Archive for the 'Urban Growth' Category

The Airtrain Solution: Part 2

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on January 10, 2007
in Airport, Metrorail, Miami, Transit, Transit Oriented Development, Urban Growth and Urban Planning
. 0 Comments

The latest plans for the MIC/Earlington Heights Connection/East West corridor, immediately spurred a question back into my mind that I once asked a leading Miami-Dade County transit planner at a meeting last year: What is Miami-Dade Transit’s vision and goal for Metrorail? I went on to suggest that at times I feel that MDT isn’t sure itself of what it hopes to accomplish with regards to the rail transportation needs in the county and certainly isn’t aware of how public transportation is implemented in other progressive cities across the globe. Now, to understand my question fully, you have to understand the east-west corridor images which were being presented. The aerial photos showed the proposed corridor and stations. Superimposed around the stations were depictions of what is traditionally considered the reasonable walking distances passengers would be willing to make to access the system. Here in lies the problem: not only were the stations located alongside low density single family neighborhoods, but, the superimposed circular area was often times more than half composed of highway space, thus rendering at least 50% of the walking distance draw factor to be useless. To further compound the problem, the stations were being designed with commuter parking in mind while the maps alluded all into thinking otherwise. MDT doesn’t seem to realize that metrorail is at best a commuter rail train and does little to promote and enhance the urban concepts they are trying to incorporate. This is why the transit oriented developments around the current stations can generally be seen as complete failures, because they lack the basic integration of transit with the rest of the urban setting. Notice how every TOD sits upon a giant parking structure and integration with metrorail is typically seen as an afterthought covered walkway at most.


It appears that their confusion has gotten worse over the past months. The latest plans call for metrorail to run directly to the airport as either part of the east-west corridor project or the Earlington Heights Connection with the Miami Intermodal Center, which would in a sense render the whole concept of the intermodal center to be pointless. Now, some cities like Atlanta and Chicago use this sort of approach, however, it is typically incorporated at the end of a transit line, rather than an awkward, out of the way, non commuter friendly loop. The MIC was designed to be a hub linking all forms of area ground transit with the airport, similar to the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations cited on the Airtrain map of JFK. Notice the similarity between the keyhole shapes of JFK and MIA, the transfers to MTA subway and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) at Jamaica and Howard Beach Stations, and the rental car facility easily accessed at Federal Circle. Airtrain and JFK is the quintessential working model of what we are trying to accomplish, paralleling our glorified view of the MIC equating a “Grand Central Station” like terminal. The Airtrain solution seems way too obvious to me, perhaps this is why MDT has failed to see it.

About the transfer conundrum. I’d like to detail my most recent trip to NYC for you all so that you can see that transfers don’t have much to do with a desire to use the system, its more about incorporating transit with the urban spaces.

  • Walked 2 blocks to nearest subway station
  • After going down a flight of stairs and clearing the turnstiles, boarded a train bound for Penn Station (Ride time: <4mins)
  • Purchased LIRR ticket to JFK, although there are several LIRR routes all but one travel through the JFK station: hence you don’t have to wait long.
  • Boarded LIRR bound for JFK (Ride time < 15mins)
  • Exited LIRR and rode elevator up to Airtrain platform which left me right outside my terminal (Ride Time < 10mins)

Numerous transfers on trains and stations that weren’t equipped to handle luggage larger than carry-on in 40 degree weather and yet I wasn’t the only non-native using the system. I’d also like to add that the whole trip cost less than what any car or taxi would have cost…

Going back to my original point, I would like to point out a major difference. MTA has created in New York a public transit system which continues to blend in well with the urban fabric of the city. MDT has yet to figure out what they hope to accomplish with rail service in Miami, transporting people to hubs that no longer exist, failing to integrate rail well with our surroundings, and generally creating system that will one day be as confusing as the people who created it…

MIC “Progress”


Let’s Drive to Government Center!

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on December 28, 2006
in Government Center, Metrorail, Miami, Parking, Urban Growth and Urban Planning
. 0 Comments
Ryan is back once again to talk about government center. I’m actually headed downtown soon myself and will check out what he’s talking about firsthand. I’ll be back later today to cover the Miami Orange Bowl renovations, Miami River Dredging, and Density…


The other day I happened to be on the Government Center Metrorail Station platform when I noticed I was almost completely surrounded by parking. Good thing I had my camera with me – check out all the parking and keep in mind this is the supposed to be one of the densest parts of city as well as one of its’ most prominent public spaces. This is definitely not something you want to have anywhere in the city, especially abutting the downtown transit hub. This ruinous land use has the following effects:


• Fractures urban continuity in densest part of city; alienates the station from the rest of the city’s urban framework
• Takes the place of valuable real estate
• Induces demand for more driving in Miami’s downtown core; gives the impression that transit is an afterthought in this community, thus stigmatizing transit as the not-so-sexy stepchild to private automobile travel, even in the densest part of the city’s urban core
• Serves as a morbid public space in an otherwise strategic location


This puts into perspective the lunacy of adding more parking adjacent to Government Center Station. Doing so would effectively surround Miami’s primary downtown station on at least three sides by parking, as well as displacing the downtown bus terminal (which needs a public space makeover itself – not displacement.)

In my next post, I’ll illustrate and describe a good example of what Miami transit stations should aspire for regarding integration of quality public spaces – especially at Government Center Station.

Myth Busted: Density is an evil prospect of greedy developers that ruins Neighborhoods

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on December 19, 2006
in Density, Miami, Urban Growth and Urban Planning
. 0 Comments
Ryan, a good friend of mine and regular contributor to Transit Miami, has finally returned to tackle one of the greatest fears of many Miami neighborhoods: Density. This inherent fear towards density (particularly in those communities along US-1) has led many of these municipalities to lower the maximum allowable density, further solidifying sprawl and preventing city centers from ever evolving properly. Decreased density along US-1 in particular will lead to further growth west of the UDB as well as further underutilization of the maximum potential of metrorail. We need to embrace density key areas, while preserving the identity of our communities in other parts of the city…

I must say, I am so tired of listening to people in Miami-Dade County talk about density as if it is the devil reincarnated. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are concerned that density in or around their neighborhood will somehow lower their quality of life, perhaps by increasing traffic, “overcrowding”, or blocked views. Or, many others fear density because they are afraid of the lifestyle changes that are associated with density (i.e. a less car-dependent lifestyle, less suburban lifestyle, etc.). Perhaps more unfortunately, I think many of the “keep density downtown” advocates are either xenophobic, delusional, or both, sincerely wishing they didn’t live in a major, diverse city like Miami. Never fear - with this post I’ll be briefly pointing out why as citizens of Miami, we should embrace quality density as a friend, not an enemy.

First of all, density is necessary to combat our affordable housing crisis. How is this the case, you ask? Well, density allows developers to allocate a share of units in new buildings/townhouses to people and families lying within middle class and working class income brackets. A form of this policy is already being used by the County, which provides a density bonus to developers who allocate a portion of their units for affordable housing. Regrettably, the potential of such policy thus far has not yielded the intended results, and it appears that a mandate allocating a given percent of EVERY new multi-unit residential building to affordable housing would be the best way to attack the affordable housing crisis and create more socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods (an opportunity squandered recently by the County.) It is up to us citizens to put the pressure on planners and officials to enforce the density bonuses and develop better affordable housing policy instead of continuing to allow most new developments to be of the luxury nature. Believe me; this policy has been very successful in cities throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.

Additionally, by creating more compact communities, density is the precursor to upgrading mass transit. Possibly the most popular scapegoat for local anti-transit advocates around is that “Miami is too spread out for transit to ever work well here” (also another myth.) Regardless, more compact communities will increase the feasibility of transit in many areas, which would eventually lead to enhanced mobility and even increased property values.

Density is also one of the answers to global warming and our oil crises. Miami’s car-dependent culture is definitely not sustainable in the long term. NASA scientist, and perhaps the most renowned researcher on global warming in the world, James Hansen, has proclaimed that “man has just 10 years to reduce greenhouse gases before global warming reaches a tipping point and becomes unstoppable….” Here’s a stat; with only 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes 26% of global energy. When you consider that of the 20 million barrels of oil used per day in America, 40% is used by passenger vehicles, we have a problem. Frankly, we are way behind when it comes to instituting the necessary land use changes and sound urban planning practices that result in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Much of Europe and Japan are light years ahead when it comes to building sustainable cities, which definitely puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Moreover, oil production has peaked, meaning from now on production will begin to decline while prices will steadily rise. When it comes to economic competitiveness, this reality puts auto-centric cities, states, and countries at a marked disadvantage. The reality is, if we don’t begin to acclimate ourselves to lifestyles that don’t revolve around cars, we’ll be faced with very abrupt, painful changes in the next few decades. Also, when we begin to consider where much of the remaining oil reserves are located (Middle East, Venezuela, etc.), we need to ask ourselves, do we really want to be held economically hostage to unstable countries that don’t particularly care for us?

Another very important issue I want to bring up is the link between compact inner city development and urban fringe development. Growth estimates in Miami-Dade County (currently eighth most populous county in America) project an increase of approximately 600,000 people by 2025, totaling over 3,000,000 residents. The reality is there is no slowing down the population growth in the Greater Miami area, which leaves us with two choices: embrace density and compact communities within the urban growth boundary to help accommodate population growth, or continue sprawling development along the urban fringe, further threatening the Everglades, agricultural land, and the entire metropolitan region’s water supply.

Density even makes our neighborhoods safer. Compact, mixed-use communities put more eyes on our streets. Consequently, this will generally make our streets safer as criminals need be much bolder to commit crimes in a public space where people are watching. It’s a lot scarier walking down poorly lit, deserted streets flanked by parking and building setbacks than it is walking down well-traveled sidewalks on well designed streets.

Density even has a positive impact on public health. Compact communities, as a compliment of density, promote more physical activity within the community, which has the effect of combating obesity and lessening stress. Dense, mixed-use communities in which amenities are typically within walking or biking distance could lead to a dramatic decrease in necessary car trips per person, which could save you a lot of money, too. On a related note, according to renowned community activist Robert Putnam in his seminal book on social capital, Bowling Alone, “every 10 minutes of commute time equates to 10% less participation in the local community”, thus exhibiting the deleterious effect low-density, car-dependent development has on social capital.

In leaving, I should mention that it is important that we advocate for quality density, which is often overlooked because of absolutist fights between developers and NIMBYs. Good urban design is the key to a communities and cities realizing the full potential of density. Subsequent posts will focus on some simple areas of urban design to look for when examining the effect a building will have on its surroundings.

The Shops at Wasted Space

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on December 12, 2006
in Metrorail, Miami, South Miami, Sunset Place, Urban Growth and Urban Planning
. 1 Comment


Alas, with the demise of the Bakery Center in South Miami over a decade ago, the then proposed Shops at Sunset Place were to serve as the urban catalyst for the city South Miami. Now, eight years after Sunset Place opened, we have been able to see the less than stellar transformation the neighborhood has experienced along with the generally lackluster performance of the new mall.


The Shops at Sunset Place was designed as a mall in transition. The sprawling suburban mall concept was just beginning to fade away from the American landscape while the “lifestyle center” concept had yet to fully take off. Having witnessed the failure of the Bakery Center, Simon Malls was careful to not retrace the same steps, but by the same token, was reluctant to fully pioneer a new urban and real “lifestyle center.” Unlike its predecessor, Sunset Place was designed to be an open-aired Mediterranean community, incorporating former mall aspects like big boxed anchor tenants with street-level restaurants, faux cityscapes, and even a few residential units. The center was originally envisioned to be an entertainment center, but the quick failure of some of the theme restaurants and IMAX Theater, quickly changed intended target use. Since its inception, the mall has struggled to maintain a strong and lasting business base. This can perhaps be attributed to its awkward design, as I said earlier, as a mall in transition: too few apartments, too big of a parking garage for an urban center, but too small for a mall, near isolation from the surrounding urban area, and a terrible incorporation into the South Miami neighborhood and nearby public transit.

The Shops at Wasted Space Sunset Place has served as a catalyst for South Miami: bringing the worst urban planning ideas to an area that was once brimming with potential. The area will soon become the biggest conglomeration of public parking facilities I’ve ever witnessed. I walk through this area nearly everyday, somehow avoiding every Benz and Beemer which comes careening through the area in search of parking and jarringly unconscious of any pedestrian laws which might exist. Despite the area’s proximity to public transit, I have never seen such obstinate disregard for incorporating the metrorail with the urban area.


Now, rising in the heart of the area are two developments which will continue the neighborhood’s transformation from urban center to urban disaster. The map above shows the existing public parking garage structures in the area (Red circles.) The first catastrophic development, highlighted by the yellow circle is the upcoming Plaza San Remo (Where’s the Plaza?) with over 100,000+ square feet of office space and a 65,000 square foot Whole Foods Market. The complex, which is being advertised as: “A first-class Medical & Professional Condominium where South Miami, Coral Gables, and Pinecrest Meet” is rising just east of the most uninviting pedestrian façade of Sunset Place. The inhospitable surroundings of the blank walls of Sunset Place, Wendy’s drive-thru, and near chaotic activity along Red Rd. will almost guarantee that this complex will only be accessible by vehicle, so don’t let the pretty red awnings fool you, they aren’t there for anything other than looks. Most disturbing though, Plaza San Remo will contain: “Generous covered parking for owners and visitors – five spaces per 1,000 feet.” A lot of good those 825 spaces will do the area when the local streets area already at or near capacity and the building is less than a quarter-mile from the nearest transit station…


Highlighted by the blue circle on the map and about one tenth of a mile away from the transit station is the upcoming catastrophic restaurant/public parking garage facility. The 435 parking spot garage will sit above 36,000 square feet of restaurants including a Carrabas, Outback Steakhouse, and a “sport themed” restaurant according to city documents (Note the public concerns: “He felt that key points about safety in the garage were addressed such as proper turning radiuses for cars…”) Give me a break! What about the fact that the area can’t handle another 435 patrons cars or that a parking garage isn’t exactly part of the urban design South Miami should be looking for for the city center, all the public cares about is whether they will be able to drive their Hummer or Navigator through without getting a scratch…It looks like the only wait for a table for two will be on the two lanes of 73rd St…

The Green lines on the map indicate streets which contain on-street parallel parking spaces. The orange circles highlight the local existing surface parking lot facilities. Aside from parking and food themed retail, the urban center is lacking any sort of residential identity. The city and County have completely neglected the fact that transit was originally intended to be incorporated into the urban center, a fact which will soon be realized as the South Miami streets become choked by the very traffic they were originally intended to attract…

$2 Billion Widening Spree

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on November 30, 2006
in FDOT, Miami, Sprawl, Traffic and Urban Growth
. 0 Comments

What a way to waste $2 Billion. Widening Krome? Don’t be fooled, our basic transit infrastructure fell apart long ago. FDOT simply doesn’t understand the social ramifications of doing this. They claim the widening is necessary to create a safer facility for motorists; however, it will only open a floodgate to more pointless housing developments. When I spoke to some FDOT officials recently, they informed me that the money is designated for improvement on Miami-Dade roads only, if the project isn’t completed within a designated time frame, the money is simply funneled to another county in the state for a similar project. I was initially inquiring to find out the possibility of using the money for something that would benefit a wider range of people within the county, say Public Transit? No, that would be intelligent…

Time Credo Loves Miami

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on November 29, 2006
in Miami, Poverty, Tancredo, Time Magazine and Urban Growth
. 0 Comments

I got home last week and ironically one of the first things I reached for was the most recent edition of Time magazine which happened to be lying around. I thumbed through the pages when a striking image of a beach I recognized caught my eye. After reading the article There’s Trouble–Lots of It–in Paradise, I tossed the magazine aside in utter disgust that such a prominent news organization could foolishly paint such a bleak and inaccurate portrait of my home city. It felt like a personal assault. I decided not to blog about the article that evening to not further publicize the rubbish. However, recently some bloggers have shared their own sentiments on living in the Greater Miami region, most notably; Rick of SOTP. Rick plans on leaving for Denver as soon as a job becomes available in the area in order to be closer to the rural surroundings where he plans on retiring. I don’t question his choice on places for retirement, I’m sure the Rocky Mountain crisp air and wilderness are just as ideal as the beautiful warm beaches across our state, but, I do doubt the widespread belief that Denver or any other major US city will prove to be a better temporary alternative home. Now, it’s not just Denver, or Rick’s case, but, many of the sentiments shared as reasons to leave Greater Miami are just as prevalent in nearly every American city across the country. Let’s start with traffic. With the exception of a couple major metropolitan regions in the country with excellent public transit, traffic is just as bad if not worse as in Miami (Although, yes, the drivers may not be as bold.) Cost of Living. That’s easy, if you live near a major metropolitan area, you are likely going to pay for the convenience the only way this can be avoided is by moving to the rural parts of the country or to a smaller town or municipality. Business week (via SOTP) references the most affordable suburbs of 2006 all of which I am sure are plagued with the traffic, living costs, etc. They noted Weston as an affordable suburb of Ft. Lauderdale which is ironically itself a suburb of Miami; I can only imagine the traffic headache face Weston residents face on a daily commute. I digressed, but, there was a point in there that I wanted to make: Due to the way our cities have been built over the past few decades, we are all likely to face the same set of poor development hassles associated with city living.

Going back to the Time Magazine article, I find it extremely unprofessional for the author and editor of the magazine to portray such a biased and generally inaccurate story about any municipality. The article focuses on rising insurance premiums and a terrible education system in Miami, both of which are problems which face our entire state rather than solely our community and are the result of terrible guidance by the state and national lawmakers. The article fails to include how Miami’s crime rate has decreased significantly since its all time highs in prior decades. How about the fact that Miami is still the bustling hub for Latin-American business in the United States, second only to New York City in International Banking and Diamond trade, is experiencing a boom unlike no other American city, and is the site to one of the largest global modern art showcases when Art Basel visits. A recent article in the New York Times highlights the recent growth of Wynwood arts district and how the event has changed the once blighted neighborhood. As Bob:Miami points out, this article appears nearly 25 years after to the date of another Time article which began like this: “South Florida is hit by a hurricane of crime, drugs and refugees…” yippee! Let’s not forget their masterpiece published in 1996 titled Gloom Over Miami. As a reader also wisely noted, Tim Padgett, the author of the most recent anti-Miami tirade, wrongfully interchanged statistics between the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County throughout the article. Just bad journalism.

As if a blow by Time magazine wasn’t enough for one week, one of our Senators, Tom Tancredo, publicly stated from a conservative rally at the Breakers in Palm Beach that “Miami has become a Third World country. You just pick it up and take it and move it someplace. You would never know you’re in the United States of America. You would certainly say you’re in a Third World country.” Don’t hold back Tancredo, tell us how you really feel. Certainly he’s visited a third world Country and must speak from his wise experiences. (Note: Tancredo hasn’t ever visited the Miami area and would be willing to do so if he could stay at a five star hotel, just the kind of guy we need making national decisions, a pork barrel spender who makes decisions based on circumstantial evidence, cough, cough, Iraq.) So, I guess Tancredo is the type of guy that would find even the most accommodating Marriott Resort as “roughing it.” I hate to break the news to you, but Miami is haven for Cuban-Americans, most of which are considered legal US citizens due to the policies of the oppressive government back in their homeland. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was quick to defend our city (well sort of, just because they’re in the same party I’d never refer to someone who flat out insults my hometown and district as a “friend”) by inviting Tancredo to visit beautiful Miami and experience our hospitality firsthand. Jeb Bush also quickly came to the defense of the city he will soon once again be calling home and called the senator naïve. I think he’s just an ignorant out-of-touch politician who is just looking to get some sort of approval from his conservative base and clearly fails to realize that like New York and Boston were once havens to Irish Immigrants, Miami is today’s haven to Hispanic culture.

Read Tancredo’s reply to Gov. Bush (The opening statement begins with the notion that Jeb has the “…desire to create the illusion of Miami as a multiethnic all American city…”)

As I search for some sort of reasonable conclusion for this article, I am compelled to remind people that running away from the issues which plague our city is simply not the right solution (No, I don’t accuse Rick, or Tere of running away…Rick is retiring and Tere is likely part of the middle-class that is being squeezed nationally.) Miami, like every major metropolitan city across the nation has its share of problems, but, they will not get better unless we collectively decide to do something about it. Traffic is a uniform problem across the United States, from major cities down to small towns because of the way we have chosen to live and build our municipalities. If we don’t stand up to these problems today, our past will repeat itself and Miami will forever become synonymous with criminal activity, drugs, and a haven for Latin-American culture…

Updates:

Michael Lewis of Miami Today News has a great reply to the Time Article…

Time Magazine affiliates HBO and AOL (all under the Time-Warner Umbrella, local office in Doral) have offices in Miami, Oh the irony…

The company which engineered the exterior cladding of the AOL/Time-Warner headquarters in NYC, is based in Miami…Permasteelisa…

Sorry Time Magazine and Tommy Tancredo, Miami ditched the statewide slump in Tourism…Guess people like to visit third world cities…

26th Parallel, Riptide, and Flablog all chime in…

Moment of Clarity

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 19, 2006
in Commission, Community, Development, Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal, Miami, Opinion, Public Works, Transit, Urban Growth and Vision
. 0 Comments
Unfortunately, I believe it has come to that time where I must clarify my position on certain community issues in order to prevent and dispel the skewed misconceptions which have been swirling around in a few comments lately about me. This article does not apply to the vast majority of you, but, I have to post it in order to preserve the integrity behind my name and my website.

First off, I am not a development happy, x-box playing, geek, who prances around gleefully whenever a new shiny glass skyscraper is unveiled in Miami. I do not own or wish to own an X-box, sorry Microsoft. Furthermore, I cringe when I see most of the planned buildings and developments slated to rise in Miami because I know full well that the current infrastructure (Transit, Electrical, Water, Educational, etc.) is not equipped to handle such growth. I cringe because I know that most of the developers are taking advantage of Miami in order to earn quick buck and in the end do not care about the impact their buildings will have on the community or the residents who purchase them. The politics behind much of this growth sickens me and is definitely not anything I stand for. The archaic development codes in this county and city are not suitable for such expansion and our public works sector is not familiar with the concept of sustainable growth. We lack the vision and foresight across all levels of government to plan anything properly and accordingly and in a timely fashion.

With regards to the people of Miami, I believe we all need to become more involved in what is going on in our community. I implore my readers to get involved in community meetings or even by leaving comments on my blog so that we can address issues together. We must hold ourselves as well as our elected officials accountable for the policies which govern us. Republican or Democrat? I say, who cares, we must all be concerned with how our tax money is being misappropriated and we need to first make sure that elected officials are designating our interests as their priorities. We need to enhance our educational system and improve our graduation rates from high schools and universities. We must build stronger communities to come together better in times of need and keep an eye out to lower crime and vandalism.

This is how I truly feel about development and life in Miami. I write my blog with passion daily to try and instill some of that heart into all of my readers. I genuinely care about Miami, not some other country, like many of our residents seem to do. I try to call things the way I see them and avoid sugarcoating topics so that my readers may come to their own conclusions. I believe growth is important for this community to continue to be a player in the global market, however, we must first learn how to grow in a method which will benefit future generations to come.

This is a glimpse of what I stand for and what my site is all about…

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Not on My Street

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on July 17, 2006
in East West Corridor, Flagami, Metrorail, Parking, Planning, Sweetwater, Transit Oriented Development and Urban Growth
. 0 Comments
We’ve seen this occur countless times; a good project becomes an ugly mess when too many chefs are placed in the kitchen. The East/West rail corridor is supposed to link the communities of Flagami, Blue Lagoon, Doral and West Kendall. However, Flagami residents are putting up a fight to derail transit plans to place the line down NW 7th street, through the urban heart of their community. Instead, they want to see the train travel along the Dolphin expressway, where it will be relegated to serving as a Park-N-Ride Commuter rail station, at best. The Urban life concept is a foreign one here apparently. Peace and quiet are suddenly extremely important qualities for a neighborhood situated under the flight path of MIA, citing the train would bring excessive noise to their area. Give me a break.

I love how everyone suddenly becomes an expert on the subject, knowing what’s best for the area and its’ future. I thought we hired city planners and engineering professionals for a reason. I mean after all they are professionals who have studied the subject for at least four or five years and have had to pass various certification exams. How is it that Joe Blow Flagami resident, can whine for a little while and have the whole future of Miami Public Transportation in the area changed just because he doesn’t like the idea? What happened to being progressive and doing what is best for our community’s future? Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe the people should have a say in the projects in their backyard, but when is it the right time to trump their ideas and do whatever is best for the future of the community. I believe it is up to planners to a certain extent to guide and steer growth appropriately through intelligent systems. Baylink is great example of a project that should have occurred, with or without the local community support, because of the long-term benefit it would have provided to all citizens.

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Who Plans our Cities?

Published
by
Gabriel Lopez-Bernal
on April 11, 2006
in Conservation, Everglades, I-75, Miami, Naples, Urban Growth and Urban Planning
. 0 Comments
We recently took the above photograph on a drive east from Naples on I-75. Amidst the beautiful views of the everglades grass and pristine wildlife (That we erroneously paved a road across in the 1920s to disrupt the flow of water in the Everglades in order to facilitate automobile movement) we come across the very large and disturbing view of the Bank Atlantic Center and rising TAO Condos, just on the water’s edge (or swamp, whatever). Honestly, whose bright idea was it to build dense population structures in suburbia on the edge of a pristine sanctuary? Its just bad urban planning…