December 2004 Design Session

Session Summary
The Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, dedicated to improving South Florida communities by offering training in smart growth and design, hosted its fifth session in Jupiter, Florida, on December 9th and 10th, 2004. Three public officials learned first hand how to apply sound design principles to their cities, based upon the projects they had selected. December's session included the cities of Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Doral from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, respectively.

Delray Beach Mayor Jeff Perlman brought two projects to the Design Institute. Both focused on redevelopment efforts in the western portion of the 90% built-out city. For the first site, the City seeks to transform four of their high-volume but under-performing intersections into “nodes” of smart growth development and economic revival. The second project explored site expansion through adaptive reuse and zoning changes. The intent is to re-shape the built environment while developing new office space and retail that meets the needs of the diverse community and substantially increasing the amount of workforce housing.

Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson brought forth a large, multi-jurisdictional site that included national and international corporate headquarters, educational facilities, an executive airport, hotels, major recreational facilities and major transportation hubs. Public officials from neighboring jurisdictions participated in the initial site analyses. They discussed adopting an overall strategic plan for the area that would create an identity and provide cohesiveness for the now-underutilized site. During the Design Institute work session a smaller portion of the site, located within the City of Fort Lauderdale, was explored in greater detail with the purpose of developing design guidelines that could be applied to the project overall.

Doral Councilman Robert Van Name sought advice on redevelopment that would transform three disparate areas into one cohesive core. The city would like to see this aged industrial corridor redevelop into a new and vibrant downtown. The timing of the Design Institute session was critical for newly incorporated Doral, for the city has just begun the writing of their codes and comprehensive plan.

The Design Institute assembled a resource team of experts in design, redevelopment, finance, transportation, private development, landscape architecture, community building and urban planning. At least two members of the team visited each of the three communities on the first day for a tour led by the public officials and staff. Day one concluded with a presentation by Dr. Chuck Bohl of the University of Miami and author of the Urban Land Institute’s new release, Placemaking: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets and Urban Villages.

The second day of the Design Institute consisted of a workshop during which the resource experts addressed the challenges of each project. Through facilitated brainstorming, the team suggested ideas, developed alternative solutions and made recommendations. At day’s end each public official left with a flip chart of short and long-term recommendations and drawings, as well as a sense of optimism about creating a place of distinction in their community. The Design Institute staff will continue to monitor the progress of these locales, as well as the other 15 communities that have participated in this innovative program.