At a recent event presented by the Urban Land Institute Orlando, a group of experts determined the only way that Central Florida can effectively overcome its challenges in housing, transportation and growth, is with a regional vision that is carried out with regional cooperation.

“Regional cooperation is not going to happen until you know where you are going,” said John McIlwain, ULI Senior Resident Fellow on Housing in Washington, D.C. “We are doing the things we did 50 years ago, but we have a chance to leave a legacy to our children and grandchildren by creating visions for the region and then using the tools we have to make it happen.”

After opening remarks by Randy Lyon, ULI Chairman and myregion.org Executive Committee member, the presenters discussed the issues revolving around the fact that in recent years, housing costs have increased faster than household incomes. If this phenomenon continues, we run the risk that population growth, and ultimately economic growth, will stagnate.

myregion.org CEO Roundtable and Technical Committee member Linda Chapin, Director, Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies, University of Central Florida, moderated the event. Authorities in the subject talked about the structure of our economy and the types of jobs that exist in Orlando, density vs. sprawl, community building, the effect of growth management regulations and the cost of commuting, among others.

In her keynote speech, Florida Secretary of State and former Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood, reiterated her commitment to educate the public and use Florida’s growth management system to encourage solutions to these issues. “Fortunately, we already have an initiative that is looking at what we need to do as a region,” she concluded, referring to the work of myregion.org.

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute established in 1936, with the mission of providing responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance our total environment. For more information, go to www.uli.org.