Citizens from across Central Florida have identified the importance of connecting green space, transportation and land use in a manner that allows Central Florida to be globally competitive in the 21^st Century while also maintaining a high standard quality of life for the residents of the region.

On Friday, August 10, 2007, myregion.org and other regional partners will host the “How Shall We Grow?” Regional Summit. “How Shall We Grow?” is a 15-month campaign to Create a Shared Vision for Central Florida by combining citizen engagement with involvement from elected officials and leaders from across the region.

Since March of 2006, more than 10,000 citizens have voiced their opinions on the future growth of Central Florida through outreach presentations, community information sessions, or community input sessions and over 7,000 participated in an online survey.

Consistently, citizens say that three key themes matter most to the residents of Central Florida.

They are to:

1.       Preserve Green Areas;

2.       Create city or town centers of population; and

3.       Develop transit corridors to connect population centers.

The message is clear – those who live in Central Florida want a future that is very different than the path we are now on – when it comes to how we’ll handle our future growth. In the final analysis, nine out of every 10-survey respondents said that the “current growth trend” was their “least preferred” scenario when asked about “How Shall We Grow?”

The Regional Summit will include the unveiling of the composite “Four C’s” regional vision (Conservation, Cities/Centers, Corridors and Countryside) that combines the best elements of each of the three regional themes into a picture of how Central Florida could look in the future.

Concentrated work has also been done over the last year by city, county and business leaders to address many of the key issues that will face Central Florida as we look to implement a future vision that is different than the current trend. The summit will include the signing of a regional compact by elected officials and community leaders from across the region that will pledge to continue working regionally to address issues that affect Central Florida.  There will also be the presentation of a regional action plan that includes specific recommendations for community leaders, creating a guide for how Central Florida can grow and prosper for generations to come.

“How Shall We Grow?” Regional Summit

Friday, August 10, 2007

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate

1500 Masters Blvd
Champions Gate, Florida 33896

Tentative Agenda:

·          Present the Shared Regional Vision for Central Florida.

·          Outline the regional compact, policies and “next steps” for implementation. Elected Officials and Community Leaders from throughout the region will commit to continuing to work together to implement the elements of the shared vision.

·          Share examples of “Best Practices” and pictures of types of growth that can be part of the future for Central Florida.

·          Reaction and response to the regional vision by the Secretaries of the Florida Departments of Community Affairs, Transportation and Environmental Protection.