ConversationwithMayorCarlosAlvarezOct. 20th

See Page 10

The Urban ForumNewsletter of The Urban Environment League

September 2005Issue No. 16Website: www.uel.org

Email: uelmiami@bellsouth.net

As this is the beginning of myfourth year as President of UEL, Ithought I would reflect on the ques-tions posed in the title.

When I started with the UEL, theissues were about saving open space,establishing benchmarks for qualitycommunities, insuring that Miamiwould develop a land use master planto preserve the character of the city’shistoric neighborhoods and parks.Also on our agenda was the preser-vation of natural resources such as thewaterfront and the revitalization ofthe Everglades. UEL was in the fore-front of civic issues related to theabove. We worked hard, but manytimes when we thought we had a suc-cess story, progress took three stepsbackward. The issues below illustratewhere we have been, where we weregoing, and the dedication to getthere.

As the City of Miami kicked offMiami 21, the long awaited masterplanning strategy began with plan-ner, Elizabeth Plater Zyberk. Onestep forward for a Miami MasterPlan. The purpose of the plan wasto end overzealous constructionprojects and begin to design zoningthat complemented Miami’s uniquecommunities. Miami’s planningcode today encourages constructionthat shadows over them. The stepbackwards was that no moratoriumin place until the master plan is in

place, so developers continue to rushin with huge development plans.Now, with so many cats out of thebag, no matter how great a job Lizand her staff do with the plan, thefuture streetscape will be fraught withinsensitive growth and lack of neigh-borhood integrity. Community as-sociations are fighting back throughout Miami-Dade County. The UELwill work with each of the groups toestablish a smart growth master plan.

Miami kicked off itsVirginia Key Master Planthat will produce a blue-print for the historic res-toration and sensible re-development of the Key.A week after the kickoff,we almost took a giantstep backward. An itemappeared on the City ofMiami Commissionagenda to expand theRusty Pelican Restauranton Virginia Key, complete with afloating bar at the water’s edge. Theinconsistency of this expansion onVirginia Key flew in the face of themaster planning process. We com-mend the Miami Commission forputting this development plan to restuntil the Virginia Key Master Plan iscompleted. The UEL will monitorthe progress for writing a creativeplan.

The UEL has strongly supported

the removal of visual blight in all ofMiami Dade’s neighborhoods.

The greatest blight stems from thelack of enforcement of the outdoorsign ordinance (AKA as the BillboardOrdinance). While CommissionerKaty Sorenson staunchly fights forstronger sign regulations, the City ofMiami is eagerly attempting to settlewith the owners of the illegal signsand legalize the illegal signs. TheCounty is the designated enforcer of

ALL billboard signs inMiami Dade County.They have failed to usetheir authority! Anamendment to beef upthe County Sign Or-dinance was on thecounty commissionagenda September 8.An advertising glitchdisrupted the best in-tentions of the com-mission. The amend-

ments to the sign ordinance are nowon hold for a month or two.

It is up to the County to controlvisual sign blight. UEL eagerly sup-ports the amended ordinance and weurge the County Commission to usetheir powers to enforce and removethose illegal signs.

Back in 2002, the County and theSchool Board plotted to try to builda school in Haulover Park.

Where have we been? Where are we going? How will we get there?By Nancy Liebman - UEL President

Please go to page 3

Miami 21 &Transportation

␣By Bob Flanders

␣Fred Kent of the Project for Pub-

lic Spaces said his favorite sayingabout Transportation is:␣

“If you plan cities for cars and traf-fic, you get cars and traffic. If youplan for people and places, you getpeople and places.”

It is 2005 and inMiami we have fi-nally awakened tothe fact that many ofour public spaceshave been over-whelmed by car-cen-tric development.

Miami’s trafficsnarls and depen-dency on the auto-mobile are welldocumented andwidely known. Mi-ami, along withother car-choked cit-ies across Americahas fallen victim tothe ever growingpresence of the auto-mobile.

␣ Two years ago, intheir 2003 nationalUrban Mobility Re-port, researchers withthe Texas Transporta-tion Institute at TexasA&M University(which monitors howmuch time motoristsspend each year intraffic) ranked Miamias the 4th most con-gested city in Americaand the gridlock capi-tal of Florida. Today

we are most likely number 3.␣ It is a fact that more traffic is the

chief objection to additional develop-ment and density in the City.

Miami 21 has been billed correctlyas a complete and holistic approachto redesigning the City into a sustain-able community for the rest of the21st century. But it is also true thatthe studies which will reshape ourzoning, create a new economic devel-opment plan and redesign the public

realm will fail with-out a redesign ofour transportationnetworks.

␣ In other words,the other three dis-ciplines revolvearound the fourth,t ranspor ta t ion,which according tothe Miami 21website, “will makerecommendationsfor improvementsthat will mitigatecongestion, im-prove the existingroad network, en-courage highway

design that is compatible to sur-rounding neighborhoods, and pro-mote alternative transportation op-tions.”

More traffic and road capacity arenot the inevitable result of growth.They are in fact the product of verydeliberate choices that have beenmade (for us usually, not by us) toshape our communities around theprivate automobile. But Miami 21can change that.

We as a society, and now as an en-tire city, have the ability to make dif-ferent choices—starting with the de-cision to design our streets ascomfortable places for people.

Miami 21 offers the greatest op-portunity to develop a plan that be-gins to make the changes that willhelp Miami overcome our mostpressing long-term problem with asolution that greatly enhances ourquality of life and returns our city toits citizens.

␣ This from the Project for PublicSpaces website - http://www.pps.org␣ Rule One: Stop Planning for Speed.

Speed kills sense of place. Citiesand town centers are destinations, notraceways. Commerce needs traffic—

Lead ConsultantElizabeth Plater-Zyberk

foot traffic. You can’t buy a dress froma car. Even foot traffic speeds up inthe presence of fast-moving cars. Ac-cess, not automobiles, should be thepriority in city centers. Don’t bancars, but remove the presumption intheir favor. People first!

Rule Two: Start Planning for Pub-lic Outcomes

Cars were first introduced into cit-ies as a public health measure—re-moving the dirt and filth of a trans-portation system based on rawhorsepower, in the literal sense of theword. Cars also allowed us to sepa-rate people from the pollution ofmills and factories, another publicbenefit. Great transportation, such asGrand Central Terminal, grand bou-levards, cozy side streets, rail-trails,the wide sidewalks of the ChampsElysées, are transportation “improve-ments” that actually improve thepublic realm. Think public benefit,not just private convenience.

Rule Three: Think of Transpor-tation as Public Space

Yes, the road, the parking lot, thetransit terminal—these places canserve more than one mode (cars) andone purpose (movement).

Sidewalks are the urban arterialsof cities—make them wide, well lit,stylish and accommodating withbenches, outdoor cafes and public art.Roads can be shared spaces with pe-destrian refuges, bike lanes, on-streetparking etc. Parking lots can becomepublic markets on weekends.

Even major urban arterials can beretrofitted to provide for dedicatedbus lanes, well-designed bus stopsthat serve as gathering places, andmulti-modal facilities for bus rapidtransit or other forms of travel. Roadsare places too!

␣ Visit the Miami 21 Website:http://www.miami21.org/

␣

This outrageous plan to usurpopen space parkland as land forschools was scuttled by then Super-intendent, Merritt Steirheim after anoutcry from UEL and the environ-mental community.

In a giant step backward, Super-intendent Rudy Crew suggested in amemo dated, August 24, 2005 thatthe School Board “authorize the Su-perintendent to form an educationcompact between Miami Dade Pub-lic Schools and the City of Miami”.

One of the elements in theSuperintendent’s memo suggests “in-corporation of a specialized ScienceHigh School and a Fine Arts HighSchool on the grounds of MuseumPark (Bicentennial Park) where thecity’s science and arts museums willbe”. The “educational compact”, in-cluding Crew’s language was ap-proved by both the School Board andthe City of Miami Commission.

Last year, UEL worked out a com-promise with the museums wherebya total of eight acres of the park willbe used for museum building includ-ing their infrastructure.

The UEL is a member of the Bi-centennial Park planning committeeand will remain mobilized to preservethe remaining open space and water-front vistas.

Not only will we oppose Superin-tendent Crew’s school plan for thepark, but we will continue to advo-cate that parks are not surplus landand must never be compromised byplacing buildings in them. Once inthe Park, the school’s needs wouldquickly gobble up -- bit by bit --what little open land remains.

We also continue to urge theCity of Miami to not usurp pub-lic open space to put their policehorse stables in the open space ofhistoric Lummus Park.

Since UEL’s beginning, we haveadvocated for good communityplanning complete with amenitiessuch as transportation, schools,pedestrian safety, walkability,parks, open space, affordablehousing and up-to-date infrastruc-ture. All of these qualities havebecome the central focus of UEL’sfight to hold the urban develop-ment boundary line. So, despitemany steps backwards over theyears, we know we are still mov-ing on the same future path.

Preserving the UDB meansstopping sprawl, redeveloping theinner city neighborhoods with itsdecaying infrastructure, fightingfor a viable mass transportationsystem, demanding the end totraffic gridlock through the use ofthe County’s transit tax, insuringthere will be inclusionary housingfor our diverse community andsaving our most irreplaceable his-toric resource, the Everglades.This is our ongoing agenda basedupon the core principles by whichthe organization was established.

We know where we have beenand where we are going, we losesome battles, but we know howto get there.

We will use our educational fo-rums, our dinner meetings andour newsletter to keep the publicinformed about the ever-growingissues.

We will also be in the publicarena to advocate for the future ofa sustainable South Florida.

BE THERE WITH US!

Nancy Liebman’s Column Continued..

Billboard - cosmetic surgery

August 1, 2005, marked the 60thanniversary of the official opening ofhistoric Virginia Key Beach Park. Itwas marked by a special, televisedboard meeting of the Virginia KeyBeach Park Trust at Miami City Hall,where community residents were in-vited to share birthday cake, historyand reminiscences of the Park’s earlydays, and visions for the future, withintroductory presentations by thethree architectural firms whichemerged as finalists in the designcompetition for a new museum struc-ture to be built at the site.

The Anniversary was honored bythe presentation of a proclamation byCity of Miami Mayor Manny A.Diaz, and the observance was alsomarked by as special tribute to thememory of the late Arthur E. Teele,Jr., the former City Commissionerwhose astute leadership was crucialto the establishment of the currenteffort to save and restore a the Park.

By any measure, the story of thissacred site, as it might justifiably becalled, is special and unique.

The opening of Virginia KeyBeach on August 1, 1945, as “a DadeCounty Park for the exclusive use ofNegroes” was a highly significant,history-making event, but was but asmall chapter of a much larger, moreencompassing story. This designationof a bathing beach specifically for the“Colored” population, where no suchfacility existed anywhere in theCounty before, was a major victoryduring the segregation era, that camein response to a bold and courageousprotest that had taken place in May

of that year at what was then calledBaker’s Haulover, the site of present-day Haulover Beach which, at thetime was being planned for “WhiteOnly.” The new park was an instantsuccess, although only accessible byboat. It only became more popularas such improvements and amenitiesas cabanas, a bath house and conces-sion stand, amusement rides andrental cottages were added. Thecompletion of Rickenbacker Cause-way also gave the park auto accessincreasing its popularity. Despite itsrestrictions, it was a “paradise,” a fa-vorite as much for visiting celebritiesas for the local population itself.

Yet, the history of the Park did notjust begin there. The site had alreadybeen well established as an unofficialAfrican American recreational venue,informally known as “Bears Cut,” asearly as the 1930s. Indeed,an intriguing survey mapof Virginia Key dated

1918 even shows a “Negro DancingPavilion” in the very same location.Even earlier maps show the originalshape of the island (after a hurricaneseparated it from present-day FisherIsland) and show some of the first in-dications of “Virgin Island.” Theearliest recorded history is of a skir-mish with U.S. forces at the site inwhich three Seminoles were killedand their property confiscated.

By the early 1960s, Virginia KeyBeach was also welcoming early Cu-

ban refugees, but also around thattime another bold protest held atCrandon Park ended segregation atall Dade County public beaches.With that, however, the physical de-cline of Virginia Key Beach began,as the Parks Department saw no fur-ther need to maintain two parks atthe same level, and concentrated onCrandon Park.

Shortly after the transfer of thepark from County to City ownershipin 1982, the park was closed, and twodecades of “demolition by neglect”began. In 1999 Dr. Gregory Bushand Nancy Lee brought to the atten-tion of the African American com-munity that plans were afoot to leaseout a section of the historic beach toprivate developers for an exclusiveEco-resort. Led by community ma-triarch Mrs. M. Athalie Range, resi-

dents with fond memories oftheir once beloved “ColoredBeach” bonded with environ-mental and public parks activ-

ists and con-vinced theMiami CityCommissionto rethinkthat mis-guided pro-posal, and torestore andreopen the

park instead as a national environ-mental and historical landmark.

The Virginia Key Beach Park Trustwas established to manage the resto-ration process and the constructionof a unique museum/park whichwould commemorate the park’s his-tory (and future) as “a place of free-dom,” ultimately for all people.

County Bond ProgramLaunched At Historic Virginia

Key Beach ParkOn Tuesday, June 28, Virginia Key

On 60th AnniversaryVirginia Key Beach Park

Looks Back,And Ahead

Come and get to know UEL Members and make new friends in theCommunity. The meals are delicious and the wine reception is a greatnetworking opportunity. Dinners are held the third Tuesday of the month.Oct. 18, 2005 - UEL, Dade Heritage Trust, Miami Neighbor-

hoods United Representatives to talk about issues of commoninterest and how we can all work more effectively together.

Nov. 15, 2005 - Update On The County Bond Issue December: No Dinner Meeting Because Of HolidaysJan.. 17, 2006 - Coral Gables Mayor Don SlesnickFeb. 21, 2006 - Professor Marvin Dunn and possibly our own

board member Enid Pinkney on "Civil rights in public spaces."Mar. 21, 2006 - Miami River - We are anticipating that this dis-

cussion would involve the fact that the Miami River Greenwayis a great new source of public recreation open space on bothsides of the River and it is seriously being compromised by cityzoning changes which are threatening the river to become acondo canyon, as marine industrial zoned properties are beinggentrified off the river.

Apr. 18, 2006 - Topic open. Suggestions from the public?May 16, 2006 - Topic open. Suggestions from the public?

Admission $25 for UEL Members$30 Non-Members

Seating is Limited: You must Reserve!

Note: Tentative dinner schedule (At times, things come up and speakers thathave confirmed cancel and at other times, the UEL itself is confronted with amore pressing issue and has to change things around). When you RSVP we canconfirm the speakers. We can try to accommodate limited dietary restrictions -ask us when you reserve.

The Urban Environment LeagueDine & Discuss Dinners

Are held at:␣ The Historic Miami River Inn

118 SW South River Drive6:00 PM – Wine Reception

6:45 PM – DinnerFollowed by Program

Limited Seating, RSVP a must:Miami River Inn:305-325-0045

E-mail: Miamihotel@aol.com

hosted the official launch of the Mi-ami-Dade County Building BetterCommunities Bond Program, whereMayor Alvarez and several CountyCommissioners unveiled a new sign,informing motorists on RickenbackerCauseway that the newly restoredpark and a new museum on the siteare “Coming Soon.”

Besides the Mayor, County Com-missioners Bruno Barreiro, BarbaraCarey-Shuler, Dennis Moss and KatySorenson were among those presentfor the occasion.

The County officials chose thehistoric Beach Park as the venue forthe launch ceremony, which initiatesthe spending of some $2.9 billion formore than 300 County improvementprojects over the next 15-20 years, asapproved by the voters in Nov. 2004.

One of the very first of theseprojects will be the funding of a newmuseum and cultural center, whichwill be the centerpiece of the restoredpark, and will house many of theimportant but little-known stories ofMiami-Dade’s rich Black heritage,along with Virginia Key’s natural his-tory. The park will also preserve oneof the most valuable open greenspaces in south Florida as a publicrecreational location for future gen-erations.

In its leading role, the park willreceive $15.5 million, all in the firstfour years, which will make it easilythe earliest and most visible proof ofthe voters’ wisdom in approving thebond issue. Virginia Key was the idealvenue for this important ceremony.

For further information about thePark’s history and future plans, visittheir website at:

www.virginiakeybeachpark.netGene Tinne, Vice Chair

The Virginia Key Trust Park Trust

Miami-Dade County is getting40,000 to 50,000 new residents everyyear and many of them would like tobe part of the “American Dream’’ to owntheir home.

There has to be a balance. This isthe big challenge. The county is verypopular around the nation and aroundthe world. We cannot limit the size ofour population. This is America.

Posted on Thu, Jun. 30, 2005␣ COUNTY COMMISSION

DISTRICT 10

A UEL Discussion: On Souto’sAmerican Dream, Affordable

Housing and Density Snippets from an article from

England: The Tories are accusingMinisters of turning the green beltinto an “elastic band” as a studysuggests 84% of people opposebuilding on undeveloped land.

Mori interviewed 931 people inEngland between June 30th andJuly 4, 2005 for the Campaign toProtect Rural England.

The results are revealed on the50th anniversary of the firstgovernment circular telling councilsto look at designating areas ofgreenbelt land.

But ministers insist the greenbeltis being “maintained and in-creased”.

They say there are controls tostop inappropriate development ingreenbelt areas.

Campaign to Protect RuralEngland (CPRE) head of planningHenry Oliver said it was “underthreat as never before”.

He blamed “government plansfor massive housing growth” insoutheast England, “speculatorsselling plots to gullible investors forsilly prices way above agriculturalvalue”, and proposed new roads

and airport runways.Dan McCrea Comments:According to current CIA fact

book figures, the UK has 7.8 timesthe population density of the US.We must emphasize the importanceof multistory, mixed-use,brownfield development here. Thatis how they do it in England.

There are centuries of growthcapacity in South Florida, withouttouching another greenfield, if wewill build modestly up. Goodexamples are cities like Paris andBarcelona, where populationdensities are great and averagebuilding height is in the middlesingle digits.

Note that the public is over-whelmingly in favor of not touch-ing open space for development. Itcould be worth contacting theCampaign to Protect Rural En-gland (CPRE) to see what strategieshave worked to inform the public.

Denis Russ Responds:Dan, I agree with your thoughts

on the importance of these matters.Europe’s best cities - which we all

love - use medium density, that youadvocate, for residential areas. AndEngland, particularly, has had ahistory of understanding andprotecting the green belt lands.

In contrast of course, our ownpost WWII development has beencharacterized by middle-class flightfrom the City in pursuit of theAmerica dream - single-family,home ownership in racially isolatedsuburban developments.

Prospects for progress arecomplicated by a variety of exasper-ating current conditions, including:1. Negative reactions to increaseddensity, 2. Housing affordabilitybecoming a problem for more andmore income groups, 3. Thepolitical power of the suburbandevelopers.

The new urbanism and smartgrowth movements have developedintellectually reasonable approachesto new development and redevelop-ment.

But a compelling vision of theNew American Dream has yet to beadequately formulated — a visionthat motivates people, developersand politicians to sensibly rebuildour cities and foster economicallyefficient new communities. You’reon the right track!

Dan McCrea:Denis, one simple key to

winning the hearts and minds forthe current UDB round, and forfuture rounds, is to lay out all thebenefits of building up. A redefinedAmerican Dream has stairs andparty walls.

Many people have positiveassociations with denser urban lifeon which to build. It’s too hot tocut the bloody grass anyway.

Take a map of South Florida andshow the relatively thin bands ofcoastal ridge on which we can live.There must be a discussion aboutthe continuing population growth -pouring people onto those thinbands. Sprawl becomes ludicrous toeven a casual observer. Well-designed density is a self-evidentnecessity. And it comes with thepromise of soccer fields!

Albert HarumAlvarez: I pulled out this single line from

Dan’s email, because this is the oneissue that is missing from thedebate!

“Good examples are cities likeParis and Barcelona, where popula-tion densities are great and averagebuilding height is in the middlesingle digits.”

There’s a big difference betweenseven stories and 15. What we’regetting today is buildings that aretoo tall, too big.

County Commissioner Soutoon the American Dream:

The pendulum has swung back,too far. Many leaders now under-stand that we can’t keep sprawlingat the edge, that we need to buildmore densely. But the cheap andgraceless towers that are going upare too tall.

Some developers are now proneto repeat that real cities need talltowers, glossing over the fact thatthe average building height in NewYork City is four stories.␣

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk oncetold me that Miami has lost thehabit of building mid-sizedapartment buildings. This is a skillthat we need to resurrect, soon.␣

The most liveable and workablecities have buildings that are 3 to 7stories, framing walkable streetsthat are places people love. Ournew crop of high-rise are ugly atthe bottom, where the sidewalk isdwarfed by the looming shadow ofthe tower and the gates to theparking garage.␣

Nancy Lee:Albert, I totally agree with this

last paragraph. If people were notso afraid of density we would havea 21st Century “American Dream.”

The 1950’s version of the“American Dream” Miami sprawldevelopers are presenting us with isa single family house.

Their American Dream is theone I was fed in the 50’s. However,the whole story was of a wifewearing an apron, staying homecooking and caring for the 3children. Our American Dreamhousewife didn’t need to work toafford the single family house withthe picket fence they lived in. Dadmade enough.

The American Dream familyowned only one car and theAmerican Dream Dad returnedhome from work with that one car,and had plenty of time to read the

newspaper before dinner was servedto him. That is the whole Ameri-can Dream. It wasn’t just a housewith a picket fence it was a lifestylepushed after WWII. It’s purposewas to get women to go back tobeing homemakers, to make roomin the factories for men cominghome from the war.

I say, let’s move forward to theAmerican Dream of a new centurynot stagnate in the 1950’s!

Greg Bush mentioned to me thatI should pay close attention to red-lining in the 30’s. He said that theGovernment actually helpedpromote sprawl in subsidizing thesingle family home. Interesting.

I looked on line and wassurprised to find the term used inthe 90’s. I found this article from a1996 Conference of Mayors aboutred-lining:

How Urban Redlining andMortgage Discrimination PenalizeCity Residents

This Harvard University studysuggest that inner-city residents of allincome levels are less likely to own ahome than suburban residents ofsimilar incomes.

Despite a dramatic surge in thenation's homeownership rates,academics and housing expertscontinue to document discrimina-tory lending practices in inner citiestoday.

The long and infamous historyof housing and lending discrimina-tion in this country scarred the livesof millions of families seeking torealize the dreams and aspirationsof all Americans - to own a home.

Unfortunately, such practicesremain with us, in the form ofurban redlining, mortgage steering,and other discriminatory actions.Not all families would choose topurchase a home in the city, butmortgage lending discrimination

forces many urban home seekers tomove to the suburbs to pursue thedream of homeownership.

The result according to a recentHarvard University study is thatinner-city residents of all incomelevels are less likely to own a homethan suburban residents of similarincomes.

This is not only unfair to thosefamilies denied the opportunity tolive in the home of their choice, italso unfairly limits the ability ofcities to maintain the homeownerbase that is so vital to the economicand social stability of urbanneighborhoods.

Discriminatory practices, ofcourse, are particularly problematicfor minority families. Urbanredlining has ruined and continuesto ruin thousands of minoritycommunities.

The Federal Reserve Board hasshown that African Americans andHispanics - even those makinggreater than 120 percent of themedian income -- are much morelikely to be denied credit thanwhites.

Once again, the pattern has aspatial dimension. As is the casewith white families, the denial ratefor minorities seeking to purchasehomes in inner-city neighborhoodsis particularly high, and manyminority households must moveaway from the city to secure themortgage credit needed to purchasea home of their own.

This report looks at the evidencecompiled by the Federal ReserveBoard and Harvard University'sJoint Center for Housing Studies inorder to argue for a renewedcommitment to eliminate discrimi-natory lending practices andexpand homeownership opportuni-ties in urban America.

“snip”

13. The community design shouldhelp conserve resources and minimizewaste.14. Communities should provide forthe efficient use of water through theuse of natural drainage, drought tol-erant landscaping and recycling.15. The street orientation, the place-ment of buildings and the use of shad-ing should contribute to the energyefficiency of the community.

Regional Principles1. The regional land-use planningstructure should be integrated withina larger transportation network builtaround transit rather than freeways.2. Regions should be bounded by andprovide a continuous system ofgreenbelt/wildlife corridors to be de-termined by natural conditions.3. Regional institutions and services(government, stadiums, museums,etc.) should be located in the urbancore.4. Materials and methods of construc-tion should be specific to the region,exhibiting a continuity of history andculture and compatibility with theclimate to encourage the developmentof local character and communityidentity.

Implementation Principles1. The general plan should be updatedto incorporate the above principles.2. Rather than allowing developer-initiated, piecemeal development, lo-cal governments should take chargeof the planning process. General plansshould designate where new growth,infill or redevelopment will be al-lowed to occur.3. Prior to any development, a spe-cific plan should be prepared basedon these planning principles.4. Plans should be developed throughan open process and participants inthe process should be provided visualmodels of all planning proposals.

In 1991, the Local Government Commission brought together a group of lead-ing architects to synthesize new ideas and trends in community land use planning.The ideas were drafted into a vision document for local elected officials as analternative to urban sprawl. The document was presented to 100 local electedofficials in the Fall of 1991 at a conference at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemitewhere it received great acclaim.␣

Ahwahnee Principles for Resource-Efficient CommunitiesPreamble: Existing patterns of urban and suburban development seriously

impair our quality of life. The symptoms are: more congestion and air pollu-tion resulting from our increased dependence on automobiles, the loss ofprecious open space, the need for costly improvements to roads and publicservices, the inequitable distribution of economic resources, and the loss of asense of community. By drawing upon the best from the past and the present,we can plan communities that will more successfully serve the needs of thosewho live and work within them. Such planning should adhere to certainfundamental principles.

Community Principles1. All planning should be in the form of complete and integrated communi-ties containing housing, shops, work places, schools, parks and civic facilitiesessential to the daily life of the residents.2. Community size should be designed so that housing, jobs, daily needs andother activities are within easy walking distance of each other.3. As many activities as possible should be located within easy walking dis-tance of transit stops.4. A community should contain a diversity of housing types to enable citi-zens from a wide range of economic levels and age groups to live within itsboundaries.5. Businesses within the community should provide a range of job types forthe community's residents.6. The location and character of the community should be consistent with alarger transit network.7 The community should have a center focus that combines commercial,civic, cultural and recreational uses.8. The community should contain an ample supply of specialized open spacein the form of squares, greens and parks whose frequent use is encouragedthrough placement and design.9. Public spaces should be designed to encourage the attention and presenceof people at all hours of the day and night.10. Each community or cluster of communities should have a well-definededge, such as agricultural greenbelts or wildlife corridors, permanently pro-tected from development.11. Streets, pedestrian paths and bike paths should contribute to a system offully-connected and interesting routes to all destinations. Their design shouldencourage pedestrian and bicycle use by being small and spatially defined bybuildings, trees and lighting; and by discouraging high speed traffic.12. Wherever possible, the natural terrain, drainage and vegetation of thecommunity should be preserved with superior examples contained withinparks or greenbelts.

Ahwahnee Principles: Authors: Peter Calthorpe, Michael Corbett, Andres Duany, Elizabeth Moule, ElizabethPlater-Zyberk, and Stefanos Polyzoides - Editor: Peter Katz, Judy Corbett, and Steve Weissman

UEL Members/Supporters Sound Off...On Hurricanes, Holding the Line, Jim DeFede and Other Issues:

It's been widely reported latelythat there are frightening similari-ties between the Gulf Coast areasthat were so heavily impacted byHurricane Katrina and the SouthAtlantic Coast of Florida. Bothregions have been drastically alteredby manmade water managementsystems, levees and canals, thatreduce the capacity to react andrecover from major storm systems.A return to more natural waterflows through environmentalrestoration and preservation willimprove our ability to mitigatedamaging flood waters and stormsurge, and of course, we must bemore thoughtful about where toallow urban and suburban develop-ment. -Cynthia Guerra, ExecutiveDirector Tropical Audubon Society

The entire community pays forgrowth by subsidizing new roads,sewer systems, schools and otherfacilities. The question yet to beanswered by Miami Dade County:How can we accommodate thisgrowth without further harmingour environment, reducing ourquality of life, losing the verycharacter of South Florida andtaxing ourselves beyond our means?- Charles Pattison, 1000 Friends ofFlorida

Gov. Jeb Bush has questionedthe wisdom of moving the line,citing "grave concerns." If he hasgrave concerns, it leaves me scaredto death! Learning from HurricaneKatrina, it is important to note thatopen space and wetlands protectdeveloped areas from floodingduring catastrophic hurricanes andextreme rain events. - Nancy Lee,UEL Member

The consequences of moving theUrban Development Boundary line

will drain South Florida's mostvaluable resource, its water supply.It also will continue to drain thecounty's financial resources to buildroadways, sewer and water lines,schools and amenities, keeping allof us in a constant state of gridlockand leaving older neighborhoods indecay. - Nancy Liebman

Let's talk about reality. All thebig developers care about is makingmoney. That's why they want theline moved. If we end up movingthe line, the county is going toeventually have to spendmoney on providinginfrastructure tothose areas andthat is going totake money awayfrom areas thatneed it. - HattieWillis, President ofCommunitiesUnited

I think theMiami Herald lost atremendous voicewhen they decided toterminate Jim DeFede. Jim has notbeen afraid to challenge the statusquo which is something very fewpeople are prepared to do in thiscommunity. Now more than ever,DeFede’s perspective is needed inunderstanding what is going on inMiami. - John DeLeon, UEL BoardMember

Moving the line to get affordablehousing? That would be the mostexpensive "affordable" housing we,as a community, would have to payfor when you factor in long-termcosts. Communities all around theU.S. have realized that cheap landonly means the initial cost may beless, nothing else. (Thorn suggests aread of Natural Capitalism by

Amory Lovins. He said the bookarticulates the shift to an economybased on accurate valuation ofnatural resources as part of func-tioning ecosystems.) - ThornGrafton, UEL Member

Skyrocketing property taxes areforcing more and more rentalproperty owners to sell or converttheir properties. Soon we will see acritical shortage of affordable(workforce) housing. Instead ofimplementing more repressive

zoning restrictions, citizensshould object to burden-

some regulations andexcessive, inequi-table taxation andlobby for rentalassistance fundsfor the workingpoor before it istoo late. -StevenZ. Levinson, UEL

MemberWherever one stands

on the political spec-trum, no one can arguethat Jim DeFede was

the fearless and unabashed con-science of this community.

During his tenure at the Heraldhe covered stories that would haveotherwise gone unreported. Fromthe senseless beating of a teenageboy by Sweetwater policemen, tothe shameful intervention ofGovernor Bush in the Terri Schiavocase, to the dangers of politicalinfluence on the part of specialinterest groups in county and citygovernments, and everything in-between, Jim’s integrity and pursuitof truth made one simultaneouslymad and glad. Mad about peopleand circumstances that permittedsuch horrible things to happen, and

Photo Illustration ofThe Herald’s Jim DeFede

MayorCarlosAlvarez

A Conversationwith

Thursday, October 20, 2005Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

464 NE 16th Street & North Bayshore Drive 5:30 - 7:30

The Mayor will speak about:

The State of the County and environmental initiatives, land use issues and

priorities of his administration.Questions if time permits. Free parking.

glad that someone like Jim had thebackbone to write about it. -Maria-Ines Castro, UEL Board Member

I lived in Galveston as a boy – apreacher’s kid. My father’s church,The First Presbyterian, had been amorgue during the 1900 storm,which I thought was pretty cool. Asa young teenager, my first job wasworking on Galveston beach, whichsits 17 feet below the seawallGalveston built after the 1900storm nearly swept it away.

Later, I thought, In a world ofdumb things, the dumbest thingI’ve seen is development BELOWthe Galveston seawall – on thebeach.” Then I heard New Orleanswas allowing re-habitation of theirbarely dry toxic wasteland and wehad a new winner!

South Florida is definitely in thegame. Ours is a story of boom/bustbad development from sea toswamp, enriching cycle after cycleof self-serving wise guys - the samewise guys who develop belowGalveston’s seawall and play sandcastle nonsense with southeastLouisiana. Who will win TheSilliest Bugger of All award? Withcompetition fierce, we wait, wewatch, and we know we’re in with areal chance! Our star players –greenfield development beyond theUDB and high-rise hulks clamor-ing for water views – support ateam of solid contenders. Go wiseguys – we’re pullin’ for you! -DanMcCrea, UEL Board Member

Developers promoted growth inlow lying areas of New Orleans,and local officials permitted it. Thesame has happened in Miami-Dade--especially South Dade--andno one should be surprised at thecosts when extreme weather eventsput human life and property atjeopardy. Local elected officials

could have stopped the madness inNew Orleans, and they could stopit in Miami-Dade. Whether theywill, remains to be seen. - AlanFarago, UEL Member

If our leaders would come downto earth, we might have avoided thedisorganized post-hurricane rescueefforts that resulted in such chaosin New Orleans. The benefit tosociety of spending billions on thespace program (or in Iraq) is yet tobe proven while we have suchserious issues with our Nation’sinfrastructure. In the past 40 yearsno high bridges, tunnels, majorhighways, refineries or alternativeenergy sources have been built ordeveloped. The only saving grace isthat Katrina may be a wake-up callthat will ultimately save them, us,and other coastal communitiesfrom a repeat performance. - StevenZ. Levinson, UEL Member

One of the more glaring ex-amples of a bad idea was thedecision to allow floating casinosalong the Gulf Coast. Once thestorm surge picked up these mega-barges, the casinos themselvesbecame unimaginable forces ofdestruction. Miami has a similarconcern (although unrelated to thegambling industry). One can onlyimagine how Miami's downtowncore will handle the onslaught ofhundreds, if not thousands, ofcargo containers from the Port ofMiami. A Katrina-esque stormsurge has the potential to turn thesecontainers into 'battering rams'against our beautiful new skyline...causing unthinkable damage. I canthink of no reasonable solution tothis problem other than prayers,luck and considerable insurancecoverage! - Max Strang, UEL BoardMember

The UEL is one of the lead groups and a founding mem-ber of Hold the Line campaign -- Now composed of morethan 50 groups.

News on the UDB Line:There are nine applications seeking to move the UDB Line

closer to environmentally sensitive lands.There is also an additional application, asked for by

builders and developers, that proposes a language changeon how the county inventories residential and commercialland. If passed it would force the county to move the linemore frequently.

There are two upcoming meetings which we hope youwill attend to have your voice heard:

October 17th - Planning Advisory BoardNovember 21st - County Commission

For up-to-date information, check out our website:www.udbline.com

or call 305 532-7227 and leave a message for Nancy Lee

www.udbline.comThe expansion of our community

must be managed carefully and op-tions maximized to increase develop-ment within the Urban DevelopmentBoundary (UDB).␣ Moving the UDBand expanding development is thenot the answer to our populationgrowth because it could impact ourwater supply, rural areas, agriculturalindustry, wildlife and even oureconomy.

The UDB line must be held whereit is today to ensure our future gen-erations will have sufficient cleanwater, a healthy economy and socialwell-being.␣ It places the growth andpopulation within a region where ser-vices and infrastructure exist, and canbe improved.␣ It also provides a bufferto protect our natural resources suchas the National Parks, while allow-ing for the growth and redefining ofan agricultural industry which bringsjobs and over a billion dollars a yearto our county.

Once the South Miami-DadeWatershed Study is completed laterthis year, we will have final recom-mendations outlining the best way tobalance growth with environmentalconcerns.

County Mayor Alvarez (with Commissioner Katy Soresnson in the rear).UEL Members Jim Jude, Greg Bush, Nancy Liebman (back), with CynthiaGuerra, April Gromnicki, Mike Hatcher and Shannon Mayorga (front).

Mayor Alvarez’ Statement

on the Environment

Board of Advisors:Gregory Bush, ChairAmy Paige CondonSallye JudeDorothy Jenkins-FieldsDr. Paul GeorgeJoe KohlDan PaulElizabeth Plater-ZyberkBrenda McClymondsArva Moore Parks McCabeGene TinnieM. Athalie RangeMitchell Wolfson, Jr.George Knox

Kay Hancock-ApfelAlan BisnoGregory BushMichael CoxJohn DeLeonRichard DonovanRobert FlandersAlbert Harum-AlvarezSage HoffmanMaria Ines CastroRuth JacobsJames JudeRichard KormanJudith Berson-LevinsonNancy LiebmanSusan Luck

Urban Environment League 2005 Officers, Board Members, and Advisors

President Nancy LiebmanVice-President Ernie MartinTreasurer Kay Hancock ApfelSecretary Richard KormanPast President Gregory Bush

Ernest MartinRobert McCabeDan McCreaArsenio MilianJimmy MoralesEnid PinkneyAlberto RuderDenis RussPaul SchwiepHoward SlotnickFortuna SmuklerMax StrangDavid TurnerJason UyedaJohn Van Leer

Board of Directors:

Officers:

We are happy to announce that wehave moved our UEL office to ahistoric building in Miami Beach.Please make note of the Urban

Environment League new contactinformation:

945 Pennsylvania AvenueSuite 100

Miami Beach, FL 33139Phone: 305 532-7227

Fax: 305 532-8727

Activities at the Hold the Line Picnic

Supporters of Hold the Line held a beach barbecue inAugust where their families got together for some R&R atCrandon Park.

There was much talk about how our communitiesshould grow in the future. People attending agreed thatthey wanted to have both vibrant neighborhoods and ahealthy environment. There was great live music thanksto Grant Livingston and Val Wisecracker. And, the hun-dred plus attendees were treated to home-made cookiesand brownies thanks to Tricia Auffhammer.

Future Fiesta:

County Commissioner Katy Sorenson

Gus Gil from The Latin BuildersAssociation said, we should open theUrban Development Boundary so heand other builders can create moreaffordable housing. This just isn’ttrue.

In fact at a recent meeting for adevelopment called “Florida CityCommons”, a Lennar representativesaid single family homes on the otherside of the UDB in the Lennar De-velopment would cost as much as$325,000. Hardly affordable.

Let’s look at Mr. Gil’s argumentmore closely. Imagine that you andyour husband are gaining weight.Your clothes are getting too tight.You buy a larger sized dress and yourhusband buys a bigger belt. It didn’tsolve your weight problem and in factnow you are creating new problemssuch as the threat of developing dia-betes and heart disease. Gettingmore space in your clothes just putsthings off and can cause an entirelynew crisis. And, in the meantime,the belt and dress company gotricher!

Broward has “bought the biggerdress and the bigger belt” for a longtime. They have little land left thatis not developed and yet the afford-able housing/workforce housingproblem still exists there. AttorneyScott Brook, a Coral Springs CityCommissioner has spent more thanthree years as chairman of theBroward County Planning Council.

He said “My sense is that there isa crisis. Had we begun working onthis a couple of years ago, we’d havea better grip on the situation andspecific solutions,” concluding that,“There’s really no one-hat-fits-all foraffordable housing, and what it’ll costand how to accomplish it, and that’sone of the problems we’re having at

the council.”Experts in Miami-Dade County

should be working on solving thiscrisis, not developers.

Experts on affordable housing saythe developers who want to buildoutside the line have the wronganswers.They just want their land tobecome more valuable. There are hundreds of developers waiting for thecounty to move the UDB line. It willbe like a floodgate. Each developerwill say: “Well, you moved it forthem, why not us?”

In fact, speculating developers areright now taking chances and buy-ing land (and wetlands) at bargainprices because it is on the wrong sideof the Urban Development Bound-ary. If the Boundary is moved as theywant, their land will be worth much,much more. So even though it wasaffordable land at one time, if theBoundary is moved it will be just asexpensive as land inside the bound-ary.

Supporters of Hold the Line areasking that experts work on the af-fordable housing crisis and find a so-lution that works for everyone. Wedon’t want our roads clogged withmind-numbing traffic and ourschools over-crowded. Developerspay lip service to school constructionand are mute on traffic increases. Weare telling the truth about the resultsof moving the line.

You don’t solve the overweight cri-sis by buying a bigger belt. You solveit by taking positive actions such aseating better and getting more exer-cise. That helps the crisis, not theperson selling you new belts.

We need strategies that will work.We have seen that the Latin Builder’ssolution does not work. We can lookto Broward to see that.

In fact, builders lured many buy-ers to affordable houses a few yearsago in the building boom on floodprone land around Homestead. Nowthe buyers there, although they canafford the mortgage, can’t afford thehigh taxes and the cost for infrastruc-ture that was tacked onto to the pur-chase price as a 30 year loan (bondpayoff for infrastructure). These buy-ers are suing the developer.

Who are the people misleading thepublic?

And, to make it worse, these samenew homeowners are paying $300 to$400 for gasoline, and maintaing twocars to get to their jobs. Affordable?

This affordable housing poses aburden on those firemen and teach-ers the Latin Builders Associationclaim they want to help.

Addressing the Everglades; pan-thers, alligators and fires and floodsdon’t know where the park bound-aries end. Having some open farm-ing buffer land as a transition fromthe actual property line of the park isjust plain smart. Putting up denselypopulated development with thou-sands of people on the edge of theEverglades is not.

Every time there is a fire sparkedby lightening in the Everglades, ev-eryone living out west in the countyis choked with smoke and endan-gered by fire. And, in the past hurri-canes flooded farms. What if thosesame farms are now housing devel-opments?

Farmland is good as a place wherewater can sink into the ground. Thathelps prevent flooding. Additionally,water can get down to the aquifer toreplenish our water supply if there isno cement or blacktop on top of theland. We need rain water to keep re-filling our aquifer. We are pumping

Move the Urban Development Boundary to Solve Affordable Housing? Not in My Book!

I consider it my personal missionto teach drivers how to accommodatebike commuters.␣

Twice a day from Palmetto Bay tothe Grove, I put on a clinic on driveretiquette towards bikers. Driverslearn that they need to move overonly 18 inches which in the long runbenefits traffic congestion, reducesUS dependence on foreign oil, and,helps prevent global warming. Bik-ers need 18” of lane.␣ It’s not a lot toask.

I’ve been riding into my law of-

fice in the Grove for about ten years.It’s an 18 mile round trip. I showerat the office.␣ I’ve had a few run ins;I’ve made some dis-coveries. They in-clude the following:

1. Drivers whohonk at bikers, un-knowingly startlebikers, causing ahazard. It neverceases to amaze methat drivers who canbe so menacingwhile moving, won’teven look at me if Icatch up. I glare atthem from undermy helmet.␣ ␣ Why?␣ Because there’snothing like the sound of a car hornthree feet from your rear end to scareyou senseless. ␣ Anger is a pro-grammed response to fear.

2. A driver’s rudeness is in directproportion to the size of their vehicle(a principle that likely has phallicimplications also).␣ Mini and Miatidrivers (I own the latter) are themodel of friendly drivers.␣ They arecharitable with road space, not thatthey need to be since their vehiclestake up only about half of a standard10’ lane. ␣ Hummer drivers aregrouchy, aggressive, and pissed at theworld in general, and the biker infront of them in particular.␣ TheHummer greedily hogs the lane.

3. Hummer drivers are most likelyto honk at a bicyclist.␣ (For a thor-ough discussion of the Hummer’sgeneral faults visit www.fuh2.com.␣Stop.␣ Reread the web address.)␣

Why someone driving an 6,500pound vehicle with a 6 liter, 315horsepower V-8 engine honks atsomeone on a bicycle is a mystery.␣Are bikers a threat?

4. No one stops before crossing thebike lanes (really pedestrian walk-

ways).␣ Every car approaching a bikelane from every cross street and driveway rolls through on their way to the

street. They are not ex-pecting a biker travelingon the walkway at about20 mph to meet them (asI have on four separateoccasions) while they rollthrough.␣ For that reason,smart riders are on thestreet. Bikers are statisti-cally much less likely tobe hit from behind on thestreet than they are to be“t-boned” at an intersec-tion.␣ That’s why we rideon the street. ␣ ␣ Move

over.␣ And don’t honk.5. A biker’s best horn is the hu-

man voice.␣ I yell at cars, sometimesalternating the pitch.␣ I find that bik-ers who yell at a cars, flails their arms,and make direct and prolonged eyecontact are likely to be avoided.

6. I’ve concluded riding aggressiveequals riding safe.␣ This may be amistake.␣ But if I’m going to get hurt,I’d rather not add timidity to injury.Let me be the protagonist in any col-lision.

7. Riding gets me to work quicker,in better shape and happier than driv-ing ever could.␣ And it costs less. Ibreeze through school zones, trafficaccidents and general gridlock.␣Travel time is reduced.␣ Listening toan iPod is not safe on a bike.␣ I sing.␣Out loud.␣ I’m outside and fit.

8. Most importantly, riding a wellfitted bike will not adversely effectyour sex life.␣

One last thought: Driving a carwill leave you less fit and the gas youuse depletes the planet’s supply.␣ ␣

- Paul Schwiep(Paul, I always honked to warn of

my approach, didn’t think about thestartling factor. Thanks for the tip, ed.)

Driver and BikeEtiquette

In this time of rising gas pricesit is smart to seek alternative

transportation, here are some tips onaccommodating Bicyclists by ourBoard Member, Paul Schwiep:

from it at breakneck speed and it isexpected to be depleted within thenext 20 years. Isn’t it smart to allowwater to sink into the ground?

The Miami-Dade Department ofResource Management has said thatdrinking water could be put at riskwith salt water and pollutants if wepersist with encroaching of sensitivelands and our wellfields.

Experts agree, meeting our hous-ing needs is not going to be done bymoving the urban developmentboundary. I agree that moving theUDB line will only make developersricher. Take for example, StuartMiller, president and CEO of LennarCorp., who earned $16.19 millionin 2004, including a bonus of $15.19million according to news reports andhe lives in a home in Miami valuedat over $7,000,000.

What do these builders and devel-opers know about affordable? I wantto hear from the experts. - Nancy Lee

URBAN ENVIRONMENT LEAGUE OF GREATER MIAMI MEMBERSHIP & RENEWAL APPLICATION

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Membership $35 Preferred Mem. $50 Board Members and Sponsors of UEL $100 Donations:

Urban EnvironmentLeague ofGreater Miami

945 Pennsylvania AvenueSuite 100Miami Beach, FL 33139Phone: 305 532-7227Fax: 305 532-8727uelmiami@bellsouth.netWebsite: www.uel.org

NOTICE:The UEL accepts articles/lettersfrom its members and members ofthe public. These articles/letters donot always reflect the views of theMembers of the UEL, or its Board,or the views UEL Advisors.To submit articles/letters, contact: nancy88@ bellsouth.netThe editor takes full responsibilityfor botching articles during cuts.

Students: $15

UEL Dinner: Oct. 18thUEL, Dade Heritage Trust

and Miami Neighborhoods United RepresentativesWill talk about issues of common interest andhow we can all work more effectively together.

(see inside)

To receive informationon upcoming UEL eventssuch as dinners, forumsand conferences send youemail address to:

UELmiami@bellsouth.net

Mayor Carlos Alvarez:Oct. 20th, Trinity Church