TITLE:
The Seven50 Plan and Regional Governance in Southeast Florida
AUTHORS:
Ramon Trias, Jean-Claude Garcia-Zamor
KEYWORDS:
Regional Planning, Sustainable Communities, Better Governance
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.3 No.4,
November
5,
2015
ABSTRACT: This article provides an introduction to “Seven50: Southeast Florida Prosperity Plan”, including
project design, public process and recommendations. Seven50 was a regional discussion about the
next 50 years of development for seven counties. The project was executed from 2009 through
2014. The principal author of the article was a member of the Seven50 Executive Committee from
the start to the end, and participated in the debates about its goals, chronology and professional
activities. Research and analysis were performed on the final deliverables of the project. In addition,
qualitative interviews were conducted with key participants in March and June of 2015, approximately
a year after the project was completed. Their views and opinions provided context for
an evaluation of the project’s effectiveness and its impact on future regional growth. Conclusions
were reached about the value of the process and its contribution to the theory and practice of regional
planning and governance.