In honor of the Ft. Lauderdale Boat show opening today, we present Larry Ellison’s Rising Sun, a 453 foot behemoth private Yacht. It is reportedly the largest private mega yacht not owned by a head of state and fourth largest in the world (it has 82 bedrooms, a gym, and a wine cellar.) Mega Yachts, generally those measuring over 80 feet, are apparently the hot item at this years boat show, that is if you have tens of millions of dollars laying around…
I came across an interesting website (Trulia Hindsight) which provides us with an animated map of homes in the United States. The animations use the year the properties were built to show the growth of streets, neighborhoods and cities over time. The data comes from the real estate website Trulia. Of the 900,000+ properties in the Miami area only 0.2% are depicted which interestingly enough is a wide enough range to accurately depict the sprawl that has occurred in our region. 
The Hollywood- Young Circle Arts Park has been impressively executed. The centrally located new park is a strong indicator of Hollywood’s very serious commitment to creating a livable exciting environment for its residents.
Many of the right notes were hit in this redesign of a delinquent public space. Water features as well as beautiful planters (beautifully planted) and progressively designed lampposts, benches and playground rides abound.
The arts center building is boldly envisioned and yet aesthetically accessible to the masses. An adjacent outdoor performance space holds great promise for building a strong community. Perhaps the one significant criticism is the lack of shade trees. Although they are not non-existant, my September visit to the park was, notably, a sweltering experience. The inclusion of mature Ceiba trees as a gateway to the park is nothing less than regal. Hopefully the shade trees that have been planted will fill in nicely over the coming months and years. The park is a major achievement, both civic and aesthetic, and should be looked at as model to be emulated throughout South Florida.
Miami is missing, but then again so is NYC, Boston, Chicago, etc…
The Chevy Volt concept Electric Car is finishing up its Miami tour today from 10am to 9pm: Dolphin Mall (Doral, 11401 NW 12th Street, in front of the Texas de Brazil restaurant)…
- The Houston MTA has voted to use LRT on all of its upcoming 5 rapid transit routes.
- How do you resolve a budget deficit of $29 Million? You spend $102 Million to build a streetcar of course! This method is being pitched by Cincinnati’s City Manager, who argues that the added benefit the streetcar will bring will more quickly pull the city out of economic recession.
- Seattle voters will soon be heading to the polls to vote on a massive transportation bill which will simultaneously expand LRT service and widen highways…
- Alesh provides a run down of how to use Public Transit. Plenty of good points, particularly: the environment, exercise, reading time, and money. The only thing I’d add to the list is social interaction…
- Earth to these people…Lowering the parking rates at the Sonesta will CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS… If anything, parking meter rates should increase to discourage people within walking distance of the grove from driving around in search for a parking spot. If you need help on how to get around without a car, see Alesh’s post above…
- Michael Lewis provides us with some much needed insight on the former fountain in Bayfront Park once dedicated to Claude Pepper…
- Rail apparently isn’t a viable option to connect to the port… We still disagree…
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The Blogroll is now working again. The program periodically stops working…
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We’d like to welcome our newest writer, Andrew Davis who will soon be contributing his thoughts, stories, and ideas with us.
As always, If you have any articles or thoughts you’d like to share with us, leave us some comments or shoot us an email (movemiami@gmail.com)…
This past Tuesday Broward county held a transit summit with the intent of getting input from the public on what is wrong with public transportation in Broward County and what can be done to fix it. Mayor Joseph Eggelletion started up the public portion of the summit. The most notable thing he mentioned was that Broward county wants to “think green” with their transit. This is a departure from recent trends, as they have foregone any hybrid options for new buses such as the highly touted articulated buses for the 441 Breeze route. Perhaps they will follow PalmTran’s lead and use biodiesel.The president of the American Public Transportation Association, William Millar, delivered the keynote speech. His speech offered a few pointers to improve transit, but nothing earth-shattering. The most insightful information of the summit was some numbers comparing the transit system in Broward county to other Metro areas, from Miami to Seattle to Atlanta. [I
don't have these numbers with me at work.] They all have more buses and more rail than Broward county, but only because they each have a dedicated funding source. Last year Broward voters passed up a 1% sales tax increase that would have gone toward transit, and the system will continue to stagnate if residents are not willing to pay for expansion.Two of the suggestions I wrote down were to secure a funding source and to connect to Miami’s Orange Line Metrorail when they come to the Broward County line. Metrorail’s deputy director told me their final elevation was such that Broward County could connect to their tracks. The ball is in the hands of the voters. If we can vote to tax ourselves, the county says they will listen to us and use that money where we want them to. In the meantime, additional summits will be held on Nov. 13 and on Jan. 24. Go andtell them how to make our transit better.
I didn’t get to stay for the end to hear what other comments were, so I don’t know if the overall tone was good or bad.
The planners for the old Spanish Village development along Ponce Circle in the Gables are working to create a new office building (shown above) which would attempt to replicate the Barcelona Cathedral: 
I’m not sure what the final building will look like, but I’ve always been curious to see a modern day Gothic building rise. The 215,000 square foot office building is slated to become the centerpiece of the development and the new home of the Cisneros Group.Here was the original design when the tower was slated for condominiums:
If you are a hurricane fan, turn away; this article isn’t for the feint of heart. I’m going to try and put my Gator sentiments aside as I write this, but I can’t guarantee there won’t be any bias. I went to the Hurricane-Georgia Tech game last weekend in the orange bowl to bid my own personal farewell to the iconic venue. Although I wasn’t there for the game, more so to take in the sights, sounds, and experience, I couldn’t help but find myself rooting for the home team. The game is beside the point, as an engineer and someone who cares about the social aspects of the To state it plainly, I can clearly see why the decision was made to move the hurricanes from the
However, the
Overall I can’t help but feel for the venue that could have been; there is too much history, too many wide rights to simply watch this place fall to pieces. Visiting and experiencing the OB one last time has given me a new perspective on UM’s decisions, however, it only made me further question the direction of the city and the reasoning for constructing another stadium in this neighborhood…With regards to tradition; I’ll let you know how things go this weekend in Tallahassee, I can guarantee a huge difference…
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.
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
Click for Larger Image…
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Planetizen- Cities May Be Back, But Don't Forget About the Burbs May 22, 2013A review of June Williamson's new book reminds us that the need to retrofit suburbia is as urgent as ever, despite the ascendance of cities. Amanda Kolson Hurley explores the top five reasons 'why the suburbs are shaping up as the new frontier.' […]
- Is Congestion Pricing the Solution to San Francisco’s Traffic Woes? May 22, 2013A new report paints a grim picture of San Francisco’s traffic future. Without radical reductions in auto usage, the city’s downtown will be ‘mired in gridlock.’ Is a controversial congestion pricing scheme the solution? […]
- Why Is it Hard to Find Places to Ride Out a Tornado in Oklahoma? May 22, 2013You might be surprised to learn that in the area famously known as 'Tornado Alley', underground shelters and safe rooms are relatively rare. Several reasons, from physical to financial to cultural constraints, conspire to leave residents vulnerable. […]
- Will New Mayor Seize the Opportunity to Build a 'Truly Urban' L.A.? May 22, 2013The new mayor of Los Angeles is young, charismatic, and a champion of urbanism and smart growth. He should start using all these assets immediately to transform Los Angeles into the vibrant, transit-oriented city it can become, says Bill Fulton. […]
- New Jersey Drops VMT Fee for EV Fee May 22, 2013NJ legislation highlights the need to ensure that those who drive EVs pay their fair share of taxes to keep roads in good repair. A bill that would have charged a mileage fee for all vehicles was scrapped for a $50 flat registration fee for EVs. […]
- Envisioning a LEED-like Ratings System for Infrastructure May 22, 2013Bob Graves discusses the concept behind Envision, "a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects." […]
- The Ups and Downs of the Bike Sharing Economy May 22, 2013What makes Capital Bikeshare, the largest such program in the U.S. with nearly 2000 bikes, a success? What are its shortcomings? Mohana Ravindranath investigates. […]
- Can Signage Change Perceptions About Disabilities? May 22, 2013With New York City's embrace, the dream of revamping the iconic blue-and-white handicapped symbol is becoming a reality. As NYC adopts "a more active representation of people with physical limitations," activists hope the change has a broader effect. […]
- To Stretch Strained Municipal Budgets, Build Smart May 22, 2013Utilizing 17 case studies, a new report from Smart Growth America examines the costs and benefits of competing development strategies. Any way you slice it, smart growth strategies are more financially prudent than building sprawl. […]
- Obama Could Tackle Climate Change on His Own; But Will He? May 22, 2013With a reluctant Congress unwilling to act, and the signs of a warming planet multiplying, the Editorial Board of The New York Times urges President Obama to utilize executive actions to address climate change. […]
- Cities May Be Back, But Don't Forget About the Burbs May 22, 2013
- Green Mobility Network
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