Smart Growth

What it's going to take to… unsnarl traffic, restore decaying areas and redesign how we live and work in Miami-Dade County (or South Florida)?

On Miami Beach, a once struggling area -- Lincoln Road -- was recently transformed it into a friendly, walking-oriented destination with a great mix of retail and restaurants as a result of a collaborative effort by the City government, the private sector and civic activists. Today, locals and tourists flock year-round to enjoy the festive air and exceptional landscaping.

Property values have appreciated in this popular area in some cases as much as 20 times what they were 10 years ago.

What happened on Lincoln Road is an example of Smart Growth -- a national movement of individuals, companies, government agencies, and associations that are committed to finding new ways to make our communities more live-able and economically viable, today and in the future.

Mention the need for "Smart Growth" and you're immediately confronted with a set of complex and often conflicting challenges that affect us as Realtors and as residents of South Florida: unbearable traffic and inadequate mass transit, our threatened environment, redevelopment of decaying inner city areas, and the need for a revolutionary approach to density, to designing residential communities and changes in commercial land use.

The movement toward Smart Growth has emerged largely in response to suburban "sprawl," the loss of open space and terrible, unrelenting traffic congestion. Sprawl is also defined as low-density, single-use developments where housing types and prices are segregated, where commercial use, shopping centers and office parks, .is separate from residential subdivisions.

Many of us, including our parents and grandparents, have helped create this "sprawl." With new financing options following World War II, buying homes in the suburbs became affordable and desirable. We moved out of town, attracted by the "beauty" of these housing projects.

We wanted our own backyard, larger lots, and more privacy so we could live closer to wide open spaces. But the beauty of the homes in this sprawl has come with a price…. the "Beast" of the Enchanted Castle. Our modern-day Beast is increasingly unbearable and costly traffic congestion and delays on our roads along with overcrowding in our schools, encroachment on our natural resources, air pollution, water shortages, energy brown-outs and uninspired and often ugly retail and commercial areas.

Unlike living in cities, which consisted of walk-able neighborhoods where stores and schools were nearby and plenty of public transportation options, folks in the suburbs needed a car to do nearly everything. Over the years, the dependency has dramatically increased, and almost nowhere in suburbia today is walk-able.
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What the experts in Smart Growth are saying is that we need new models of how to live and work. They contend that density is not a dirty word, even though we have come to equate density with population explosions, hi-rises and high levels of traffic and other strains on our systems.

To counteract urban sprawl, a movement called "New Urbanism" has taken hold across the nation. The emerging model for community planning provides higher density developments in some places with preserved open spaces in other places. You'll see mixed-use areas - residential units flanked with small stores and service ventures, schools and houses of worship. These projects often come with a new emphasis on aesthetics and design details, such as front porches and sidewalks. There will be mixed income neighborhoods…and a nearby, walking orientation throughout the community.
From our perspective as Realtors, to make these New Urbanism type developments viable, it's going to require both a shift in attitude by the consumer towards accepting these denser communities and lenders and investors who will commit the financing that projects like this need to fly.

Near downtown, as part of what has been dubbed the "Eastward Ho" movement, in the opposite direction of where suburban development in South Florida has gone -- once decaying neighborhoods are slowly seeing investors transform them into viable places to live and work again.

A good example of Eastward Ho is The Design District in the Northeast section of the City of Miami. A once upscale residential and business area that deteriorated into near slum condition in the past few decades, the Design District is growing popular and pricey once again, as an alternative business center. New shops, art galleries, architectural firms, restaurants and businesses are opening, in part, as a result of attractive financing and efforts to attract minority businesses to the area.

Beyond the local projects, however, is a growing realization that to succeed with Smart Growth, to foster the over-all long-term quality of life and the economy of our area, there needs to be a new willingness to deal with the challenges and opportunities on a Regional basis.

When we can act as a region, and as a community, we will find realistic long-term solutions to traffic and transportation, to pollution and water shortages, to energy use, education and economic advancement. No longer can artificial political boundaries - neither city nor county - stop vital cooperation that is vital to our future.

So what are the Realtors doing to help bring about solutions to these many complex challenges?

Many local and national groups are approaching the various issues from different angles. Our plan, as the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches…. is to organize Smart Growth forums throughout Miami-Dade where… as a community… we can come up with innovative and viable solutions to the complex challenges and opportunities our phenomenal growth has produced.

We'll bring to the table players who have traditionally been adversaries on this issue…the real estate developers, the bankers, the traffic and transportation gurus, the energy and environmental experts, architects, planners, government leaders and local residents.

I believe that we, as Realtors, are particularly suited to lead this initiative do this because we bring people to the table every day…buyers and sellers, tenants and landlords…and everybody needed to close these transactions.

Our local Smart Growth efforts are part of a national initiative of the National Association of Realtors - some 850,000 strong - that are backing our effort with important research and resources.

As Realtors, we can also be proud that our Association is part of a national effort by the National Association of Realtors to promote Smart Growth…so that we can have an influential role in shaping the planning and development of our rapidly expanding communities…now and in the future.

I would love the opportunity to speak with you if you have an interest in becoming involved in our efforts to share information with you. If you want more information please contact me at my email address: Sandra@sandragoldstein.com or visit the web sites that will educate you on Smart Growth initiatives in your community.

WEBSITE	NAME	BRIEF DESCRIPTION
www.bettertransportation.org	Floridians for Better Transportation	Site provides an online PowerPoint presentation, charts, and graphics detailing Florida’s transportation issues, FDOT maps, several position papers. Also includes current and archived editions of Transportation Issues and FBT Focus.
www.dot.state.fl.us	Florida Department of Transportation	Site provides comprehensive information, including descriptions of major department programs, the 2020 Florida Transportation Plan and Mobility 2000, as well as information on highways, turnpikes, tolls, trucking, and safety programs.
www.ftba.com	Florida Transportation Builders’ Association	Site provides membership and organization information, and national and state transportation links as well as bids and specifications information. Includes online newsletter, Capitol Focus.
www.acaf.org	Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida	Site offers new and innovative information relating to asphalt and construction specifications as well as comprehensive list of transportation links. Includes research and photos of new products.
www.cutr.eng.usf.edu	Center for Urban Transportation Research	Site provides the Center’s latest publications and reports, current research programs and projects, links to transportation resources throughout the state and more.
www.ftba.com	Florida Transportation Builders’ Association.	Site provides membership and organization information, and national and state transportation links as well as bids and specifications information. Includes online newsletter, Capitol Focus.
www.cutr.eng.usf.edu	Center for Urban Transportation Research	Site provides latest reports and reviews, position statements of the Commission and bios of the current Commissioners.
www.acaf.org	Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida	Site offers new and innovative information relating to asphalt and construction specifications as well as a comprehensive list of transportation links. Includes research and photos of new products.
www.ftc.state.fl.us	Florida Transportation Commission	Site provides latest reports and reviews, position statements of the Commission and bios of the current Commissioners.
www.floridatransit.org	Florida Transit Association	site provides current transit news, membership information and direct links to transit systems around the state.
www.floridagrowth.com	Growth Management Study Commission	Site includes Commission and subcommittee rosters, meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, and a draft report and recommendation.
www.myflorida.com	Government Services Online	Site provides links to Governor, Legislature, Florida agencies, Cabinet offices, committees, commissions, registered lobbyists, water management districts and local governments.
www.sfwmd.gov	South Florida Water Management District
www.dpz-architects.com	Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Company
www.evergladesplan.org
www.planning.org	American Planning Association	APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues.
www.cnt.org	Center for Neighborhood Technology	CNT invents and develops tools and methods for sustainable development.
www.cnu.org	Congress for the New Urbanism	CNU is a collaboration of professionals working to reform North America’s urban growth patterns.
www.conservationfund.org	The Conservation Fund	A national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America’s land legacy. The fund purchases and protects land - almost 2 million acres since 1985.
www.icma.org	International City/County Management Association	ICMA is the professional and educational association for more than 8,000 appointed administrators and assistant administrators serving cities, counties, other local governments, and regional entities around the world.
www.lgc.org	Local Government Commission	The LGC is a twenty-year-old nonprofit membership organization that offers education, training and technical assistance to local areas seeking to implement innovative long-term solutions that further economically and environmentally sustainable land-use patterns.
www.usmayors.org/sustainable	NACo/USCM Joint Center for Sustainable Communities	Its primary mission is to provide a forum for cities and counties to work together to develop long-term policies and programs that will lead to job growth, environmental stewardship, and social equity - the three pillars of sustainable communities.
www.naco.org	National Association of Counties (NACo)	NACo is a full-service organization that provides legislative, research, technical and public affairs assistance to its members.
www.nalgep.org	National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP)	A nonprofit association representing local government officials who are responsible for ensuring environmental compliance and implementing environmental programs.
www.neighborhoodcoalition.org	National Neighborhood Coalition	NNC promotes a neighborhood focus at all levels of government and throughout society by advocating for programs and policies that foster partnerships between neighborhood organizations, private sector institutions and government agencies.
www.nationaltrust.org	National Trust for Historic Preservation	The trust promotes downtown revitalization as a major alternative to sprawl through its National Main Street Center as well as through public policy advocacy, conferences and technical assistance.
www.nemw.org	Northeast-Midwest Institute	A nonprofit research and educational organization that works to enhance economic competitiveness and environmental quality.
www.sustainable.org	Sustainable Communities Network	The mission of SCN is to connect individuals and organizations nationwide to the resources they need to help make their communities environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically prosperous.
www.uli.org	Urban Land Institute	ULI is a nonprofit research and educational institute whose mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment.
www.audubon.org	Audubon Society of Florida
www.floridagreenbuilding.org	Florida Green Building Coalition	FGBC is dedicated to improving the built environment, to provide a state wide green building program with environmental and economic benefits.