As one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, Central Florida is anticipating its population of 3.2 million to more than double over the next 50 years. In the blink of an eye, what Central Floridians call “home” could become an area that they barely even recognize.  

With this significant population increase on the horizon, the path of growth in years to come could lead us to a number of different futures. Central Florida could possibly develop into an urban area characterized by more buildings and commuter rail or it could become a predominantly green area with a significant focus on the preservation of natural resources; it could even morph into a mixture of the aforementioned possibilities.

Although we may all envision something different for the future of Central Florida, one thing is clear: Decisions need to be made now and they need to made together.

In order to educate and inform citizens about the trends, issues and impact of growth in Central Florida, myregion.org in partnership with WMFE, Local 6 WKMG, and the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce have developed an In-Depth series entitled “How Shall We Grow?” The series will air each evening at 9:00 p.m. on WMFE Channel 24 from January 22-26, 2007. (See programming schedule)

WMFE In-Depth, “How Shall We Grow?” will include five television programs looking at different growth scenarios facing Central Florida and how other metropolitan areas have dealt with similar issues. The series will examine the obvious questions like "how did this happen?” and will dissect the answers to challenges that face Central Florida in land management, transportation and the environment. The week of programming will culminate with a live program that examines the results of three years of public input that provide four blueprint choices (referred to as scenarios) of a potential map of Central Florida.

During the same week, the 90.7 WMFE-FM news team will be providing related WMFE In-Depth: “How Shall We Grow?” interviews, commentaries and news reports. Those tuning in will be encouraged to voice their opinion during the On the Line radio call-in program, which will take place on Wednesday, January 24, 2007, at 6:30 p.m.

Also, during the week of January 22-26, 2007, the WMFE programming that will be broadcast each evening on the project wesite, www.myregion.org. Each program in the series will be recapped and discussed and citizens will have the opportunity to share their thoughts and comments at www.howshallwegrow.org.

For more information on the myregion.org Media Week, please log on to www.myregion.org or www.wmfe.org