The past emphasis on structural regionalism, rendered infeasible by political considerations, has given way to a third wave, characterized by cross‐sectoral alliances. Sustained by rich networks of affiliations among public, private and nonprofit sector organizations, this new approach to regionalism is being acknowledged and nurtured by several state and federal initatives.

The intervention had a large effect on adoption of formal sun protection policies, perhaps because of its fit with legal requirements to maintain safe workplaces. Personal contacts with managers were influential on adoption of occupational policy even in this age of communication technology and social media.

Over the course of a century efforts to achieve regional governance have proceeded in two waves. The first, championed by municipal reformers, stressed structural solutions, such as city‐county consolidation. The second wave focused on procedural reforms designed to improve program coordination and comprehensive planning.

Social capital has emerged as an important concept within the field of community development. This article is the first in a two‐part series exploring the perspectives of academics, public advocates, philanthropists, and community development practitioners on the uses of social capital.

Team approaches to retention hold promise but require careful development and are most likely to work where organizations have a collaborative problem-solving environment.