The only way to predict the future is to plan it. Sure, there are many doubters. The poet Robert Burns wrote “The best laid plans of mice and men” “gang aft a’gley”. More recently, John Lennon said, “if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”. Will our plans go awry? Sometimes. Does that prevent us from even trying? No. I think if we do not plan for the future of the Space Coast, we have only ourselves to blame for what happens.
Important plans for the future of Central Florida are underway by MyRegion.Org, which hopes to involve 5,000 people in the process. Brevard’s future is being planned by Brevard Tomorrow, which hopes to develop a smart plan for our growth. Both of these groups are citizen-directed, non-governmental organizations. They seek to plan a better future by empowering citizens like you and me.
Several principles are emerging that are guiding these plans. I believe they make a lot of sense and are doable.
Growth is inevitable, and Brevard County will double in population in 20 years to about 850,000 people. The only question is what quality of life we plan.
Transportation may be the Achilles heel of growth. Unless we plan a multi-modal, regional transportation system, and find a way to fund it, the quality of growth will suffer mightily.
The concepts of New Urbanism, including walkable areas, mixed-use development, and small town feelings, as seen in Celebration, Harmony, and Abacoa, show great potential for Brevard County.
The environmental jewels that are our beaches, the Indian River Lagoon, and the St. John’s River must be not only preserved but enhanced. This is a necessity for our plan.
Safety and security of our community and homes trump all economic and growth requirements. Unless we have this level of personal comfort, the future will be a nightmare.
Education needs major improvements, even though we have the best public schools in Florida. They require funding for teachers, school buildings, libraries, and advanced technologies.
New houses and resale of existing houses must enable a variety of income groups to live here. If the market cannot be tweaked to deliver this kind of variety, then local government should provide incentives.
The future plan must have a broad economic base that provides good jobs in a variegated set of opportunities. The economy should be an expansion of our historic base in space, real estate, professional services, and high tech. The aging population will also provide job opportunities for health care, assisted living, and active retirement.
Our growing eco-tourism sector is a pioneering source of jobs, in addition to the often-heard, more exotic world of bio-technology. We could also become a center for alternatives to fossil fuels. Such research and development on alternative energy are underway at Florida Tech.
That great American philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said; “if you don’t know where you are going, you won’t get there”. He was right. We can decide where we want to go and make sure we get there. We don’t need paralysis by analysis. We need a plan for our future that is the foundation for public and private actions. Get involved with Brevard Tomorrow and MyRegion.Org to plan the future.
Anthony James Catanese
Dr. Catanese is the President of Florida Institute of Technology and a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and has written 13 books on planning. |
