Archive for the 'Miami Beach' Category

Discussion With Troy Clarke, Part 1

Published
by
JM Palacios
on November 11, 2007
in Boss, Car Show, Carbon Neutral, DARPA, Electric Car, GM, General Motors, Miami Beach, On-Star, Troy Clarke and VII
. 0 Comments
The South Florida International Auto Show kicked off this past Friday. GM unveiled a Hybrid Cadillac Escalade with much fanfare and was showered with awards from Sobre Ruedas (including “Best Vehicle of the Year” for the 2008 Chevy Malibu, which has a hybrid option). We won’t trouble you with too many car details, but the important thing was the chance to have a few words with Troy Clarke, president of GM North America. He outlined the goal of GM’s hybrid strategy: to electrify the car (presumably with plug-in hybrids) in order to allow a distribution network to be put in place before another all-electric vehicle is released. Quite the turnaround from their previous electric car exploits.
Since GM sponsored the winning vehicle of the DARPA Urban Challenge, we asked whether they would incorporate any technology from the race into future cars. Clarke said the point of sponsoring Carnegie Mellon was indeed to look at the technology. He then focused on connected vehicles that communicate with each other for safety and network to the driver’s home to deliver things like music. He steered away from the subject of communicating with infrastructure like the road itself and focused on cars communicating with cars. GM is a car manufacturer, not a road builder, so vehicle infrastructure integration may have to be pushed by someone else.

Clarke also highlighted the current connectivity option that is supposed to become standard in all GM products: On-Star. With features like the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, the system is already controlling many basic operations of the car. He touted the On-Star system as their current offering of a connected vehicle. Surprisingly, he made no mention of adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, or other active safety features available in luxury GM models. He did remind us that most such technology begins life in luxury cars and filters down to the others once it has been proven good on the market.

It will be a long time before production vehicles achieve full automation. Until that time, On-Star and active safety systems are computerizing things and leaving in the human interaction ingredient. Looking at the theft slowdown feature, it seems like cars would be able to slowdown and stop at red lights if a few more controls were added; but stolen vehicles are only getting stopped at the command of an On-Star operator. That’s nothing more than remote control—the automation is yet to come. We have to have the computer before we have the artificial intelligence, so their progress with On-Star is at least a step in the right direction. Hopefully, just as with the hybrid strategy, they can get the network and the technology in place and then throw in full automation.

Ocean Drive Accolades

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on October 25, 2007
in APA, Art Deco, Awards, Historic Preservation, Miami Beach, Ocean Drive and public space
. 0 Comments

Congratulations, Miami Beach. The American Planning Association (APA) recently recognized Ocean Drive on South Beach as one of America’s Top 10 Great Streets of 2007. This is quite an honor, as Ocean Drive is in the company of other nationally famous streets such as Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue, Richmond’s Monument Avenue, and 125th Street in NYC.

According to the APA,


Great Places in America celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard of communities. The designated streets and neighborhoods are defined by several characteristics, including good design, functionality, sustainability, and community involvement.

Specifically, Ocean Drive was recognized for its unique architectural legacy, citizen-led historic protection and planning efforts, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented restoration and redevelopment, and ongoing public support.

Not really any surprises, there. I give credit where credit is due, and the planners and citizens of Miami Beach have done a heck of a job (excuse the Bushism) the last twenty years turning Ocean Drive and South Beach around by utilizing its natural resources (density, historic architecture) and engaging the public realm for people instead of cars. It’s really a great local case study that I wish more planners and citizens in neighboring municipalities would research.

Photo courtesy of CTPEKO3A’s Flickr photostream

Velib Ridership Exceeds 7.5 Million in First 12 Weeks

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on October 16, 2007
in Miami, Miami Beach, Paris, Velib and bike-sharing
. 1 Comment

US Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters needs to take a retreat to Paris. Peters, who was quoted back in August saying that bicycling “is not really transportation”, would be faced with a rude awakening. Cyclists using Paris’s highly successful Velib bike-sharing program, which was only introduced this summer, have already logged more than 7.5 million miles.

From NYT columnist Eric Rayman:

The French have embraced communal bike ownership, according to my informal survey of my fellow Vélibiens, as have other Europeans. A culture of Vélibistes is emerging. The camaraderie — a French word that seems to have been invented in anticipation of this new cult — among the riders is entrancing. Riders advise one another on where to find the nearest Vélib docking station, where to park if one is full, and how to find the best routes around the city. When they speak of Vélibs, Parisians smile, even those like a waiter who admitted not having ridden one.

Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, has just declared his intention to run for re-election, and the French newspapers, which are known to mix their opinions with their news to a degree that The New York Post would envy, have already pronounced him unbeatable.

Mayors Diaz/Alvarez/Dermer, and any other official in Miami-Dade, take note.

Paris has clearly shown that people are more than willing to use alternative forms of transportation such as bicycles when given the opportunity. Bike-sharing would reduce congestion, calm traffic, and ease parking pressure, which should all be high priorities for any Mayor or elected official. And, it’s great because bikes allow us to be so much more intimate with our cities while still moving at moderate speeds. Imagine how nice it would be for tourists to visit Miami and not feel obliged to rent a car.

Photo courtesy of www.20minutes.fr

ART Meeting Tonight

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on October 8, 2007
in Alliance for Reliable Transport, FDOT, Kimley Horn and Miami Beach
. 0 Comments

MIAMI BEACH COMMISSION AND MAYORAL CANDIDATES INVITED TO WEIGH IN ON WORSENING TRANSPORTATION ISSUES AND PRESENTATION FROM FDOT ON ALTON ROAD FUTURE LOOK: GENERAL PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE.

ART, the Alliance for Reliable Transport holds its monthly meeting Monday, October 8, 2007 at 6:00 pm. Meetings are free and open to the public, and hosted by the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation in the Community Room of the Seymour 945 Pennsylvania Avenue, Miami Beach. This months meeting will focus on political remedies to the transportation crisis on Miami Beach by inviting candidates for public office to share their visions for short, mid and long term solutions for improving our public transportation options and enhancing the non-motorized network that so many in our community rely on as their primary form of transportation.

In addition, representatives of FDOT and Kimley Horn will be on hand to present the latest alternatives out of the Alton Road PD&E. The public is invited to weigh in on the future configuration of Alton Road from 5th Street north to Michigan Avenue.

ART is also a co-sponsor, with the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association, the Miami Design Preservation League and the Community Development Committee of the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation of a formal Candidates Forum, to be held on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Miami Beach Police Department, located at 1100 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. The public is invited to attend.

The Alliance for Reliable Transport is a nonprofit group formed in 2003 by Miami Beach residents who share an interest in improving public transportation.

Seeing Miami From a Bike

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on September 10, 2007
in Bicycles, Bikes, DPZ, Miami, Miami Beach and Planetizen
. 0 Comments

Last night I was perusing through various planning news sources, when I came across an excellent Planetizen blog entry by Mike Lydon, a planner at Duany Plater-Zyberk (DPZ). In the blog entry, Lydon uses photographs and captions to describe his bike commute from his South Beach apartment to the DPZ office in Little Havana.
Mike is spot-on with his commentary and captions. The pictures do a nice job illustrating the duality of Miami. Almost the whole time I was navigating Mike’s column, I was nodding my head and thinking, “this sounds exactly like how I would’ve described it”.

I highly recommend checking it out here.

Photo courtesy of Mike Lydon via Planetizen

Community Workshop Info

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on August 16, 2007
in A1A, Atlantic Greenway Network, Bicycles, Dade Boulevard Bike Path, Miami Beach and bike lanes
. 1 Comment
Anyone interested in improving cycling conditions on Miami Beach, mark your calendars for Thursday, August 30th. From 6-8pm at the Miami Beach Police Department, there will be an excellent opportunity to learn about the Atlantic Greenway Network (AGN) and the Dade Boulevard Bike Path Project. From the press release:
The AGN Master Plan is being developed to promote alternative transportation and community enhancement in the North, Middle and South Beach neighborhoods of Miami Beach. The objectives are to increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, diminish gaps while improving network connectivity, and establish future bikeways.

The Dade Boulevard Bike Path project will run adjacent to Dade Boulevard from Bay Road to 23rd Street and will be designed to extend the existing Venetian Causeway bikeway to destination points within Miami Beach.

Again, this workshop will be held Thursday, August 30th, from 6-8pm at the Miami Beach Police Department. The MBPD is located at 1100 Washington Ave (11th & Washington).

For more information, check out Spokes n’ Folks, this nice SunPost editorial, or contact Christine Leduc @ 305-673-7080 or via email at cleduc@miamibeachfl.gov

Photo courtesy of www.Miamitours.com

Paris Sets a Global Precedent for Urban Transportation Policy

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on July 26, 2007
in Bicycle Sharing, Bicycles, Miami Beach, Paris, Transportation and Urban Planning
. 6 Comments
Paris has finally unveiled its highly anticipated bicycle sharing program, sending a global message that it’s serious about reducing emissions and embracing sustainable urban transportation. Over 10,000 bikes are now available for rent at over 750 stations, with plans to double the fleet to 20,000 by years end.
Dubbed “Velib” (a play on words - Velo = bike & liberte = freedom), the system works like this:

A local or tourist who is interested in renting a bike goes to a high-tech docking station, swipes a credit or debit card at a meter (translated into eight languages), and a bike is yours for a nominal fee. A one-day pass costs only 1 Euro ($1.38), a weekly pass 5 Euros ($6.90), and a yearly pass only 29 Euros ($40.00). There are no surcharges, taxes, or other fees, so long as the bike is returned within 30 minutes. Over 30 minutes, you would be charged an incremental “late fee”, which is designed to facilitate high turnover and ensure that bikes will be available for rent at each station. If you want to take out another bike after 30 minutes, go right ahead - for convenience, bikes can be returned to any of the docking stations, which are located an average of only 300 yards apart.

“This is about revolutionizing urban culture…for a long time cars were associated with freedom of movement and flexibility. What we want to show people is that in many ways bicycles fulfill this role much more today.”

~ Pierre Aidenbaum, Mayor of Paris’s Third District

According to the New York Times, early indications point toward success for Velib. Even before a single docking station was open, some 13,000 people had already purchased yearly subscriptions online.

Paris is definitely moving in the right direction. Bicycle-sharing on this scale is absolutely one of the most important urban planning developments to come along in sometime. There’s no reason why Miami can’t follow Paris’ lead.

In fact, I challenge the City of Miami Beach, which I believe to be the most appropriate place for bike-sharing in South Florida, to strongly consider implementing its own version of Velib. It has the density and compactness that will allow this sort of program to thrive. It would be great for tourists, who no longer would feel obliged to rent cars. It would be great for locals, whom besides benefiting directly from the service, would benefit tremendously from fewer cars and VMT (Vehicle Miles Traveled) in their communities. It’s even more logical when you consider that Miami Beach lacks (unfathomably) quality transit.

Once the program manifests success on the beach, it could set a precedent for cycling/transportation policy elsewhere in Greater Miami. I mean, after all, Miami should be a national (and global) leader in cycling, given its phenomenal assets - climate and ecology.

The little improvements are nice, but it’s time to step up and create cycling initiatives that will revolutionize urban transportation in Miami and South Florida.

Photos courtesy of Le Fil’s & austinevan’s flickr accounts

My Favorite Street - Espanola Way

Published
by
Ryan Sharp
on July 15, 2007
in Density, Espanola Way, Miami Beach, South Beach and Urban Design
. 0 Comments
Though it often seems like TransitMiami is only critical of Miami’s urban planning, transportation, land use, and urban design, we believe it is important to illustrate the bright points as well.
This brings me to today’s post, where I want to showcase my favorite Greater Miami street - Espanola Way on South Beach.

From an urban design perspective, this street embodies all the incredible potential I see in Miami. Let’s take a moment to address several of the elements that give Espanola Way its fantastic urban design:

  • Appropriate density for an urban environment; good physical urban continuity
  • Buildings are right up to the sidewalk; this defines urban space, in turn creating a much better sense of place than we see in most of Greater Miami
  • Narrow street; this minimizes the amount of valuable urban street space allotted to automobiles, which means less thru-traffic (none at all when it is blocked off for the Farmer’s Market), noise, emissions, and lost street space
  • Presence of shade trees, awnings, and balconies offer a reprieve from the hot South Florida sun
  • Mixed use buildings
  • Moderately wide sidewalks (for Miami)
  • Architecture that reflects local culture and history
  • Facades that are open to the street, which engage pedestrians
Frankly, this is what a high-quality urban environment looks like. There is plenty of density, but it’s built at human scale. Because the streets are narrow and parking spaces few, Espanola Way doesn’t suffer from the noise, emissions, and lost street space that plagues so many other Miami streets.

While a lot of the shops are quirky, there is a decent mix of restaurants and cafes (I am a big fan of Hosteria Romana). The point is, however, that if many other Miami streets and neighborhoods were designed this way, the foundation would be set for an urban community that has a comprehensive set of urban amenities.

Photos: Mouffetard’s, clarks aunt, & golbog’s flickr

Ice, Global Responsibility, Public Art

Published
by
James Wilkins
on June 24, 2007
in Art, Miami Beach and South Pointe Park
. 2 Comments
Miami Beach is stepping up its commitment to art in public spaces in a big way. The renderings for the marble sculpture “Drift”, by Spanish artist Inigo Manglano-Ovalle depict the forthcoming behemoth that will soon arrive on the shores of South Pointe Park. The 16 foot tall abstract representation of an iceberg that has broken off from the continental shelf and floated to South Beach pushes the individual to examine the harsh realities of climate change. As a part of the overall renovation of the park, Miami Beach city commissioners made a significant declaration of their commitment to beautification, the arts, and the responsibility to remain vigilant in the examination of contemporary issues in art, as well as global issues. The selection of the world renowned artist was influenced by his numerous other installations across the US.

The suspended chrome cloud that has been on display at the opening of Zaha Hadid’s Contemporary Arts Museum in Cincinnati among many other locations is another example of the artists intense observations of the world in which we inhabit, the experience of being in that world and the effect we have on it. Earlier work focused on issues of migration and immigration and while some artists path seem to migrate deeper, toward a particular, smaller if you will, subject, Manglano-Ovalle’s subject matter continues to be expansive, moving toward larger more universal objects and concerns.

The physical articles created to encapsulate the many themes of his work are consistently pieces of unprecedented beauty. They are both incredibly simple and vastly complicated, expressionistic and highly calculated, whose tangible qualities alone dictate their classification as high art. The opportunity to have such a sculpture, outdoors, in the public realm, as a permanent installation is a privilege.

Like another Manglano-Ovalle sculpture of an iceberg, that is seen as its whole self, including all that would ordinarily be submerged, the people of Miami can look forward to the installation of this art, knowing there will be more and more to be discovered in what lies beneath. It’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Museum Park Discussion

Published
by
James Wilkins
on June 15, 2007
in Green Space, I-395, James Good, MAM, Miami, Miami Beach, Museum Park, Museum of Science, Public Spaces and Traffic
. 27 Comments
This extraordinary image posted at Skyscrapercity by James Good illustrates the need for revitalization for downtown’s premier park space. As well as how appropriate the location is for Museums with the Metromover stop already in place. The museums will be a great buffer for the park from the intrusive traffic of the highway beside the park. I am also interested in hearing thoughts from our readers regarding the somewhat sensitive issue of the need for, specifically, green park space.

Is it unfair to compare Miami to other cities in terms of green park space when across the causeway is the enormous public space, Miami Beach. I assure you I am a strong supporter for park space in Miami proper, but I feel there is an entirely different analysis required based on the unique quality of the beach. Being the single most obvious draw for all of South Florida residents, the beach almost creates a requirement of other city parks to include an attraction, if they are to be fully utilized. While some would propose a stadium or a waterpark, it seems that the museums are the perfect, compatible solution, in keeping with the desired qualities of a public green space.

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 15, 2007
in I-395, Miami, Miami Beach, Motorcycle and Photography
. 2 Comments

Via Miami Fever…

SOBE Aerial Video

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 12, 2007
in Aerial, James Good, Miami Beach, Sailing, Ships, South Beach, South Pointe Park and Video
. 0 Comments
We’re all used to the stunning aerial footage generously provided to us by local amateur photographer/RC Pilot James Good, but I’m afraid he’s outdone himself this time with some amazing video footage shot from South Beach’s South Pointe:

Click here for the classic still frames…

It’s Time to Cut the Bureaucratic Fat Miami

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on June 5, 2007
in Baylink, Bedroom Communities, El Portal, Julio Robaina, MDT, Miami, Miami Beach, PTP, Pinecrest, Property Tax Reform and Urban Planning
. 7 Comments
I’m glad Representative Julio Robaina stepped up today and finally declared that through consolidation of city services, Miami-Dade taxpayers could save $50 Million Dollars. Although Robaina was speaking of only consolidating one branch of various municipal governments, it’s a step in the right direction- the direction that would consolidate all local municipalities under one effective roof. We have to stop undermining the power established by the Miami-Dade Home Rule Charter in 1957 and need to start using it to become a more efficient municipal entity. What do I mean? No more Surfside, Pinecrest, Miami Gardens, El Portal, Key Biscayne, etc. Sure the neighborhoods will still exist, but the municipal authority will be absent, consolidating their governing authority in the hands of an expanded and qualified (better paid too, obviously) county government. The majority of these municipalities are going to feel the crunch of the property tax reform anyway, bringing many of them to the brink of bankruptcy, seeing that the greater part of them are just bedroom communities without any real commerce or industry sectors. Heck, Imagine what it would look like if every census designated place became its own municipality…

It’s an idealistic situation, I’ll admit, but the fact that there isn’t a comprehensive governing body with the authority to draft area-wide planning/zoning, transit, development, greenways, etc. is pretty archaic.

Example 1:
MDT and county planning has had a plan to maximize density along the US-1 corridor (as they should) to maximize the overall system benefit of metrorail and the busway, allow for less westward growth, etc. However, each city along the corridor has final say on the TOD along their particular portion of the corridor. MDT and TOD developers have to therefore seek planning/density/zoning approval from whichever city their project resides as well as the county. It’s redundant! To make matters worse, every city has its own agenda: Pinecrest for example, has reduced density along their portion of the corridor (in a futile attempt to “prevent” further traffic.) Newsflash kids, the growth south and westward will cause far worse traffic through Pinecrest than any expanded development along US-1.

Example 2:
After the passage of the PTP in 2002, one of the first rail projects to come under consideration was the Miami-Miami Beach connection: Baylink. Despite the overall benefit (tourism, local access, etc.) the transit system would have provided to a greater proportion of the local population, Miami Beach politicians derailed the project, pushing back its earliest date for county consideration to 2015! MDT and the county could have pushed ahead without Miami Beach approval, but the elected governing body of the time lacked the political will to force the Beach agenda aside.

Neighborhoods have incorporated into proper municipalities to escape the corruption, abuse, or neglect that evolved in Miami’s County politics over time (Yes, I am aware that 25 of the 34 Municipalities were formed prior to the 1957 Charter.) Instead of adjusting the system to provide better public oversight, neighborhoods have been uniting and adding yet other layers to the local bureaucracy. Nowadays we’re looking to cut taxes, not services, why not cut the fat?

Transit Miami Updates

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on May 30, 2007
in Architecture, Blog Roll, Blog Updates, Development, Miami Beach, Murano and Transit
. 1 Comment
The picture above, taken from the balcony of the Murano on Miami Beach, was forwarded to me by James, TransitMiami.com’s newest author. He’ll be covering the architectural and urban design aspects of the buildings rising in Miami.

TransitMiami is growing and looking for new ways to bring the latest content to you. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or comments, feel free to e-mail us at movemiami@gmail.com.

Our sidebars have changed over the past few weeks, some dead sites were removed from the Miami/Transportation blog rolls and a whole bunch more were added…

The 7 Day Metropass has Arrived!

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on May 29, 2007
in BCT, MDT, MetroCard, Metropass, Metrorail, Miami Beach, Miami-Dade Transit, Palm Tran, Tourism and bus
. 6 Comments
That’s right folks, today MDT unveiled their new 7 day metropass geared to Miami’s tourist market:
The $19 pass will come with a countywide transit system map including detailed maps of Miami Beach and downtown Miami showing visitors how to get to numerous tourist attractions and destinations using Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover. A scratch-off calendar will let passengers choose the seven consecutive days they wish to use the pass.

Now, if only we could accelerate plans to unify the tri-county transit systems and implement system wide technology which would enable the use of credit cards, we’ll really be making some logical progress…

The pass will initially be sold at Miami International Airport, four visitor centers, select hotels and businesses and MDT’s transit service centers. For exact pass sales locations and hours of operation, call 305-770-3131 or visit www.miamidade.gov/transit. Online sales of the pass will begin in the fall on MDT’s website as well as a number of international travel websites.