leadership on regional transportation/transit today.

The MPO 2035 Regional Transportation Plan, released at the 2010 summit and adopted by the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus later that year, set new policy for transit funding and development in the region.

The 2012 summit focused on "Capitalizing on Regional Collaboration for Economic Competitiveness." Over 375 attendees representing local, regional, and state-level business, nonprofit, and government sectors heard updates from Tennessee Cabinet Officials along with Corporate and Regional Elected Officials and Executives about middle Tennessee's progress on the key issues of Regional Economic Competitiveness and Transportation/Transit.

* Kasey Talbott is the program and communications director at Cumberland Region Tomorrow.

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The 2013 Power of Ten Regional Summit will be May 1 at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville.