walls

Social sustainability hinges on the ability to foster community, which, in the built environment, emerges from public spaces - streets, squares, parks - that engage, excite and reward the people who use them.

One of the best developments in Miami in recent years has been the explosion of large-scale graffiti in the Wynwood district north of downtown. These murals transform neglected streets into vibrant public space.

flash urbanism, food truck edition

We just returned from Food Truck Invasion, a weekly event which is probably the largest and loudest food truck gathering in South Florida. About 60 trucks set up shop in Tamiami Park, outside the county fairgrounds and next to FIU's main campus. Hundreds of people come out, drawn as much by the spectacle of the crowd as by their jonesin' for a minuta sandwich or plate of yaroa (imagine poutine crossed with a cheesesteak). It's a wonderful experience.

flash urbanism

Yes, Miami suffers from a lack of urbanism. We drive a lot. We get into our cars in our private driveways and garages, and we don't get out until we reach the parking lots and garages where we work and shop. We never walk, and we never congregate in the streets. We utterly lack a sense of urbanism, and thus, any sense of community.

Or do we? South Florida has a variety of walkable communities that create pockets of urbanism in the vast motopolis. One reason we chose to live in South Miami is its walkable downtown, just over a half mile from our house (we're within walking distance of four grocery stores, for example). In each of these pedestrian areas, you're likely to find whole communities of people drawn by the sense of community that comes with regular interaction with neighbors and strangers in public space.