Smart, Quality Growth - Preparing for Florida’s Future

Transportation gridlock, lack of affordable housing, environmental decline – these are just a few of the problems that plague emergent metropolitan regions. As Central Florida continues to grow, relationships between housing and employment, transportation and development, and resources within individual public, private, and civic initiatives must be examined. By implementing regional concurrency standards, we can preserve the quality of life for all Central Floridians and ensure that positive growth in one municipality does not adversely impact another.

Imagine communities overflowing with possibilities for growth and development, shared regional information easily accessed through a common database, and a transportation system that makes getting around effortless. It’s possible – thanks to Central Florida leaders. By creating a collective vision for Central Florida, we’re promoting greater regional awareness, while contributing to knowledge of environmental, demographic, economic, social, and political dimensions.

In an unprecedented partnership with the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and the Central Florida MPO Alliance, myregion is collaborating with community leaders to organize regional data and create a coordinated, comprehensive plan for Central Florida’s growth.

Together with the University of Central Florida Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies, we’re working with the University of Pennsylvania Department of City and Regional Planning on a study that will develop projected growth scenarios along with preferred future alternatives for the region. With this information, Central Floridians will gain access to geographical information that analyzes current regional growth patterns and forecast alternative growth patterns for the future. As a result, community leaders, citizens, and planning organizations will be empowered to make better informed decisions impacting land use, public policy, and expansion.

Other planning and growth initiatives include:
• Improving regional communication tools
• Establishing a seven-county transit authority
• Developing leadership exchange programs
• Creating a commission to study and make regional recommendations on issues of fragmentation
• Delivering easy to use views of the region’s natural and socio-cultural landscape

By utilizing the region’s collective resources, Central Florida will gain greater visibility in the global marketplace and instill a new level of teamwork among communities.