Central Florida Sustainable Communities Initiative
 


 

Community
participation

Our communities are where we raise our families, invest our money, and spend our time. The landscape, design, and uses in our communities affect our general health, safety, morals, and well-being. All too often there is a "tragedy of the commons," where what is used by all is cared for by no one.

The Central Florida Sustainable Communities Initiative seeks to bring citizens, stakeholders, government, and the development community together to address community concerns and further planning and stewardship for the future of Central Florida.

Relief of traffic
congestion

A region-wide priority should be to preserve land for multimodal transportation corridors. Provisions should be made not only for roads but also bike and walking trails, bus rapid transit systems, and light rail corridors.

A grid network is the most efficient transportation system that provides many alternative routes to arrive at the same destination. Central Florida�s natural system of lakes and wetlands makes the creation of an efficient transportation system difficult. Therefore it is critical to reserve land for transportation routes at a local level, before the land is developed and used for other purposes.

Creating a sense of place

The pride a person has in his or her community is because it is a place that he or she enjoys and feels safe. A sense of place is fostered when family and friends gather and spend time in the parks and civic spaces within a community. These gathering places are where "community" happens.

Another major component of a sense of place is having a diversity in housing types and styles. This diversity creates character and housing opportunities for all ages, stages of life, and incomes.

Good stewardship of
the land

Good stewardship of the land involves preserving and enhancing the environment. Sustainable communities grow in ways that are responsible and sensitive to natural ecosystems. Wetlands, old growth trees, and contiguous species habitats are all environmental elements that need to be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Scaling the built
environment for people

Retail, office, and residential uses are located near each other in sustainable communities. This close proximity opens up opportunities for alternative modes of transportation such as: walking, biking, and public transportation.

Sustainable communities are built in such a way that the ecological footprint for humans is smaller. This kind of dense development is a more responsible alternative.

The intensity and scale of the built environment has to shift to make Central Florida a vibrant and sustainable place for present and future generations.