Victor Dover alerts us to a public event on Tuesday evening that is well worth the time of anyone who is interested in how to make transit change happen in Miami-Dade.
Mind Warehouse, 111 NE 1st Street, 8th Floor, Miami, FL 33132
Tuesday 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Making change in cities is hard. Attitudes, policies and mindsets are often set and intractable. One person who knows more than most about how to effect change is Hank Dittmar. Hank has over twenty years of international experience in urban design and development and transportation policy. He currently works with the Project for Lean Urbanism heading up their field work. Hank has previously served as Chief Executive of the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment and as co-chair of the board of directors of the Congress for New Urbanism. Bill Clinton appointed Hank to the White House Advisory Committee on Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the President's Council on Sustainable Development working group. Hank co-founded and led Reconnecting America, a nonprofit group that advocates for high speed rail and bus links between America cities.
We're excited to host Hank Dittmar in conversation with our own Benjamin de la Pena in a discourse on leading change in cities.
$5 non-members (CASH at door)
Free for members
Mind Warehouse, 111 NE 1st Street, 8th Floor, Miami, FL 33132
Tuesday 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Making change in cities is hard. Attitudes, policies and mindsets are often set and intractable. One person who knows more than most about how to effect change is Hank Dittmar. Hank has over twenty years of international experience in urban design and development and transportation policy. He currently works with the Project for Lean Urbanism heading up their field work. Hank has previously served as Chief Executive of the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment and as co-chair of the board of directors of the Congress for New Urbanism. Bill Clinton appointed Hank to the White House Advisory Committee on Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the President's Council on Sustainable Development working group. Hank co-founded and led Reconnecting America, a nonprofit group that advocates for high speed rail and bus links between America cities.
We're excited to host Hank Dittmar in conversation with our own Benjamin de la Pena in a discourse on leading change in cities.
$5 non-members (CASH at door)
Free for members
14 comments:
Too bad Victor Dover is on absolute wrong side of smart, sustainable growth in Cutler Bay, on 9-acre site that is part of the natural pineland ridge adjacent to Old Cutler Road. Pushing mixed use development that is terrible idea, economically and ecologically.
Victor Dover is on the absolute wrong side of lots of development issues - not only in Cutler Bay, but also South Miami. Through a County audit conducted as a result of the Miami Herald's affordable housing corruption expose, The House of Lies, it was disclosed that Dover and his wife own almost 20% of the South Miami Metro Rail Station. Dover has also championed neighborhood incompatible lot splitting in South Miami as a means of developer wealth creation. South Miami residents could be faced with subdividing, creating lots 20-25 feet in width, in what are now 1/4 acre parcels.
Smart growth can never, ever work in South Florida. People have been exposed to too much mercury. Minds, dulled and deadened. Get out while you can.
The "dulling of the minds" apparently extends to those that are proponents of "smart growth". If the populace is dulled by mercury as a prior commenter stated, then an even more sad state of affairs are the architects who are paid and dulled by extremely powerful and wealthy developers to pimp their bad projects. How can an over-development beleaguered public trust in smart growth in their communities when they are not so dulled that they can see through the ruse of smart growth promises meant to disguise inappropriate projects. Bad fit projects that if all are being honest about them don't fit the definition or intent of the smart growth movement. The lack of trust and "dulling of the minds" is based on a long and growing history of those that get bought out by big $ and are willing to give up their principles and/or stretch them and their ideas beyond the breaking point of credibility.
if you are going to comment on someone by name, SIGN your name. So that we can determine your credentials relative to Victor's.
Credentials are this: thousands in Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and elsewhere -- a true cross-section of our community -- oppose this absurd development proposal, with few if any supporting it. Requires major changes to current and very well thought out town comp plan and zoning designation.
Andres, I think I know who it is and he is beyond annoying, don't pay attention to him. Just a loudmouth know it all in Palmetto Bay. Further: We are loaded with annoying readers. I delete mine but this is not my post. I respect Victor Dover.
Mr. Duany, with all due respect please reconsider your statement. What is currently under consideration in Cutler Bay is no doubt mixed use growth but it is not smart growth. If you are saying that going against the collective well thought out wishes of a community for future growth and land use is perfectly fine just because an architecture firm paid by a very wealthy client says it is ok, then where does that leave all our communities in self-determining our futures? Why then have any plans for projected growth and to limit sprawl at all? No one is saying that mixed use development everywhere is bad. But neither is all mixed use development smart growth. It has to be in the right location and ultimately reflect the wishes of the community. This one does neither. The developer and Mr.Dover are just dead wrong on this one and the community as a whole is extremely unhappy about it. Not due to NIMBY, but because it violates our vision for growth for this stretch of Old Cutler Rd.
Is this just another property owner on Old Cutler Rd. with a sham argument?
Yes Geniusofdespair,simply,that is what it is.
We,the people,who vote and pay taxes do not chose to give our municipalities over to a self appointed master race of city planners who have an agenda of forcing undesirable increased density on us,with their projects that require land use changes, variances from Land Development Codes and Comprehensive Plans, special exemptions, and bonuses for giving back nothing to the people. We do not want projects that reduce the amount of green space and pervious area surrounding a building, beyond what is already allowed in our Land Development Codes.
We assert our right to self-determination and protection of our quality of life and the environment. Our codes and city plans are liberal enough, as it is! Enough is enough! Those who want the high-rise, high density lifestyle have plenty of places where they can live. We are beyond tired of having our communities threatened by these hijackers. We have a right to expect our elected officials to put us, the people who elected them, above special interests. We will hold our elected officials accountable!
We do not wish to have our cities taken over by a self appointed "master race" of city planners.If your projects do not fit within our Land Development Codes and Comp Plans then stop tormenting us,and go away.
I wrote about their property today. I am in full agreement with Andres as we do not know the motives of some of the commenters and in one case I know the guy to be trouble and an inciter of good people for his own motives.
The concept of the New Urbanism is now over 20 years old. I read an article by Andres Duany that stated the New Urbanism is a failure. I guess that's because the New Urbanism is totally dependent on a public transportation system that is convenient,and gets people wherever they need to go in the County.We all know that is simply not the case in Dade County!In spite of this situation, we continue to be bombarded by developers and city planners and even some politicians who want to continue to build 'em big, take away parking spaces so that people can't own a car, and force them to use a substandard public transportation system.This is especially affecting low income families who live in government subsidized housing.
People with money can afford to live where ever they please. City planners are putting the cart before the horse. Until we have the quality of public transportation that we need, most people need their cars, and a place to park them.If you want low income families to work, and strive to improve their situation, they need their own vehicles. Is Uber cheap enough to be affordable for low income families?
The New Urbanism was also created to prevent the Urban Development Boundary from becoming overdeveloped, and motivate people to move from the West side of the County, to the East side. in order to have more people live close to, and utilize the Metro Rail . This idea has been a total failure, as it is much more expensive to live on the East side (unless you live in government subsidized housing).
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