On Tuesday night I attended a ULI Young Leaders steering committee meeting at the Wynwood Kitchen and Bar with about two-dozen local real estate professionals. Transit Miami friend Andrew Frey has organized this group in an effort to bring together forward-looking professionals with diverse backgrounds.
Some of the industries present at the meeting were land use and real estate attorneys, urban planners, developers, architects, commercial real estate brokers, private bankers, and an FEC representative. As diverse as the backgrounds were, there was a common trait among these professionals: They all want to see their city develop into a transit-friendly, mixed-use and walkable metropolis. They also want to see Miami grow-up to become a non-auto centric world-class city that attracts businesses and entrepreneurial professionals alike.
This group will continue to meet once every couple of months and in the very near future will organize panels (as well as a networking happy hours) to discuss topics such as:
- Streetscapes; why they should be improved and their economic benefits
- The effect of gambling and casinos on Miami
- The link between jobs and transportation
Elected officials and developers should take note and tap into the resources that this highly energized, educated, and entrepreneurial group has. They are not living in the Miami of yesteryear and they want to help build a more competitive city that will encourage businesses to relocate to the Magic City.
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Wonderful initiative!
Sign me up!
Cool! In the mean time, the City if Miami Beach commission proves their total lack of foresight by going against bike lanes on Alton Road. They are concerned about “safety”. Have they ever realized that bikes are out there without any bike path at all, nearly getting killed in the attempt of navigating Alton Road?
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/07/12/2311143/miami-beach-alton-road-project.html
I hope they have luck convincing the ‘ULI Old Leaders’ that these are worthy goals. Let’s see developers start dedicating an additional 15 or 20 feet of right-of-way so we can have that great streetscape with bike lanes, wide sidewalks, and street trees.