Governor Cuomo Hosts Regional Sustainable Development & Collaborative Governance Conference in Rochester

Press Release

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the success of the state's sixth regional sustainability conference, which brought together community development experts, local elected officials and business leaders to share successful economic growth strategies in the Finger Lakes Region. The conference is part of a statewide effort to boost awareness of resources available to local governments and nonprofit organizations to help create sustainable communities across New York. During the conference, Governor Cuomo highlighted a new handbook that serves as a one-stop-shop resource for State grants -- providing context and web links to the complete list of more than 100 innovative funding programs.

"From the Regional Economic Development Councils, to strategic investments in the region's burgeoning Photonics industry, our administration has taken a comprehensive approach to creating sustainable growth across the Finger Lakes," Governor Cuomo said. "This initiative will help bring Rochester into a new era of economic development by breaking down barriers to growth, leveraging its assets, and solidifying the region's role as a leader in tomorrow's high-tech industries. We will continue building partnerships across the public and private sectors to create new opportunities for the region and ensure Rochester's success story continues in the years ahead."

The Sustainable Development & Collaborative Governance Conference draws on then-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo's 1999 conference, "Bridging the Divide: Making Regions Work for Everyone: Shaping the Federal Agenda," which invited experts and academics in regionalism, smart growth and urban revitalization to present their ideas, followed by panel discussions among a diverse group of stakeholders.

Under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, New York State is prioritizing cross-collaboration between state agencies, local governments and community partners to maximize the collective impact of their efforts. The Finger Lakes region is a prime example of this bottom-up approach that has shown its success through the Regional Economic Development Councils.

To date, New York State has invested more than $3.4 billion in the Finger Lakes Region helping to advance the region's goals. Since September 2010, the region has added 158,000 private sector jobs -- an increase of 5.4 percent, bringing the total number of private sector jobs to 3,066,700, as of September 2016. Today, the region's unemployment rate has dropped significantly -- moving from 7.7 percent in September 2010 to 4.6 percent during the same time this year.

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