Transit Miami

I’ve always found come election time that a crucial question is often overlooked when examining which potential candidate to vote for:

What is your position on urbanization and urban growth? Are you for either of them, if so which ones or both and why?

In Miami more than anywhere else, this question is necessary to fully understand a candidate’s position on growth, the environment, and development. The answer I’ve most commonly received to this question is silence with hint of bewilderment upon the candidate’s face with perhaps a nervous twitch or mannerism. Most then say they didn’t know there was difference between the two before giving me a run-of-the-mill response which could have easily answered a question about their plan to solve global poverty or aids, whatever.

I guess to answer the question; we must first define the two terms.

Urbanization: This is the process of converting rural or underutilized land outside the general city limits into developed property. Urbanization is an increased extent of urban area. The negative connotations which are drawn up when we think of urbanization is due to the poor land use we have become familiar with when growth occurs to sustain the population growth. Um, Sprawl.

Urban Growth: Is the process of finding new uses for existing urbanized land. Urban growth has come to be associated with new the new urbanism movement to re-use our land more effectively and efficiently with greater density and functions. Urban growth is about improving our surroundings to minimize our impact on the environment while redeveloping urbanized space.

A candidate which is pro urbanization is thus far more likely to turn to moving the UDB westward as a method of sustaining the population growth of our area. An urban growth candidate is more likely to suggest denser housing solutions in the population centers, linked by public transit. Next time you have the chance to meet a possible political candidate, ask them what they believe in, it may be the difference between additional housing in South Dade rather than on underutilized land elsewhere…