Regionalism and Legitimacy: Keynote Presentation at Rethinking the Region IV Conference

In this keynote address Zak Taylor, assistant professor in the Dept. of Political Science and Local Government Program at Western University in London, Ontario, reflects on the success of regional governance in the Lower Mainland and discusses that success in the context of the history and experience of regional governance in Portland, Oregon and Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Taylor defines regionalism as the idea that some problems can only be solved at the scale between the local and the sovereign. He also explains why regionalism struggles for legitimacy in competition with the concepts of localism and sovereignty. He argues that creating and sustaining legitimacy is the core problem of regional governance and suggests that the provincial government could and should take a stronger role in supporting regional-scale problem-solving and governance in Metro Vancouver.