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response to a request that the Commission prioritize funding for better public transit, Commissioner Bovo displayed an outdated perspective that is out of sync with the needs of our ever-growing community," report Eli Stiers and Leah Weston.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 This kind of thinking is outdated, and this method of addressing transportation in our rapidly-expanding metro area is unsustainable."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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie