The longest, and perhaps most controversial, reorganization in ODP history was the one that resulted at last in the Regional Guidelines . It was also one of the more successful, in my opinion. Prior to the Regional Guidelines, it was difficult for us as editors to find our way around various U.S. state categories, with every state using a different standard and many states using no standard at all. I won't go into the entire history of the reorganization, as any who may be interested can find the threads within the Regional Forum.
History is fine, but it is the implementation that is important.
I've heard it said that the Regional tree is unique, that the structure of Regional is something entirely different from the rest of the project. It is true that the Regional tree is unique. Within the ODP subject categories, the primary focus is on the subject or topical nature of the site. The primary focus in Regional is on the location or region. This is one area in which Regional is unique.