Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal
Founder
Gabriel@TransitMiami.com
Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal is the founder of Transit Miami. He started the site in 2006 to express his views and passion for urban planning and transportation.He graduated from Tufts University in 2010 with a Masters in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning and the University of Florida in 2008 with a Bachelors of Science in Transportation Engineering. Gabriel currently resides in Cambridge, MA where he works as a Senior Transit Planner with TranSystems Corp.
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Craig Chester
Editor
Craig@TransitMiami.com
Craig Chester is a native of Avon, CT and Miami resident since 2010. Craig graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005, with a B.A in Family and Consumer Journalism. Prior to moving to Miami, Craig lived in New York City and New Haven, CT where he was a frequent contributor to various bicycle-related blogs. After experiencing New York City’s recent bicycle and pedestrian renaissance first-hand, Craig immediately recognized the potential for Miami to improve in these areas. An active participant in the Miami Bike Scene, Miami Bike Polo and Emerge Miami, you can find Craig pedaling around the streets of Miami. and on Twitter at @MiamiUrbanist.
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Felipe Azenha
Editor
Felipe@TransitMiami.com
A recent graduate from the University of Miami’s Graduate Real Estate Development and Urbanism program, Felipe Azenha has been an active member with TransitMiami since August 2008. As a broker, Felipe is now working with StreetEasy, a site oriented to facilitating real estate searches in South Florida for buyers, renters, and professionals alike. Prior to joining StreetEasy in 2012, Felipe was a Relationship Manager for HSBC Bank. Felipe is also the founder of Miamiurbanist.com, a sister site of TransitMiami dedicated to discussing real-estate and land use. Felipe also proudly served a two year stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala.
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Kathryn R. Moore
Writer
Kathryn@TransitMiami.com
Miami has been home to Kathryn R. Moore for her whole life, though she has lived and traveled across the United States and abroad. As a kid, she spent untold hours on the Lincoln Road of the early 90s and wonders why Florida doesn’t have even more world class pedestrian thoroughfares. Prior to joining TransitMiami.com, Kathryn worked for the City of Miami, where she coordinated the City’s first bicycling encouragement program. She has spoken publicly on her experience coordinating ‘Bike Miami Days’ to planners, politicians and other professionals in cities as diverse as Denver, Caracas, Chicago and Guadalajara. Currently, she serves as Director of the South Florida Bike Coalition, a tri-county non-profit organization.
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John-Mark Palacios
Writer
JM@TransitMiami.com
JM Palacios is a professional engineer with a passion for roadway design–not simply design that meets the standards, but design that meets human needs. After cycling the streets of bicycle-friendly Gainesville, he graduated from the University of Florida in December 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. He worked as a roadway designer and as the Pedestrian/Bicycle Coordinator for Florida Department of Transportation District 4, which covers Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. He strives to ensure that transportation engineers implement good bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities. He also dabbles in a little creative writing, from stage plays to novels.
Tony Garcia
Editor
A South Florida native, Tony graduated from New York University in 2002 with a B.A. in Urban Planning and Architecture Studies, and went on to get his Masters from the University of Miami School of Architecture. He is currently working as Project Director at Chael, Cooper & Associates Architects in Coral Gables, Florida where he is working toward becoming a registered architect. He has been involved in many exciting projects throughout Miami and all over the country, most recently completing the first LEED certified historic home in South Miami.
An ardent naturalist, Tony enjoys hiking and observing the native ecosystems of South Florida, pushing his friends and family to restore habitats and go native. He is on the Board of Directors of the Urban Environment League, and enjoys being active in Miami civic life. It is his hope that through his work he is able to positively influence how Miami grows.
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Matthew Toro
Writer
Matt@TransitMiami.com
Of Colombian-American heritage, Matthew was born in South Florida but raised in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. As a teenager, he returned to South Florida and lived in multiple communities throughout the tri-county region. He contributes to TransitMiami hoping to enrich the discourse on Miami’s long-neglected potential, and on how we, the people, have the power to realize that potential. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Geography from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and International Relations from Florida International University.
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Jennifer Garcia
Writer
Jennifer@TransitMiami.com
Born and raised in the Midwest, Jennifer García now enjoys the energy and quality of life that Miami has to offer. Professionally, she uses traditional architecture and the principles of New Urbanism in her consulting work at Garcia Design Studio. She holds a Master of Architecture from Andrews University. Traveling has taught her to immerse herself into each place’s history, culture, traditions, and how they contribute to local vernacular and the range of urbanism. Some local interventions include: Miracle Mile Streetscape, Giralda Restaurant Row Design, and MiMo Streetscape Visioning. Her daily bicycle commutes reinforce her belief in nurturing a living urbanism with livable streets.
Tony Garcia
Editor
A South Florida native, Tony graduated from New York University in 2002 with a B.A. in Urban Planning and Architecture Studies, and went on to get his Masters from the University of Miami School of Architecture. He is currently working as Project Director atChael, Cooper & AssociatesArchitects in Coral Gables, Florida where he is working toward becoming a registered architect. He has been involved in many exciting projects throughout Miami and all over the country, most recently completing the first LEED certified historic home in South Miami.
An ardent naturalist, Tony enjoys hiking and observing the native ecosystems of South Florida, pushing his friends and family to restore habitats and go native. He is on the Board of Directors of the Urban Environment League, and enjoys being active in Miami civic life. It is his hope that through his work he is able to positively influence how Miami grows.
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Ryan Sharp
Writer
Ryan@TransitMiami.com
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Transit Miami Alumni
Sean Bossinger
Tony Garcia
Mike Lydon
Gabrielle Redfern
Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network- Land in Conflict: How Planners Can Better Manage an Increasingly Contentious Public Process June 19, 2013Summary: Land use disputes are increasingly taking up our time and producing unsatisfying results. A new approach to resolving conflict based on mutual gains may provide a better way to manage the most challenging situations. […]
- With Improvements, Baltimore Seeks to Steal D.C.'s Thunder...and Residents June 19, 2013The last decade has brought tremendous growth and prosperity to Washington D.C., but it's neighbor to the north hasn't been so blessed. Planned infrastructure improvements are intended to lure new residents to Baltimore's cheaper cost of living. […]
- Bloomingdale Trail Gets New Name and Final Plan June 19, 2013Final plans for what will become the longest elevated park in the world where unveiled this week in Chicago. The 2.7-mile rail-to-trail conversion has been branded as The 606, a nod to the zip code digits shared by the neighborhoods along its route. […]
- Astrodome Among National Trust's List of 11 Most Endangered Places June 19, 2013The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released its annual list of America's most endangered historic places, the preservation community's most effective tool for bringing awareness and assistance to the country's threatened resources. […]
- Architect Ego Trip or Necessity for a Modern Metropolis? Paris Debates Skyscrapers June 19, 2013Following Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's overturn of a ban on buildings over seven storeys high, Paris is planning a dozen new skyscrapers outside the city centre. Debate over the towers is destined to become an issue in next year's municipal elections. […]
- Should Cities Eliminate Free Parking for the Disabled? June 19, 2013Ongoing research from the University of California Transportation Center documents the detrimental effects that free street parking for the disabled has on city coffers and performance pricing systems. Is it time to reconsider such laws. […]
- New Downtown L.A. Park Latest Victory in Mayor's Open Space Initiative June 19, 2013At .7 acres, downtown L.A.'s Spring Street Park isn't likely to invite comparison to the world's great urban parks. But for a city, and neighborhood, starved of quality open space, the new park is a significant achievement. […]
- University Housing: Bastion of Communal Learning or Luxury Resort? June 19, 2013John Eligon examines the private student housing building boom, and asks whether we are spoiling college students with luxurious off-campus amenities to the detriment of academic and social environments. […]
- How Parking Minimums Beget Ugly Urban Environments June 19, 2013In the Pacific Northwest, and elsewhere, excessive parking requirements dictate the form and footprint of buildings, mostly to the detriment of urban environments. In a lavish photo essay, Alyse Nelson explores the damage inflicted by parking laws. […]
- Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Fees are Here to Stay, and Spreading June 19, 2013It may seem counter-intuitive to charge extra fees for the cleanest, most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road today - including those that qualify for a federal $7,500 credit. But ten states are doing just that to keep roads well-funded. […]
- Land in Conflict: How Planners Can Better Manage an Increasingly Contentious Public Process June 19, 2013
