Esteban Bovo, chair of the Miami-Dade County Finance Committee, recently provoked the ire of transit advocates when he said that car culture is in the DNA of Miami.
"In response to a request that the Commission prioritize funding for better public transit, Commissioner Bovo displayed an outdated perspective that is out of sync with the needs of our ever-growing community," report Eli Stiers and Leah Weston.
Stiers and Weston "strongly disagree" with Commissioner Bovo's "indifference to the status quo," arguing that Miami residents would chose other modes of transportation if they had more options for doing so. Moreover, Stiers and Weston disagree with Commissioner Bovo’s characterization of immigrants and retirees as seeking the open road by moving to Miami.
Finally, there's also Bovo's support of funding for road construction: "In his final comments on the video, Commissioner Bovo segued into a discussion about road construction, undoubtedly to allocate more millions from the budget for an ever-expanding morass of highways, which are antiquated and overcrowded from the moment they are opened. This kind of thinking is outdated, and this method of addressing transportation in our rapidly-expanding metro area is unsustainable."
Compare this with the leadership in another region of the country, which could also claim to have a car culture in their DNA, Texas. There, new Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Joe Weber recently called for increased funding for commuter and freight rail projects.
FULL STORY: Miami-Dade County Deserves New Thinking on Transit
Miami Loses Population for the First Time Since 1970
Already one of the nation’s hottest real estate markets before the Covid-19 pandemic, the region became unaffordable for many middle-income households in the last few years.
Miami City Commissioners Vote to Reinstate Downtown Parking Minimums
It's unclear when the law will take effect, but the Miami City Commission has approved that an ordinance that heads in the opposite direction of current planning trends and even the city's own groundbreaking zoning code.
Miami Residents Resist the Idea of a 20-Foot Seawall
As climate change accelerates sea level rise and flooding in South Florida, locals hope to mitigate the impacts with less dramatic interventions.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.
Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont