Looking at issues from a regional perspective is a philosophy myregion.org shares with similar organizations from throughout the nation. More than 100 regional thinkers gathered in Louisville, Kentucky on November 8-11, 2005 for the Alliance for Regional Stewards fall forum.

While elements of the issues being addressed by myregion.org are unique to Central Florida, many of the core challenges faced here in Central Florida are similar to those being addressed by other regions. The ARS provides an opportunity for a sharing of ideas and strategies.

In 2003, Louisville and Jefferson County became just the 34^th locale in the United States to consolidate city and county governments into one. Overnight, the City of Louisville went from being the 67^th largest city in the United States with a population of 256,000 to the 16^th largest city in the country with nearly 700,000 residents.

The forum offered an opportunity for Louisville to showcase how they went about consolidating their governments and services while also addressing the many challenges they faced during the process. At the time of consolidation, Jefferson County included 94 incorporated cities. They currently still have 83 incorporated cities, which provide various levels of services for the residents in that community.

Other topics during the forum included New Ideas in Collaborative Governance, the Power of Regional Exchanges, Rural Regional Stewardship, and Creating an Identity: Marketing Your Region. Shelley Lauten, Project Director of myregion.org spoke on the subject of creating a regional identity.

Another presenter during the forum was former Orlando Mayor and Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood, who was an original Board Member of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship and myregion.org. Hood spoke on how to engage regional problem solving. She referenced potential regional opportunities throughout the state of Florida and cited myregion.org as a positive example of what can be accomplished when a regional approach is used.