All three issues are examples of ways the nature of the problem or the shape of the best solution could lie outside the jurisdiction of the city, but remain in the community at large. Yet, the federal government has become involved in all three of these areas in the United States. Issues of safe water and refuse disposal are not entirely within traditional city limits. Innovative solutions are being found as groups of American cities sharing a common problem within their region work together. Ten years ago there were 31 land-fills in the Abilene area of West Texas.
Today there are six.
There were no mandates, total costs were reduced and regional cooperation was enhanced. Similar approaches have occurred among cities sharing the same water source or seeking to build a common reservoir. An old issue that is returning with new intensity to the forefront in the United States is education. Perhaps no issue better demonstrates the ability to encompass, at the same time, both personal and global implications. American parents have become increasingly concerned about the quality of education.