The first round of Community Input Sessions in the “How Shall We Grow?” campaign concluded with an energetic gathering of 60 citizens at Florida Tech in Brevard County on June 28.

Since January 2006, more than 3,000 Central Florida citizens have been asked the question “How Shall We Grow?” through outreach presentations, community information sessions and community input sessions.

During the 18 Community Input Sessions, more than 1,100 citizens from across the seven Central Florida counties had the opportunity to make choices on placement of new population centers, environmental preservation, transportation and types of developments.

Designed to be a “conversation starter,” the “Chip Game” created energy and excitement as citizens realized just how difficult it is to balance environmental and infrastructure needs with personal preferences.

Issues including water, transportation, protecting the environment and providing housing and lifestyle choices came to the forefront as citizens grappled with the task.  More than one participant echoed, “This is hard,” as they tried to decide where population could and should be located in the region.

The second community meeting in each county included a mapping exercise where the citizens looked specifically at their county and made choices about land use. Participants were provided a palette with a variety of development choices and had the opportunity to design their county.

“Build Up, Not Out” was a consistent theme as participants quickly realized that by creating higher densities in some portions of the county, they would create more open space and preserve more environmental assets in other areas.

The information gathered during the Community Input Sessions will be synthesized into a composite map and then used as the framework for the next round of community sessions in August and September.