MY CALLE 8 UPDATE:FDOT PD&E STUDY KICKOFF MEETING August 25 (5:30 P.M.-7:30 P.M.)Shenandoah Park Rene Janero Recreation Center, 1800 SW 21st Avenue FDOT is holding an important Public Kickoff MeetingThis is the first public meeting of the FDOT process that will ultimately decide the fate of our Calle8 corridor. Will it be a complete street with wide sidewalks, safe crossings, calmed two-way traffic and dedicated lanes for pubic transit and bicycles? Or will it be more of the same "Highway Ocho" with three lanes of one-way speeding traffic that serves suburban commuters, not Main Street Little Havana.This is your opportunity to gather for an open house at 5:30 p.m., then a 6 p.m. public presentation by FDOT's project manager and consultant team, led by the HNTB firm. This project will last into 2018, but this is the first opportunity for community input.This is our opportunity to help the FDOT team to understand what we expect for the future of the Calle8 corridor. Please follow the link below and sign the petition if you would like to see a better Calle8:https://plusurbia.com/mycalle8-petition-launches/ FDOT Project Information:
PlusUrbia's Juan Mullerat is honored to present "Affordable Pockets for Healthy Living: Little Havana USA" at the American Planning Association Florida statewide conference coming up in September in Tampa. FROM DARK STREET TO GREEN ALLEY / AFFORDABLE POCKETS FOR HEALTHY LIVING: LITTLE HAVANA USA Wednesday, September 7, 2016 3:30 PM - 4:45 PMInner city neighborhoods such as Miami’s Little Havana have good bones, but need urban interventions to increase healthy living. We’ll explore both assets (including high density to support public transit; affordable housing in close proximity to jobs) and challenges including lack of park space for healthy recreation, limited access to fresh food and a zoning code that prevents infill with small units and no parking. For a fraction of what exurbs or new towns cost, the inner city can be retrofitted in a more sustainable manner. The session will also focus on creative ways to change alleys, narrow utility corridors that are rarely seen as public spaces, to make them inviting public places, as well as “green infrastructure”. The session will focus on the traditional uses of alleys, and some ideas for transforming them into inviting public spaces. Example projects will be shown from a variety of communities with a wide range of community development objectives and outcomes.SPEAKERSJUAN MULLERATPrincipal, PlusUrbia DesignDAVID M. HAIGHT, FAICP, LEED AP NDProject Manager, AtkinsLink to event:http://floridaplanning.org/conference-2016/sessions/from-dark-street-to-green-alley-affordable-pockets-for-healthy-living-little-havana-usa/For more details on APA Florida 2016 conference, please follow the link below:http://floridaplanning.org/conference-2016/
PlusUrbia participated in a Charrette in San Salvador, El Salvador led by Castillo Arquitectos from Guatemala.The project aims to serve as an example of sustainable development in the region. Below is a recap of the work accomplished during the week of the Charrette:See also media coverage at El Diario de Hoy.
PlusUrbia Design Director Juan Mullerat will tie the studio’s pro bono advocacy for a better Calle 8 Corridor to active design during his presentation at the FitCity Miami 3 Conference Friday Feb. 19 at the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, 100 NE 1st Avenue, Suite 100.Mullerat’s presentation -- Local plans for 8th Street Corridor, opportunity to incorporate Active Design principles and Active Transportation – will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the event that focus on the relationship between design and health.“Our fitness – both physical and mental – is dependent on a welcoming urban realm that makes it easy to walk for purpose and pleasure. The more barriers to walkability that we can remove, the easier it is to promote a healthy, mobile lifestyle for people of all ages and physical abilities,’’ said Mullerat.PlusUrbia design has been honored by the City of Miami for its advocacy for a better redesign of the Calle 8 corridor. The studio advocates complete streets and two-way traffic. PlusUrbia recently led an open forum that brought more than 100 stakeholders to craft a vision for the corridor.The Florida Department of Transportation will soon launch a $2 million study to redesign SW 8th and SW 7th streets, between SW 27th and Brickell avenues as well as their interchange with I‐95. For more information on PlusUrbia’s corridor work, visit: https://plusurbia.com/strong-towns-the-case-against-urban-corridors-that-act-like-high-speed-highways/FitCity 3 explores the role transportation plays in keeping our community healthy, active and happy. For more information on the event, visit eventbrite.
