Transit Miami

From the city of Miami, 2 great events going on this week - We hope to see you tomorrow night…

• The Mayors Institute on City Design will be hosting a special panel discussion on Metropolitan Smart Growth and Urban Sustainability at the Moore Building tomorrow night. The event is open to the public, though you are encouraged to RSVP via email (events@micd.org) or by phone at 202-463-1393 if you would like to attend.

Participants are expected to include Jaquelin “Jaque” Robertson founder of the New York City Urban Design Group, former Dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, and former advisor to former New York Mayor John Lindsay; National Endowment for the Arts’ Director of Design former Mayor of Charlottesville Maurice Cox; and former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Richard Swett, author of “Leadership by Design”.  Swett was the only architect to serve in the United States Congress during in the 20th century where he represented New Hampshire’s 2nd district.  Mayor Manny Diaz, a member of MICD’s National Advisory Council since 2005, is one of only a handful of mayors nationwide to have been invited to serve on the Institute’s Advisory Board in it’s 22-year history.

• City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff and Rilea Group CEO Alan Ojeda  will join City Commissioners and area neighbors to celebrate the inauguration of the Broadway Fountain on Thursday, October 9, 2008, at 11:00 a.m., at the SW corner of South Miami Avenue and SE 15 Road (by Simpson Park).

The Broadway Fountain is the centerpiece of the South Miami Ave and SE 15th Road roundabout that is part of the overall South Miami Avenue Improvements Project. The Rilea Group, long recognized as one of Miami’s premier developers of residential and commercial real estate, is dedicating the $300,000 fountain to the City as part of its ongoing efforts to add value to Miami’s Brickell neighborhood through beautification. Since 1981, The Rilea Group has been involved in numerous developments in and around Miami’s urban core and financial district, including One Broadway, the Mellon Financial Center, and 1450 Brickell Avenue, which is currently under construction.  The inauguration will mark the completion of the South Miami Avenue Improvements Project which encompasses pavement milling and resurfacing, curb and gutter replacement, sidewalk repair, ADA ramps, landscape upgrades, 5 feet bicycle lanes, construction of the roundabout and decorative lighting among other enhancements. The Project, which has garnered widespread support among area residents, runs along South Miami Avenue between SE 15 Road and SE 25 Road.