Some of the most intereesting regional collaborations in the country are emerging in Wisconsin. Civic leaders from eighteen Wisconsin counties are banding together to market the region as the "New North." New North will be based in Appleton and will coordinate development efforts among the counties. You can learn more here and here. You can read the background reports that led to the New North from this web site. The New North is similar to an effort that launched recently, the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Economic Development Initiative.