Now moving to Step 5 of the 7-Step Campaign Timeline (below), a region-wide community event has been confirmed for Friday, October 13, 2006.

How Shall We Grow? Campaign Timeline

Step 1 – Regional Kickoff Event                                       March 29, 2006
Step 2 – Community Information Sessions                        April 27/May 23
Step 3 – Community Input Sessions                                 May-June 2006
Step 4 – Community Input Sessions: Scenario Planning     Aug-Sept 2006
Step 5 – Regional Event: Refining Scenarios             October 13, 2006
Step 6 – Outreach: Selecting a Shared Vision                   January-March 2007
Step 7 – Community Summit                                           June 2007

At these community meetings, participants review the development maps generated for each community during the first round of input sessions, and compare them to a composite map for the entire region.  Working interactively with a GIS operator, attendees can overlay additional information layers on key resources such as environmentally sensitive lands, schools, and transportation system. Where there is conflict, or where adjustments are desired, attendees can then move symbols representing different development patterns and densities, greenway trails, new roads, and proposed transit lines on the composite map.  Using a laptop computer, adjustments can be made in real time to resolve conflicts of density, development patterns, or transportation modes along borders between counties to create a more consistent 2050 regional composite.  Lastly, participants are noting obvious themes that have emerged from the maps.

At the regional event on October 13, 2006, attendees will be asked to compare the modified Composite Regional Map for 2050 developed in the September sessions with a Trend 2050 map showing the continuation of current development patterns. 

They will be asked if they see a need to change regional growth policies to achieve the composite vision.  They also will be presented with three other growth themes, so they can discuss what kinds of regional growth policies are needed to attain those themes.

Steps 6 and 7 will take place in 2007 and will include a Community-wide Outreach to Select a Shared Vision during January - March 2007, focused on distributing information about the regional growth scenarios, and promoting public voting on the options.

myregion.org has partnered with WMFE (the local Public Television Station) and WKMG (CBS affiliate) and are working to secure other media partners, to showcase the “How Shall We Grow?” process during a full week of programming between January 22-26, 2007, culminating with the unveiling of the five scenarios during a live program on Friday, January 26.  Citizens will have the opportunity to provide immediate input through electronic voting with their cable television remote control units.  Citizens also will have the opportunity to vote during the following weeks through the internet.  Following the community voting, and review by the project partners, the final preferred regional scenario will be selected and presented at a Community Summit in June 2007.  The focus of this summit will be setting the stage for policy implementation of the vision, acknowledged to be one of the most challenging components of this endeavor. 

If you’ve already participated, we hope that you will come back for more!  Don’t miss this opportunity to weigh in on Central Florida’s future!  To review past meeting summaries, presentations, audio and visual graphics, visit our blog: www.howshallwegrow.org. 

myregion.org - A Regional Development Program - is an organization of citizens and leaders from public, private and institutional sectors who have launched a program to prepare the Central Florida Region to compete more effectively in the 21st century while enhancing the quality of life of its citizenry.