Fresno Area Collaborative Regional Initiative
Website: http://www.fresnocri.org/
 The Fresno Area Collaborative Regional Initiative's mission is to
help improve the competitiveness of the region by providing steward
leadership in areas critical to economic success. Through projects
like the Innovation Index, the Fresno Area CRI encourages advancements
in technology, education, workforce development, land use and transportation
endeavors in the region.
Population: 619,229
Size of Region: 75 square miles
Strategic Partners: The Fresno Business Council and California State
University, Fresno, in addition to over 45 private, non-profit and
educational institutions
Established: September 2001
Overview
The initial work of the Fresno Business Council and the Central
California Futures Institute in forming the Fresno Area Collaborative
Regional Initiative was to identify the priorities for action that
would most directly lead to competitiveness in the Knowledge Economy.
After four months of deliberation and due diligence, five areas
that were most critical to the transformation of the region were
identified. A task force has been coordinated for each initiative,
to implement the action plans, by partnering with community organizations
and supporting their implementation strategies.
The Innovation Index tracks economic and entrepreneurial indicators,
such as Technology Infrastructure, to develop and drive broadband
initiatives accelerating the deployment and adoption of next generation
Internet services. Other projects include Human Investment, which
involves primary literacy, improving volunteerism, improving effectiveness
and efficiency of the public human services agency, and after-school
programs. The Land Use and Transportation Initiative focuses on developing
GIS land use modeling tools, initiating city beautification efforts,
targeting schools as centers of community, and catalyzing downtown
development project. The CRI is also launching an executive education
series on innovation, and implementing a communications plan that
promotes the Community Values of the Fresno Region. Support of a
school-business partnership program is underway.
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