Look around. Our city's downtown skyline has doubled in size, and cranes dot the landscape. The next phase of this dramatic revitalization is the construction and renovation of our community's sports and entertainment venues. It is extremely important that planning for these community venues extend beyond the four walls of the buildings. We must ensure that we have the infrastructure to meet the demands of these projects.

Two of the most talked about items are parking and traffic, and considerable effort has been put into addressing these needs. In December, the Orlando City Council approved the most comprehensive downtown transportation plan in our city's history. And, nationally recognized urban- design firm Glatting Jackson has completed work on a community-venues master plan that identifies available parking, where new parking could be built and how mass transit could alleviate the strain on our roads.

All of these efforts have proved one thing: We must look at things from a broad perspective. There are three fundamental principles to consider when meeting the parking and traffic needs for the venues:

First, residents must not be forced to park in a single location, which is a surefire way to create traffic congestion. Second, our region must not focus on simply laying more asphalt and building more parking; we must create multiple options for residents to travel locally through new and enhanced mass-transit systems. Third, we must take advantage of investments made in existing parking and transportation.

Here is how we are planning to meet parking and transportation needs:

The city has accounted for construction of 2,000 to 3,000 new parking spaces adjacent to or in close proximity to the events center that could meet venue and non-venue needs 24/7. This will help the city promote the continued availability of low-cost parking downtown.

Another 5,600 parking spaces will be available within just a five-minute walk of the new events center -- meaning, the new events center will have a total of 4,200 to 5,200 more spaces available than what currently exists with the Amway Arena.

Approximately 4,400 spaces will be available within a five-minute walk of the new performing-arts center -- an increase of 2,400 spaces over the Bob Carr.

The proposed commuter-rail system will include a station less than two blocks from the new events center and less than three blocks from the performing-arts center. And, residents will have access to an enhanced Lymmo service that will connect them to a large portion of the area.

The day of massive traffic jams and limited-mobility options before and after an event will be a thing of the past, thanks to a variety of parking and transportation options. We've seen this in other communities, and look forward to incorporating these smart design principles into these projects.