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CREATIVE
CITY NEWSLETTER: JULY 2002
ISSUE 6: LEADERSHIP
ISSUE IN FOCUS: Leadership
NEWS YOU CAN
USE: Put Your City to the Test
CREATIVE CORNER:
The Blur Building
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Orlando, FL
Creative City
Resources
Upcoming
Events
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: ORLANDO, FL
The City of Orlando has expressed that its goal is to be a good
mixture of high tech and high fun, kind of like some of the
theme parks it is home to. Disney World, Seaworld and especially
Universal Studios are all wonderful examples of the highly technical
meeting the highly entertaining. Orlando, however, wants to
be known for something other than being one of the nation's
greatest tourist destinations, it wants to be known for having
a profitable environment for these new 21st century high-tech
firms that radiates culture.
Inside the City of Orlando are 82 public parks. The Loch Haven
Park Area is one such park that is more than just an open green
area. This area is replete with cultural activities including
the Florida Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare
Festival, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orlando Science
Center and the Orlando Museum of Art. This area is only one
part of what is considered the Cultural Corridor. Together,
the Cultural Corridor and the Downtown Arts District, which
was christened in November of 2000, comprise an area created
to promote the arts, local artists and economic development
of the downtown area.
Perhaps the most creative and ingenious project of Orlando was
LizArt. Local artists were paid to create larger-than-life replicas
of Orlando's hometown geckos. The lizards were then placed at
various locations around the city, in and around the Downtown
Arts District and Cultural Corridor especially. Interested patrons
could pick up maps at City Hall and proceed on a treasure hunt
to find the lizards. At the end of the program in December,
2001 the lizards were then auctioned off with proceeds going
to the Downtown Arts District.
While Orlando's arts and culture push are highly centralized,
its push to move into the 21st century by attracting and retaining
high-tech firms is well beyond the scope of their city. Orlando
has joined forces in several joint ventures with its home county,
Brevard and surrounding counties as well. The Florida High-Tech
Corridor is just such a joint venture. In place since 1996,
twenty-one counties in central Florida are involved in a regional
effort to increase Florida's attractiveness to the high-tech
industry. The Corridor Council is partially funded by the Florida
legislature and as such can be seen as a state prerogative to
bring jobs and capital to Florida.
Thinking outside of one's city can be tremendously more beneficial
than a more focused agenda. The City of Orlando and Central
Florida prove this once again with the creation of myregion.org.
Launched in December, 2001, myregion.org is a program comprised
of both public and private partners who hope to cross the lines
of city, county, culture, race, and politics. Its stated goals
are to organize, inform, and involve regional leaders; create
a regional knowledge base; increase administrative and technical
capabilities; and develop a widespread public understanding
and consensus about regionalism.
It is obvious that the leaders of this program believe that
if all of these counties unite that they will be stronger than
they were separately. They hope to gather information in central
Florida about the environment, history, infrastructure, economy
& development, workforce, education, tourism, healthcare,
culture, demographics, government, and public safety. The plan
is then to create a sourcebook in which all of the information
would be gathered and at the fingertips of city and county leaders
so that partnerships between the two would be fostered.
Orlando has assembled a unique blend of citywide projects and
regional projects that bode well for its development in the
21st century.
Contributed by Kristen Carter at Partners for Livable Communities.
What else goes on in Orlando?
The
Orlando House
The Orlando House is an initiative by the City to construct
a sustainable demonstration house to educate the public on the
latest environmental friendly/energy efficient building products
and methods on the market today.
Mayor's
City Academy
Citizens are able to learn how their city government works through
tours and class sessions free of charge. |
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