Lake Wales Main Street was among winners of 2023 Florida Main Street Awards, which were announced during the Preservation on Main Street Conference in Ocala last week.
Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 57 communities throughout the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center's Four-Point Approach, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida's downtowns, cultural and heritage districts, which it describes as "the community's heart and soul."
Lake Wales won a "Distinctive Preservation Award" in recognition of downtown mixed-use design standards in Category A. Those standards were recently adopted by the City of Lake Wales, and are intended to protect the historic designs of the downtown district while encouraging residential and new commercial uses that will reflect that history. The new standards were among recommendations contained in the Lake Wales Connected plan that have been adopted by the city commission.
A variety of awards were given to programs across the state in recognition of individuals and projects ranging from single landmark building preservation to special events.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd was at the ceremony to present awards to this year's winners who achieved outstanding results in historic preservation and commercial activity through the Florida Main Street program.
"This year's winners have shown a remarkable commitment to preserving the distinct heritage, traditions, and culture that make their historic downtowns attractive places for commerce," said Secretary Byrd. "The Department of State is proud to showcase these success stories in the preservation and revitalization of Florida's historic downtowns."
The Plusurbia team participated in this year's Florida APA Conference in Miami as exhibitors, presenters, and award recipients!
Two recently completed projects were honored with awards:
2021 Award of Merit
Neighborhood Planning Category
Wynwood Norte Community Vision Plan
Recipients:
City of Miami
Wynwood Community Enhancement Association
PlusUrbia Design
2021 Award of Merit
Grassroots Initiative Category
Shenandoah Historic Properties Inventory
Recipients:
Dade Heritage Trust
PlusUrbia Design
Please see additional photos from the conference below:
The American Planning Association Gold Coast Chapter honored Plusurbia Design with three awards for our recent work. We are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with outstanding partners on the Little Havana Me Importa Plan, Coconut Grove Village Revitalization Plan and the Miami Tri-Rail Coastal Link TOD Plans. Congratulations to all that have worked so hard to make this happen. We are humbled and honored for this recognition and we pledge ourselves to continue designing better places, safer communities, and healthier cities. National Trust for Historic Preservation, City of Miami, Dade Heritage Trust, Urban Health Partnerships, @Live Healthy little Havana, Health Foundation of South Florida, Perkins and Will, Cesar Garcia-Pons, W Thomas/Tom Lavash, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, Dana P. Little, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority / Tri-Rail, William Moose, Robert Lloyd, Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, Francis X. Suarez, Peter Wood, Eileen Higgins, Christine Rupp, Maggie Fernandez, LEED Green Associate, Francisco García Iglesias
Plusurbia's Juan Mullerat was honored at the first annual Calle Ocho News Community Champion Award Cocktail Party for Hispanic Heritage. The festive event honored many others who have worked tirelessly for the Hispanic community in Miami in the past few years, including Community Champion of the year, Miami-Dade County District 5 Commissioner Eileen Higgins. Mullerat's recognition comes after the unveiling of the Little Havana Revitalization Master Plan, a two-year effort to retain character, density, scale and affordability in Little Havana. The 2019 Community Champion awardees. Juan Mullerat with Commissioner Eileen Higgins. An image of the plaque awarded to Mullerat.
Plusurbia has won two awards at the Florida APA Conference for its work on the projects Little Havana Revitalization Master Plan and Coconut Grove Master Implementation Plan.We share this with our partners without whom this would not have been possible: National Trust for Historic Preservation, Perkins and Will, Cesar Garcia-Pons, W Thomas/ Tom Lavash, Health Foundation of South Florida, Dade Heritage Trust, Urban Health Partnerships, Live Healthy Little Havana, Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, Francis X. Suarez, Eileen Higgins, Ken Russell, Urban Impact Lab, City of Miami
PlusUrbia's Juan Mullerat was honored to have received the 2019 Honor Award from the Livable Cities Conference on behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and PlusUrbia Design Team for the Little Havana Me Importa Revitalization Plan with the City of Miami and The Health Foundation of South Florida.
PlusUrbia’s Little Havana Me Importa: Holistic Guidelines for Social Equity, a Livable Community and Healthy Outcomes in Miami’s Most Historic Neighborhoods project has been selected as a finalist for the 56th IMCL Design Awards competition.Design Awards winners will be announced June 19 during the International Making Cities Livable Conference in Portland. PlusUrbia founding principal Juan Mullerat will also be a featured speaker at the conference.The Little Havana Me Importa plan creates guidelines for healthy, resilient and more affordable solutions for Little Havana. The plan respects Little Havana’s small-scale, culturally rich and dense community. It creates a more livable city while protecting residents, neighborhood character and historic buildings. More than 3,000 residents and stakeholders provided input and drove the vision and objectives for Miami’s most diverse and historically significant neighborhood.The implementation plan, created in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will:Reinforce and enhance cultural identity.Establish a multimodal transportation system.Increase and enhance natural assets.Incentivize community building with guidelines that retain the essence of Little Havana, including requiring new construction to match the neighborhood’s character and scale.Support affordable housing while introducing a mix of incomes and increasing home ownership within low-rise buildings. PlusUrbia is a planning a design office that often works with national and local partners to strengthen and improve its work. "Little Havana Me Importa Plan" is a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Plusurbia Design with the collaboration of the Health Foundation, Dade Heritage Trust and Urban Health Partnerships. Their involvement was key to deliver a project that is relevant and provides solutions catered specifically to the needs of Little Havana, its culture and its people.Visit https://www.livablecities.org/ for more information about International Making Cities Livable Council.
PlusUrbia Design was honored by the Miami Today's 2018 Gold Medal Awards competition earning the Bronze Medal for an organization.Our boutique studio was eligible for the award because it won the 2017 American Planning Association’s APA National Economic Development Plan Award for its Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District plan. PlusUrbia earned the Gold Medal Award for its context-sensitive, community-based planning. It submitted a brief portfolio to the Miami Today judges that emphasized innovative urban design that promotes multimodal mobility, affordability, and connectivity that enhances quality of life. Our studio has emphasized healthy living through access to open space, public transit, affordable housing, mixed-use development, active recreation and safe complete streets.“My father, a lawyer and published author, wrote about ethics and the social role and responsibilities of Corporations, instilled in me a sincere sense of Community Service,” said PlusUrbia Founding Principal Juan Mullerat. “This instilled in me this sense of service, which we practice in our studio through non-profit projects.”PlusUrbia has donated more than 1,000 professional hours to the ongoing Master Planning for a Healthy and Resilient Little Havana, in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Health Foundation of South Florida. Our 12-person studio has devoted more than two years listening to residents and crafting an Action Plan to improve the lives of one of the poorest, most unique, socially and demographically rich neighborhoods in the nation.“Our office has worked very hard and continues to push the envelope, delivering innovative solutions on issues that shape our built environment,” Mullerat said. “Our projects focus on transportation, affordable housing strategies, open space – all of which have profound impact on everybody’s life.”Whether it is a Transit Oriented Development, Community Redevelopment Agency, Business Improvement District, Transit Corridor, Action Plan or Visioning Exercise – PlusUrbia’s work focuses on outcomes that support healthy living in urban areas.Miami Today, celebrating its 35th year, is a weekly newspaper that reaches more than 68,000 readers and covers government, development, design, real estate, business, finance, health care and related issues that impact the future of Miami. Link to digital article: http://www.miamitodaynews.com/2018/06/05/gold-medal-awards-to-six-tibor-hollo-named-lifetime-achiever/
PlusUrbia Design’s collaboration with the City of Hialeah to design and implement Transit Oriented Development was honored with an American Planning Association (APA) of Florida Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category .The prestigious statewide honor recognizes the studio’s partnership with the City of Hialeah’s Planning Department to create more than 300 acres of compact, walkable, mixed-use development connected to a pair of commuter rail stations.The plan crafted guidelines that transition two warehouse districts into vibrant communities. The award ceremony took place at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday September 6th at the APA’s annual conference in Daytona Beach. Debora Storch, the Planning & Zoning Official for the City of Hialeah, joined the PlusUrbia team in receiving the award. Juan Mullerat also presented on resilient and adaptable redevelopment at the APA conference:Plusurbia also had a booth throughout the conference:
The City of Hialeah's vision for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in South Florida has been selected for an American Planning Association (APA) of Florida Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category.The prestigious statewide honor recognizes the studio’s collaboration with the City of Hialeah’s Planning Department to create more than 300 acres of compact, walkable, mixed-use development connected to a pair of commuter rail stations.The plan, unanimously approved by the City Council and fully implemented, crafted guidelines that transition two warehouse districts into vibrant communities.The 24-hour communities create civic space, jobs and affordable/attainable housing for young professionals, empty nesters and families. Developers are already entitling land within the new guidelines. “This couldn’t have been accomplished without the visionary leadership of Hialeah’s Mayor, Council Members and Planning Department,’’ – Maria Bendfeldt, Project Director. “We look forward to exporting the innovations created for this project to hundreds of Florida cities that could benefit from TOD regulations and urban design for main street corridors.” The TOD is anchored by Tri-Rail’s Market Station and Transfer Station, which also connects with Metrorail and Amtrak – enabling commuting to regional employment hubs. These new districts will increase city tax base while featuring some of the best rail connectivity in all of South Florida.The award will be presented during APA’s statewide conference in September, in Daytona Beach – where PlusUrbia’s Juan Mullerat and Megan McLaughlin will be key presenters on healthy urban design and revitalization. For more information on the project, please visit HIALEAH TOD.
PlusUrbia was gratified to welcome Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez to its studio this morning. Commissioner Suarez presented a Proclamation recognizing PlusUrbia Design and its partners for being honored with the American Planning Association's National Award for Economic Development Planning, the highest achievement in our profession.Thank you Commissioner Suarez for taking the time to visit our office and sharing your vision of a prosperous, transit-rich, well-planned Miami.
Thank you Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell for the proclamation at this morning's Commission meeting recognizing PlusUrbia Design and its partners for being honored with the American Planning Association's National Award for Economic Development Planning, the highest achievement in our profession.
MIAMI – PlusUrbia Design, a boutique urban design and land use planning studio, has been honored with a national award presented by the American Planning Association (APA). PlusUrbia’s Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD) won the prestigious National Planning Achievement Award for Economic Development Planning.“A small, independent film out of Miami won the Academy Award this year and now a boutique design studio in Miami has won the Oscars of Urban Planning” quipped Juan Mullerat, Director of Coconut Grove-based PlusUrbia.The City of Miami partnered with PlusUrbia and Akerman law firm to develop a plan to transform Wynwood into a progressive arts community with walkable streets, transit corridors and green space. The Wynwood Business Improvement District hired PlusUrbia to create guidelines, incentives and zoning changes that became the NRD.The plan spurred more residential development, particularly small, affordable apartments and live-work units that appeal to millennials. “We’re proud to have engaged PlusUrbia to help create the Wynwood NRD, and congratulate them on this honor,” said Wynwood BID Planning & Zoning Chair David Polinsky. “The results of our collaboration are already shaping Wynwood’s continued evolution for the better.”The 2017 National Planning Award recipients will be honored during APA’s National Planning Conference in New York on May 8. The recipients of the profession’s highest honor will also be featured in the May 2017 issue of Planning magazine.The Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District is one of 12 APA Achievement Award recipients this year. The award recognizes the economic development program to transform the previously blighted Wynwood into a diverse, 24-hour mixed-use arts and innovation neighborhood. Visit the Wynwood NRD project at: https://plusurbia.com/project/wynwood-nrd Each year, APA recognizes outstanding efforts in planning and planning leadership through its National Planning Excellence and Achievement Awards. The two-tier awards are selected through a juried process. Excellence recipients are the highest honor and Achievement Awards recognize areas of specialization with the planning profession. APA’s national awards program, is a proud tradition established more than 50 years ago to recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues.“Good planning is not just preparing the community for the future, but engaging the residents in the discussions and decision-making that will impact their lives,” said W. Shedrick Coleman, AIA, 2017 chair of APA’s Awards Jury. “This year’s award recipients advanced the planning profession by more thoroughly engaging all residents in the planning process.”In addition to Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, APA also presented Achievement Awards to the following: Gold Best Practice - Urban Development Areas and Technical Assistance Grant Program; Commonwealth of VirginiaSilver Best Practice - Placemaking for an Aging Population: Guidelines for Senior-Friendly Parks; Los Angeles, CaliforniaSilver Best Practice - Plan 2020: The Bicentennial Plan for Indianapolis; Indianapolis, Indiana Silver Best Practice - Historic Fort Ord Regional Urban Design Guidelines; Monterey Bay, California Gold Public Outreach – “Game of Floods”; Marin County, CaliforniaGold Environmental Planning - Colorado Resiliency Framework; ColoradoSilver Environmental Planning - Millvale Eco-District Pivot Plan; Millvale, PennsylvaniaGold Grassroots Initiative - Huerta del Valle Community Garden; Ontario, CaliforniaGold Transportation Planning - Bicycle Master Plan Stress Map; Montgomery County, MarylandGold Urban Design - Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan; Austin, TexasGold Implementation - Arlington County’s Smart Growth Journey; Arlington County, Virginia For a complete list of all the APA 2017 National Planning Excellence and Achievement Award recipients, visit www.planning.org/awards.
MIAMI – PlusUrbia Design, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Live Healthy Little Havana, and Urban Health Partnerships have been awarded the Dade Heritage Trust's Annual Preservation Award for their community-driven master planning work in Little Havana.The Coconut Grove-based Urban Design firm will be honored at the Trust’s annual meeting this Thursday April 6. Founded in 1972, DHT is Miami-Dade County’s largest preservation organization.The team is leading a master planning effort to improve and enhance Little Havana as a healthy community through a pioneering approach that integrates historic preservation with contextual urban infill to spark economic development, vibrancy and healthy living in authentic towns, neighborhoods and main streets.Development pressures make this a crucial time for a masterplan that will shape the evolution of Little Havana and how it is served by walkability, transit, park/open space, affordable/attainable housing, local jobs and healthy design.Little Havana is a culturally-rich neighborhood that is very important to both Miami and the nation. PlusUrbia’s partnership with key nonprofits will gather an unprecedented amount of input from people who live and work in Little Havana. Diverse input will inspire design guidelines to protect and enhance the culture, health, affordability and authenticity of Little Havana for future generations.Visit the project website at: http://www.littlehavanameimporta.org
Goldman Properties' Wynwood Walls was awarded the 2016 PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD at the annual Urban Land Institute Vision Awards.Plusurbia was recognized amongst the Goldman Properties team for its contribution to Wynwood Walls with the design of Wynwood Doors and Garden.We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Goldman Properties's legacy in Wynwood. For more information on the Wynwood Walls Garden design, please visit: https://plusurbia.com/project/wynwood-garden/ In attendance representing Plusurbia were our Principal, Juan Mullerat, and Architecture Leader, Santiago Eliaschev, pictured below to the left with the rest of the Goldman Properties team and to the right with Goldman Properties CEO, Jessica Goldman Srebnick.
PLUSURBIA DESIGN’S WYNWOOD REVITALIZATION DISTRICTHonored with APA Florida Award of ExcellencePlusUrbia Design’s vision for the renowned Wynwood arts district has been selected for an American Planning Association of Florida (Florida APA) Award of Excellence in the Neighborhood Planning category.The prestigious statewide honor recognizes the studio’s plan that supports Wynwood’s creative industries with mixed-use development, walkable streets and open space.The award recognizes PlusUrbia’s Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID) planning report. The studio’s recommendations ultimately led to the City’s adoption of the Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1) to guide future development in the area. It will be presented during APA’s statewide conference in September, in Tampa.The plan promotes mixed-use development, including manufacturing-enabled retail. Smaller units serve millennials and artists with affordable apartments and live-work units. To preserve light industry, galleries and shops, a Transfer of Development Rights program was implemented to reduce development pressures on legacy structures. Coupled with a parking buy-down program, the Wynwood NRD is promoting new urban typologies in Miami.PlusUrbia collaborated with the Wynwood (BID), City of Miami Planning and Zoning Department and Akerman law firm. The studio’s Wynwood plan earned the APA’s America’s Great Places Award and the Gold Coast Chapter’s Best Plan in 2015.
Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District – a warehouse zone transformed into a premier arts district MIAMI - PlusUrbia Design -- collaborating with the Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID), City of Miami Planning and Zoning Department, and Akerman law firm – has been honored by the American Planning Association (APA) for creating the Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalizaiton District.The Coconut Grove-based studio’s vision for the renowned arts district received the Gold Coast Section, Florida Chapter’s 2015 Planning Award in the category of Best Plan, Report or Study. The innovative NRD plan, crafted in collaboration with the City of Miami, the Wynwood BID and Akerman Law supports Wynwood’s creative industries, with mixed-use development, walkable streets, transit corridors and open space."The Wynwood NRD is proof that government and the private sector can work together to create great things. The plan’s strength is that it gives equal standing to all stakeholder interests. Collaboration guided this transformation of Wynwood into a 24-hour, multi-purpose, mixed-use center for the arts. Our team is gratified to be honored -- along with our partners – by the American Planning Association,” – Maria Bendfeldt, of PlusUrbia.The Wynwood NRD creates more residential development while also allowing for smaller units to serve millenials and artists with affordable apartments and live-work units. To preserve the light industry among the hip galleries, the PlusUrbia team created a Transfer of Development Rights program that allows warehouse owners to sell the development rights to their buildings – so development pressures do not encroach on the legacy businesses.The Miami City Commission recently adopted the NRD. Wynwood, based on the collaborative NRD, was one of only four places in America recognized by the national APA in 2015 as one of America’s Great Places: Neighborhoods.
PlusUrbia Design has been honored with the 10th annual KINPAN award as the architectural design team for the Songhua Lake Ski Resort. The Coconut Grove-based studio was the designer of the development named Best Resort and Most Popular Resort Award in China. Organized by Times House magazine and The Architectural Society of China’s Habitat Environment Committee, the Kinpan Awards are among the most influential property design award programs in China. Projects are selected based on quality, aesthetics, habitat environment and value.From the Plaque:The 10th Annual KINPAN award (one of the biggest awards in China for real estate development field)Songhua Lake Ski Resort won Best Resort, Most Popular Resort Award in China.Annual Best Resort in ChinaDevelopment Team: Jilin Songhua international ski resort development companyArchitecture Design Team: Plusurbia Design in U.S.Construction Document Team: Jilin Architecture construction college architecture firmLandscape Design Team: Designworkshop Inc in U.S.Construction Document for Landscape Team: Tianjin Boya landscape design firm
The City of Miami presented a proclamation on Thursday Nov. 19 honoring PlusUrbia Design for hosting the My Calle 8 Forum and contributing 500-plus hours of pro bono services. The Coconut Grove-based studio's entire team produced sample drawings of Calle Ocho as a Complete Street that serves pedestrians, cyclists and public transit equally with automobiles. PlusUrbia’s vision of calmed, two-way traffic with wide sidewalks captured the imagination of the media, drawing coverage in print, on television, radio, web sites and social media.Link to the City of Miami complete Meeting Agenda: http://egov.ci.miami.fl.us/meetings/2015/11/2848_A_City_Commission_15-11-19_Meeting_Agenda_%28Long%29.pdf
Administered by the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Charter Awards program rewards the best work of the new era of placemaking. Every year since 2001, CNU has convened a jury of the highest caliber to review submissions and select winning entries that best embody and advance the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism. The Charter identifies three major scales of geography for design and policy purposes. The largest scale is composed of regions. The middle scale is made up of neighborhood, districts, and corridors, and the smallest scale is composed of block, streets, and buildings.Charter Awards are given to projects at each scale, and a special recognition is reserved for the best projects at the professional and the student levels. This year, a handful of new categories were added, including Best Urban Infill, Best Planning Tool or Process, and Best Tactical Intervention. As the preeminent global award for excellence in urban design, CNU hopes the Charter Awards will set new benchmarks and new models for urbanism worldwide.The Master Plan for Curridabat, Costa Rica, won this year's Charter Award for Best City Plan. Led by Castillo Arquitectos, PlusUrbia is proud to have collaborated on this outstanding project.The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood and development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.Congress for the New Urbanismcnu.org
Plusurbia’s Juan Mullerat was awarded the 2013 Urban Designer of the Year by the Miami Chapter of The American Institute of Architects. In an event held in November at the AIA Miami’s head quarters, Mullerat received said award on behalf of the Plusurbia’s team members for the body of work that the firm has produced in recent years.
