We're hearing a lot about smart growth lately. While it sounds like election year babble speak (good government, special interests, lower taxes, etc.), it is actually a movement, defined as a commitment to finding solutions to the complex problems related to growth in our communities.

In Volusia County, smart growth is permeating discussions among government leaders, planners, developers, environmentalists and the electorate.

"If the voters made one thing clear in the elections of 2002, it was that they want government to get serious about growth management," said Jack Hayman, the Southeast representative on the Volusia County Council. Accordingly, when the County Council held its goal setting sessions earlier this year, smart growth emerged as a top priority. Hayman was struck by the County Council's self-imposed mandate and wondered how the community could get its hands around such a broad concept.

The smart growth movement is a response to the adverse effects of sprawl in our cities, towns and rural areas. Demographic changes, environmental awareness, financial pressures and a renewed commitment to controlling growth are driving the movement here and in other parts of Florida. Smart growth takes into account quality of life issues, planning and design, environmental impacts, health factors, housing availability, transportation and more.

Hayman said the County Council is determined to find a way to keep smart growth on the front burner. He wanted to ensure that a year hence, he and his County Council colleagues could look back and say that substantial progress was achieved in making smart growth a hallmark in the evolution of Volusia County. He initiated discussions with VCARD, the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development, which has a good cross-section of members concerned with growth management and environmental issues, and a good track record of working with local governments.

"VCARD and its executive director, Dave Castagnacci, has been instrumental in coordinating a series of smart growth summits that reached well beyond its own membership," said Lisa Strobek, a real estate investor, proponent of economic development and chair of VCARD. "As a result, we have held three seminars that have been well attended and marked by spirited discussions about complex problems of growth, both urban and rural."

The series got a strong start with more than 200 people attending, including guests from the Orlando Chapter of the Urban Land Institute and a presentation by the ULI Director of Environmental Policy Education Michael Pawlukiewicz, an author and lecturer on the principles of smart growth.

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute founded in 1936 and is the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estate forum. Supported by its 18,000 members, ULI's mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land to enhance the total environment. ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places. Pawlukiewicz' presentation was a probing look at issues such as varied land uses, housing costs, density, pedestrian access, the role of the automobile in our communities, water supplies and usage, mass transit and more. It was provocative and was followed by breakout groups with assigned seating that put people from different camps at the same table ‹ developers with environmentalists, for example.

Participants in the summits began by creating a vision of Volusia County 20 years from now. That vision includes a small town feel and a strong sense of community. It features multiple, vibrant, revitalized downtowns that are pedestrian-friendly. The vision includes a community that benefits from adequate design standards, infill, redevelopment, and historic preservation. Retail and commercial activities take place in "nodes" rather than in strips along highways. New development in our imagined community emphasizes mixed uses, efficient use of land, and compact development. There is adequate, affordable housing. There is a diversity of people, lifestyles, ages, and cultural opportunities. There is strong respect for the environment, and sensitivity to natural resource issues.

The Volusia County of the future has emphasized conservation and green infrastructure, with preserved lands, the conservation corridor, ecotourism, and trails. It has protected its water and beaches. There are ample recreational opportunities. There is access to preserved areas. The imagined county has a diversified and higher-end economy, full employment, and strong tax base. It has an improving socio-economic profile. It has a highly educated  population, engaged in lifelong learning. It has supported its educational institutions and systems. There is an efficient, integrated, multi-modal, regional transportation system that provides connectivity, transit, reasonable commutes, and less reliance on cars. Regional cooperation flourishes in the public and private sectors, based on a shared vision and acceptance of differences, with partnerships, involved leaders and residents, and cooperation on major issues and projects. Safety and health-care needs are met.

Creating the vision was clear and compelling and took a day to formulate. Achieving the vision will take decades, starting with the smart growth summits, officials believe. The summits were marked by a spirited discussion of smart growth, its challenges and its potential to redefine our communities.

Specific challenges addressed included density, land use, water supply and use, transportation, the role of government and more. Economic and environmental factors were always in play. In fact, the latest summit featured presentations by environmental leader Clay Henderson and noted economist Dr. Hank Fishkind. Henderson is an attorney with Holland & Knight, specializing in land acquisition. He is a former member of the Volusia County Council and a life-long environmentalist. Dr. Fishkind is president of Fishkind & Associates, a noted consulting firm that has done a great deal of work in Central Florida, including Volusia County.

"There is no easy solution to any of these complex challenges ‹ there is no quick fix," said Henderson. "We have to design our own solutions to our own problems.

I am impressed with the number of community leaders who attend these summits and I am impressed with the level of focus."

Barbara Davis, a noted environmentalist and a member of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club of Volusia and Flagler counties, has been pleasantly surprised with the summits and commends VCARD for its role in orchestrating the events. "It has been pretty amazing to see people working on these complex problems with a sort of unity or kinship, especially when you would not expect to see these people in the same room together," she said.

Davis said she was impressed to see environmentalists and concerned citizens working shoulder to shoulder with land developers, elected officials and government staff members. As an example, she noted that understanding the benefits of the county's pending landscape ordinance has increased as people have begun to understand the benefits of xeriscaping and the resulting decrease in demand for water used in lawn irrigation. She said this kind of scrutiny also calls into question some of the decisions made decades ago that have resulted in problems today. Among them are paving that interrupted the natural water flow in Lake Jessup and the introduction of trees in the Everglades that had a drying effect on the "River of Grass", as Marjorie Stoneman Douglas stated in her landmark 1947 book, Everglades: River of Grass.

Rafael Montalvo, the moderator for the summits, sees a bright future relative to Volusia County's approach to the challenges of growth and its commitment to the principles of smart growth. Montalvo is the Associate Director for the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, based at Florida State University's Tallahassee campus. His organization also is affiliated with the Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida and was asked to facilitate the summits as a neutral observer and overseer of the process.

"I have been pleased to see people from diverse backgrounds address a broad range of issues, find common ground and express a high level of support in pursuit of the desired outcomes," he said. "It has been interesting and impressive and I believe the recommendations that come from these summits will serve as a foundation for the work that has to follow, especially given who has been attending." He also commended VCARD for assembling a diverse planning team to ensure that all perspectives would be heard and that all participants would be engaged in the discussions to find smart growth solutions to community challenges. What's next?

Montye Beamer, Volusia County Director of Growth and Resource Management, is looking forward to the January summit that will deal with infrastructure and the February wrap-up session. "The steering committee is contemplating the next steps," said Beamer, who has been impressed with the participation. "Everyone seemed to be very interested in smart growth and understood the realities and impact if we don't pursue the concept. We may take the show on the road next year, visiting with cities and the county to discuss implementation as a good step toward smart growth."

The next summit on smart growth is scheduled for January 23 at Indigo Lakes Country Club in Daytona Beach. The discussion will deal with infrastructure and the meeting is open to the public. For more information, please contact Dave Castagnacci, executive director of the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development (VCARD) at (386) 257-4169.