Archive for September, 2007
I went to Rosa Mexicano the other day at Mary Brickell Village for dinner and was extremely disappointed to witness the state of the complex (very satisfied by the food, however.) This place is a disaster! The pictures below really don’t do it justice. I was more than appalled to see what should have been one of our premier pedestrian areas in such a state of disrepair. Besides the obvious vacancy, missing condominium tower, and abandoned Publix space, most of the western half of the complex has been ripped apart to fix some piping. The whole complex’s air conditioning was out of order and supplanted by temporary portable units.
Apparently Turnpike planners have missed the boat on established best practice metropolitan transportation policy. According to the Herald, they will be discussing their preliminary ideas to decongest the Turnpike, including a plan to expand the expressway to 10 lanes between 836 and 874, and possibly all the way to Homestead. I guess they want to do everything in their power to justify sprawl and make South Florida as unsustainable as possible.
When are these people going to learn that a “predict and provide” approach to building highways is both counter-productive and unsustainable? It’s been addressed over and over and over again by researchers that widening highways such as the Turnpike, especially at its current capacity, does little but induce more driving demand while simultaneously justifying the auto-dependent sprawl it serves.
Lest we forget that such a project also takes years to finish and usually costs hundreds-of-millions of dollars — money that could be much better spent on transit improvements and maintenance of existing roadway facilities. Such policy is even more appalling within the context of climate change (especially with South Florida’s geography) and a threatened Everlgades ecosystem.
So, I encourage anyone who would like attend the open house tomorrow to go and voice your displeasure with any plan that will widen the Turnpike. Even better if you bring with you the studies I hyperlinked above to support your claims. Let these planners know that South Floridians are tired of wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on futile roadway projects that justify sprawl, do nothing to improve quality of life for Miami-Dade residents, and continue to leave commuters with little alternative to driving. Tell them you want to see sustainable alternatives that are transit-based.
The meeting information:
Thursday, September 27
5:30-7:30pm
Florida Dept. of Transportation District Six Auditorium
1000 NW 111th Ave, Miami
Originally, Miami 21 was scheduled to go before the Commission tomorrow, September 27th, for its final hearing. However, due to a scheduling conflict on the Planning and Zoning agenda, this will no longer be the case. From the Miami21.org website:
The City of Miami City Manager is working on establishing a date in October, possibly for a special meeting to hear the item. The final date has not been established, but will be posted as soon as it is scheduled.
I’ve been looking for a mainstream media announcement of the date change, but I have yet to find anything. We’ll post any updates as we receive them.
In the meantime, if you haven’t seen DPZ’s latest Miami 21 presentation, I recommend checking it out here.
1963:
2007:
Pawning our roads out to the highest bidder, increased gambling statewide, and cuts to police and fire services are just some of the adverse effects of our legislative efforts to reduce the state of Any company with the capital to lease a
Now, we’d like to reiterate that here at Transit Miami we aren’t in favor or against tax cuts; we’re behind more intelligent use of the economic resources we have now, before deciding what can be done to alter the budget (which clearly has not occurred.) We’re all for eliminating government waste in a well thought out manner that will help reduce our expenses while still providing our residents with the police, fire, and educational, and transit services they deserve…
National Park(ing) Day 2007, West Palm Beach…
In 1905, an unknown cameraman filmed a streetcar trip along San Francisco’s Market Street. The following year, the Great Earthquake struck, and he filmed the trip again. This is a five-minute silent film that edits together excerpts of his two films.
Can anyone name the artist and title of this classic modernist sculpture in Chicago? The title certainly lends to the possibility that it would be ideal in Miami. The middle of the 20th century saw great and numerous public art erected, a repeat performance that could be pivotal in the transformation of DWNTWN Miami.
The winds of change are blowing. Here is yet another interesting proposal to harness the energy expended by the burning of fossil fuels. Wind turbines incorporated into highway dividers will reclaim the energy of cars racing by, which will then be used to power public rail transportation.
While it remains to be seen where and how quickly such technologies will be exploited, it gives some sense of comfort to the mind knowing that this kind of thinking, and planning for the future, is in play. Of course it can happen none to soon. It also addresses the concerns of those who find wind farms unsightly. Personally however, I think a wind farm as a border between development and the everglades could be a beautiful and poetic commentary on the transition between man and nature.
- Apparently, some people are willing to kill in so they can drive.
- Miami’s highly touted Community Partnership for the Homeless program is going national.
- Vermont ruling on automobile emissions standards is a small victory in fight against climate change.
Miami’s premier local recruiting blog, Recruit Miami has a job posting up for all of those familiar with the transit engineering recruiting fields.
Click here for the job posting…
The newly renovated Seattle Transit tunnel will reopen to the public next Monday. After a $94 Million renovation and retrofitting, the final phase of the tunnel will be complete in 2009 when the Sound Transit LRT begins to fully utilize the tunnel instead of the current buses. Due to the reconstruction, a revolutionary precedent was set along Seattle’s downtown third avenue:
“Meanwhile, Third Avenue, which became a bus-and-bike street at peak hours during the two-year tunnel closure, will remain that way. More than 20 downtown surface routes will be shifted to Third Avenue, replacing 18 bus routes that will enter the tunnel.”
Tomorrow is an exciting day for sustainable city advocates, or for that matter anyone who cares about parks and public space. Tomorow is National Park(ing) Day 2007, where cities across the U.S. will be taking back parking spaces and converting them to park space. An organization known as the Trust for Public Land (TPL) is spearheading the national effort to reclaim public space taken over to store private automobiles.
“The organizers plan to focus attention on the need for more parks while encouraging people to rethinking how urban space is used…these efforts are designed to highlight the need to integrate accessible and functional parks and green spaces into urban environments and lifestyles - and hopefully prompt passersby to seek opportunities to roll up their sleeves and roll out the green themselves.” (Planetizen)
Most people participating are simply taking strips of Astroturf and rolling them out into parking spaces, then putting some pot plants and seating on top for a quick and easy space conversion. Some people are taking it a bit further, where design groups are challenging one another to create the best temporary park(ing) space. I’ve even seen some put ping pong tables in the space. It’s all about creativity.
In Miami-Dade, there are two known locations participating in National Park(ing) Day. TPL and the City of Coral Gables will be rolling out a park in front of Houston’s on Miracle Mile to celebrate the city’s downtown park system and promote more community green space.
In Miami, a collaboration of several arts groups will be rolling out a park in Wynwood’s Art District. The park will feature art pieces inspired by nature and made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials.
I also encourage anyone else out there to get involved and create your own park out of parking space. This is something to be done in metered spaces, so I’m talking to you in South Beach, North Beach, Coconut Grove, Downtown, Brickell, Design District, South Miami, downtown Coral Gables, etc. Don’t forget to feed the meters, though, because taking over public parking spaces without doing so is illegal (unfortunately).
Anyone willing to send us pictures of a parking squat, we’d love to post ‘em!
Photos: National Park(ing) Day 2006 in Midtown Manhattan (courtesy of Streetsblog)
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