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myregion.org: How Shall We Grow?
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Public-private partnerships are vitally important as we integrate Florida’s economic and environmental futures. This type of voluntary cooperation is the key to ensuring the best parts of Florida are here tomorrow and opportunity is available for current and future generations.
In the seven-county Central Florida area (including Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia Counties), myregion.org’s How Shall We Grow? initiative is an example of many parties coming together to find a common vision that they share for their region. The 15-month effort engaged citizens, community leaders and elected officials in the process of regional growth, planning and management. Growth management became much clearer with a cooperative regional perspective.
The practical points of this initiative included community presentations, an interactive website and blog and local television programming. The project goal was to create a 50 year vision for the growth of the 93 jurisdictions included in the area. For the first time, this group of county commission chairs, mayors and county managers is exploring ways to work together as a region rather than as separate entities in order to more effectively tackle the unprecedented growth facing the area.
The initiative received input from more than 20,000 citizens and is perhaps the most successful community engagement effort in the nation. The results indicate a desire by residents and community leaders to conserve green space and natural resources, preserve the countryside by encouraging traditional walkable neighborhoods, create urban mixed-use town centers that build up not out and develop transit corridors that provide options such as light rail.
What can you do?
- Work to develop a regional vision for your community.
- Develop scenarios and engage your neighbors to talk about what they want for their grandchildren.
- Identify the most valuable natural places and protect them.
- Develop multi-modal transportation options for residents and businesses.