This report contains a statement of regional objectives with respect to growth problems and opportunities in the South. The report was prepared by the 1980 Commission on the Future of the South which was appointed by the Southern Growth Policies Board, a public, interstate agency governed and supported by the state and local governments of the Southern United States and Puerto Rico. For each topic discussed there is a background paper followed by a listing of recommendations. Topics focus on the children, cities, and energy of the South. Recommendations include the following. Public and private investments which develop jobs in high poverty areas and target minority groups, single parents, and other chronically under employed groups should be supported as a first order priority rather than depending solely on trickle down economic policies. To assist the Southern region in attracting and retaining financial capital, state banking laws should be amended to permit, under adequate supervision, state wide branching of all financial institutions. City officials need to develop closer working relationships with state officials, especially the Governor, in order to improve their ability to provide urban services and to acquire the tools needed for this task from their state legislatures. The constraints on the use of natural gas should be removed. The non-excessive number of regulatory constraints on the mining and burning of coal should be decreased. (Author/RM)