Where is South Florida Heading? - Miami Downtown Development ...

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CHARTING THE COURSECOMMENTARY FROM THE EXPERTSDr. Dario Moreno, DirectorMetropolitan CenterFlorida International UniversityPast 20 years. The single most important change hasbeen the empowerment of the South Florida community,both economically and politically. Most of the Hispanicscoming to Florida are middle class, which is a differentHispanic population than what you see in California orNew York. With the importance of social issues added tothat, what you see in Florida is a very dynamic Hispanicpopulation with very substantial issues of partisanship.This is redefining for the rest of the country what a Hispanicis---a Hispanic is no longer viewed as necessarilyworking class or poor. South Florida has shown that theHispanic population can be a professional, rising middleclass population. These trends are not only important forFlorida, but for the rest of the country in terms of ourperception of what it is to be Hispanic in the U.S.Next 20 years. I think diversity is making Miami a worldclass city, a truly international city. One of the importantdemographic trends is the black population of Miami-Dade County moving to Broward. They are driven toBroward by being able to buy more house for the money,a perception that the school system is better, and a viewthat Miami-Dade County is going to be increasingly Hispanic.I think we were wrong in the perception that Browardwill be increasingly Hispanic. I think the westernpart of Broward will see the continuing Hispanics, butfarther north of that (Treasure Coast), you are going tohave increases based on how low the population is there.Palm Beach County will see more Hispanics move in.In terms of the creative class that is coming in, especiallyto Miami-Dade and Broward counties, these people arereally changing that age cohort difference. Surely thereis an aging population and their age is growing, but thedynamism is looking at who is moving into the luxurybuildings and going to the night spots. I think what drivesSouth Florida is part-time residents; they have a tremendousimpact on our economy.What needs to be done. The fact is that people here (inMiami-Dade) have figured out how we can all prospertogether. We face challenges in affordable housing, anaging population, health care, and transportation, but wealso have a booming economy, a vision of how the cityand county should look. Concerns that have been long ignoredin terms of environment, issues of social equity andprosperity are being taken, and we are discussing themnow. These changes are incredibly positive. Are we still ayoung region that has a long way to go? Sure, but at theend of the day, I am optimistic. All the heavy lifting hasbeen done in terms of the old tensions that have hauntedMiami-Dade County: ethnic, economic, political.I see a more vertical South Florida, especially in the twosouthern counties. I see the great environmental challengesas the population grows and the elected officialsare willing to continue to move the urban developmentboundary west and south. I see the development of SouthDade as the last frontier. I see institutions continuing tobe challenged.Daniella LevineExecutive Director and FounderHuman Services CoalitionPast 20 years. In the 23 years that I have lived in South Florida,I have seen the arrival of many different groups. Miami,in particular, has become one of the most international citiesin the world, with 60 percent foreign born. Many of thepeople who were uncomfortable with that change have left,so most of those who are here are comfortable with andembrace internationalization and diversity.All these waves of immigration have had a depressing effecton wages. Miami-Dade has a low salary scale, not justin the service industry, but also for professionals. With Miamiremaining a mecca for the affluent, there is a growingBalkanization between the affluent and a small, middle,and growing underclass.Next 20 years. We are at a turning point, and I think thatwe could go in two different directions. We could movetoward increased Balkanization in terms of class divisions,or we could move toward becoming a place that isfar more cosmopolitan by embracing our cross-culturaldiversity and our agility in dealing with change. Whichpath we go down will depend on a lot of things, but threeare especially important—education, housing, and civicinvestment. We are doomed economically to a second-ratestatus unless we have an educated population to bolsterour competitiveness as a creative economy, and support21
WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?our retiring population. The benefits of increased wageswill be wiped out unless we can do something to stabilizeour housing crisis. The current speculative bubble hascreated a huge gap between wages and housing costs,making us the community with the highest housing burdenin the nation. People are being pushed out of themarket with no place to go.What needs to be done. There is a need for coalition buildingacross the sectors (public, private, and nonprofit) toaddress these large challenges. We are a region wherepeople and organizations have typically worked independently.Essentially what we are trying to do with ImagineMiami is to identify a common vision for the future of theregion that will reactivate civic spirit and create a strongcommitment to this extraordinary place.Because things have been changing so rapidly, we don’thave clearly established civic leadership. That’s a challengeas well as a huge opportunity. I believe that Miamiis the place where diversity will fuel a new model of civicengagement that celebrates difference, vitality, and communityresilience in the face of constant change.Carolyn Dekle, Executive DirectorSouth Florida RegionalPlanning CouncilPast 20 years. Internationalization has been a drivingforce in the region. Anytime there is a change in a LatinAmerican government or policy, it affects the populationhere. The region has experienced a great deal of changeand continues to evolve because of South Florida’s connectionto and relationship with Latin America and theCaribbean. Miami-Dade County has had a large Cuban-American community since the late 50s and early 60s,and the region’s population continues to diversify due toimmigration from the Caribbean and Latin America, aswell as other parts of the world.There is a great disparity in incomes and wealth in the region.As the cost of living continues to increase at fasterrate than income, it will become more challenging for theless affluent, including many in the “middle class,” to liveand prosper in South Florida. But there is also a lot ofmoney moving around that is not fully quantified or understood.There are a lot of people with second or thirdjobs on the side, and a lot of money moves out of the regionto other countries. Many people come here in searchof a better quality of life because they are unable to makea living in the countries they are from and/or they areconcerned with the political climate in their countries.Many support their family members back home with theincome they earn here and products, such as clothingand medicine, they ship overseas.South Florida’s population is older than the rest of the nation,but it is getting older more slowly now. The region’spopulation is growing younger, and many of the oldercommunities that we typically associate with large retirementpopulations are revisiting their schools and publicservices to meet the needs of new families with children.I think South Florida’s retirement population will beginto shift to other areas of the state and country because ofthe high cost of living in the region, coupled with retirementplans that are less generous than they have been inthe past. Today, fewer and fewer industries are able to offerand support a defined benefit retirement plan. SouthFlorida will become less attractive to persons on a fixedor limited income. As these types of benefits decrease,the economy of Florida, at one time highly dependent ontransfer payments, will change as well.You get a wider range of choices through public schoolsthan private schools. I know a lot of affluent families whochoose to place their children in the public school systembecause they are able to offer a broader range of programs.Of course, there are also instances where a publicschool can improve. Accountability is important but wecannot lose sight of the state’s responsibility to ensurethat there are adequate state and local resources availableto support our schools, teachers, and support staff,and children who may require additional assistance orsupport. We also need to be innovative and adapt if weare going to address the changing needs of our communities.What needs to be done. We are the heart of an internationalregion and the heart of a domestic region. That isa big challenge for all of us who work here professionally.If you do not have an intuitive sense about the peoplefor whom you are providing services, it is hard to knowwhat to do. In the next ten years, this will be one of ourbig challenges. We’re going to have to figure out how toconduct “regional conversations.” We need to figure outhow to discuss shared concerns from different parts ofthe region. It will not surprise me to see in ten years aregional decision-making process. I think there is politicalacceptance for the need for that. But what will be essentialin getting there is to reach agreement on whatare the regional issues, as opposed to local, and decisionsthat need to be made.22
Page 2: Center for Urban and Environmental
Page 7 and 8: Table of ContentsIntroduction . . .
Page 9 and 10: WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?to t
Page 11 and 12: WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?Key
Page 13 and 14: PEOPLESOCIAL EQUITY• Among the re
Page 15 and 16: WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?Orig
Page 17 and 18: WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?comp
Page 19 and 20: WHERE IS SOUTH FLORIDA HEADING?100%
Page 22 and 23: CHARTING THE COURSEOn a positive no
Page 24 and 25: CHARTING THE COURSENumber of Studen
Page 26 and 27: CHARTING THE COURSEFLORIDA REGIONAL
Page 30 and 31: PlaceBounded by the ocean on one si
Page 32 and 33: CHARTING THE COURSETHE NATURAL ENVI
Page 34 and 35: CHARTING THE COURSEHistoric and Pro
Page 36 and 37: CHARTING THE COURSECounty had a lar
Page 38 and 39: CHARTING THE COURSEenjoyment of nat
Page 40 and 41: CHARTING THE COURSEHousing Affordab
Page 42 and 43: CHARTING THE COURSEMillions of Ride
Page 46 and 47: CHARTING THE COURSECOMMENTARY FROM
Page 48 and 49: ProsperityFlorida, California, and
Page 50 and 51: CHARTING THE COURSEWORKFORCEEmploym
Page 52 and 53: CHARTING THE COURSEthe percentage o
Page 54 and 55: CHARTING THE COURSEComponents of Pe
Page 56 and 57: CHARTING THE COURSEThe aviation ind
Page 58 and 59: CHARTING THE COURSEFLL cargo climbe
Page 60 and 61: CHARTING THE COURSEWith half of the
Page 64 and 65: CHARTING THE COURSECOMMENTARY FROM
Page 66 and 67: CHARTING THE COURSEConclusionTOWARD
Page 68 and 69: EndnotesINTRODUCTION1 Johnston, P.
Page 70 and 71: Department of Education. (2005, Apr
Page 72 and 73: eaches were eroded; 365 were critic
Page 74 and 75: Higher frequency for the future. Fl
Page 77 and 78: Technical EndnotesINTRODUCTIONPage
Page 79 and 80:
Transportation.(2005). Public road
Page 81:
AcknowledgmentsCUES wishes to recog
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