Guest Report By Brian Lemmerman

Rarely does a full-day local government-run conference in the middle of a workweek draw such a massive crowd. For that, Miami-Dade County, I applaud thee. The entire event was well-run and administered without technical difficulties. Those are our tax dollars at work.

The full day summit was split into two tracks: an infrastructure/technology track and a financial track, where expert panelists spoke about their niches and responded to public comments. As an urban planner, I opted to attend the infrastructure track. Presentations consisted of 95% background and 5% future visioning. I’m going to focus on the 5%. You can also catch the Twitter conversation at #MDCTransit13 for the next 20 or so days before the hashtag gets gobbled up by the internets.

Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez set the tone with a case for smart transit, a type of transportation that is not only efficient, but integrates with technology that makes transit readily accessible to everyone. We’re talking about kinetic rail systems and battery-powered bus rapid transit that charges through induction on the highway and can support itself off the highway for miles before returning for a recharge.

MDX’s (Miami-Dade Expressway Authority) chair, Maurice Ferre discussed his vision for retrofitting our existing highway infrastructure with these technologies to make the most of what we already have. Many audience members, including Transit Miami’s Matthew Toro pushed back on this ideal, expressing that we’re perpetuating our reliance on 20th century modes of transportation and outdated ways of thinking.

Citizen feedback was split 50/50 between topics regarding bus/rail, and topics surrounding sustainability/climate change/bicycling. The conversation around climate and cycling, topics scarcely touched on by the experts, generated significantly more audience buzz both in the crowd and on Twitter – often rousing applause. Three times consecutively, however, audience comments (including my own) addressing solar technology incorporation, sea level rise consideration and bicycle intergration were politely dismissed and tabled by the panel moderator in favor of other questions.

In the latter half of the summit, Coconut Grove Collaborative CEO, J.S. Rashid, called for the “reprioritizing of transit solutions in our communities”, expressing that supporting low-income communities with reliable public transportation is essential not only for making economic opportunity equally accessible, but also for saving employers on salary premiums paid out to the car-owning upper-middle class who generally have higher living expenses.

Toward the closing, panelists discussed how leadership drives ridership. A question from Marketing Professional, Francine Madera regarding how often each of the elected officials at the front of the room actively use public transportation revealed that, although some take the bus or MetroRail to work or for weekend excursions a couple days a week, most of the time, they drive.

Takeaways

1. The general theme of the conference was Smart Transit with a preface of rehabilitating our existing infrastructure. Miami-Dade Transit Agencies are focused first on giving our highways a consistent experience i.e. all of the exits on the 836 Dolphin Expressway should be on the right. Then, they’re focusing on retrofitting those highways with new technologies for electric or hybrid bus rapid transit systems.
2. Miami-Dade County doesn’t yet have canned responses for questions and comments regarding climate change, solar energy or bicycling when it comes to transit, although it was apparent that many of the panelists weren’t closed entirely off from the issues.
3. We have to be willing to pay for everything we want. Transit authorities made it clear several times throughout the day that magical transit solutions don’t just appear out of thin air. One of the most hyperbolized quotes of the day:

Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

Cool Statistics Mentioned by Panelists

Fact Checking is Encouraged

• A single Miami MetroRail car costs $3 million. A metro mover car costs $2 million.
• Every dollar invested in transit yields $3.5 dollars in wealth for our communities.
• 70% of Miami Transit is subsidized. The U.S. average is 50%.
• 3% of Miami-Dade’s population uses mass transit compared to 13% in New York. When asked who in the room uses Miami’s public transportation, roughly 90% of the hands went up. >> I was just informed that these numbers put out by Maurice Ferre are entirely inaccurate. I will provide an update once I review the data.

What was Accomplished

I’m not exactly sure. Experts gave citizens the vision for the future. Citizens expressed concerns and gave constructive feedback. My hope is that civilian input will be taken into consideration when planning our next 20-30 years of transportation systems.

On another note, a small group of young people were united both in person and via Twitter. Here’s a list of people I interacted with who care deeply about the future of Miami:

• @DaniAmores
• @TitanAdvocacy
• @MIAtransitangel
• @transitmiami
• @MelanieInMiami
• @skrambleon
• @Sustain305
• @MTDot9
• @AleydaKMejia
• @MissSustainable
• @TMStrategies
• @cinera17

Miami-Dade Expressway Authority’s Social Media manager made himself known. This a major development, given that MDX expressed a dire need to jump on social media at their council meeting back in April. His name is Mario Diaz, and can be contacted via Twitter @MDXway. Please be nice and send him informed questions and comments. He has better things to do than answer baseborn 140-character complaints from the uneducated public. He gets those all day and ignores them.

My Thoughts

To guide the conversation away from using automobiles and toward using other forms of transit, I feel that public transportation in Miami needs a full brand overhaul. If we really want people to make that shift, it won’t matter how reliable the bus schedules are or how advanced our new high-speed rail systems get. Taking the bus or the MetroRail today, you feel like a second-rate citizen – most of the time, waiting unshaded along a 6-lane freeway, sitting next to coughing strangers, breathing black diesel exhaust, avoiding the sticky seat, and wondering how those kids etched graffiti into the glass. It’s as though our current transit system was designed without human enjoyment in mind, and it has deteriorated over time as a result. Remember, it costs $3 million for a single MetroRail car.

I think it’s time we make public transportation sexy in Miami.

The way advertisers have managed to make driving sexy. Except we won’t do it with fancy cupholders and all-wheel drive. We’ll do it with unique experiences that driving doesn’t offer.

I had a conversation with Mary Adelyn Kauffman, a musician and doctoral fellow from the University of Miami, who shared with me some of the great transit experiences her travels in Germany had to offer that could work just as well here:

• The Party Bus – a downtown circulator complete with disco ball and music to transport pub crawlers (and other people too).
• Weekend concerts and performances on the train in partnership with local performing arts schools.
• A monthly “Leave Your Car at Home Day” with incentives provided at local events and other venues.

Please share your thoughts and ideas here in the comments.

I also recommend reading this book: “Making Transit Fun! How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto their feet, a bike, or bus)” by Darrin Nordahl. It’s only $3 if you have a Kindle.

Contact Your Local Transportation People

Boy, would they love to hear something positive for a change! The best way to get in touch with the people in charge of the summit to express transportation concerns is through this Miami-Dade Transportation Trust website page. If anyone can find their Facebook Page, please send me a link, and I’ll post it here.

Finding Affordable and Accessible Art
Amidst Art Week Miami’s More Expensive, Eccentric Offerings
By: Eric Smith, CEO of Artexpo International

“It’s interesting… but is it art?” It’s a question you sometimes hear at Miami Art Week, as the ratio of quirky, kitschy and downright eccentric art seems to soar along with the event’s exponential growth each year. Ultra contemporary art certainly has its place, but is there still a market for buyers interested in more accessible offerings?

Absolutely, says Eric Smith, CEO of Artexpo Miami, which is now in its second year in the Wynwood District. “There will always be a place for more extreme, conceptual art,” says Smith, “but the fact is, there are a lot of people who come to Miami Art Week just looking for a few innovative new pieces for their home or office.”

Each December, more than 50,000 art collectors, gallery owners and designers descend upon Miami, which has become the go-to winter destination for the fine art community. The city hosts more than 20 art fairs at that time—from storied giants like Art Basel, Art Miami, Scope and Pulse, to boutique fairs like Artexpo Miami, Ink and Aqua. Admidst all the excitement, the crowds and media tend to swarm around the more show-stopping, eclectic artworks, just as people tend to cluster around über-luxe Porches, Lamborghinis and Maseratis at car shows. But when it comes time to buy, most people favor elegant and affordable over out there and overpriced. In the end, there aren’t all that many people who actually want to buy—or can afford to—a giant $150,000 statue of, say, Donald Duck in Communist attire.

If you’re one of the many art lovers who are looking for more down-to-earth, wallet-friendly art finds, try the following tips:

1. Hit the Big Fairs for Fun, But Shop the Smaller Fairs
By all means, visit the big, iconic art fairs that started it all. Art Basel, Art Miami, Scope and others will offer you no end of extravagant eye candy, entertaining performance art and fodder for thought. But when it comes to shopping, be sure to pop in the smaller galleries and art fairs, unless your décor—and wallet—can accommodate more outlandish, big-ticket items. Must-see stops include: Artexpo Miami, Aqua, Nada, Pool, Verge, Overture Miami and Design Miami.

2. Scour the Galleries for One-of-a-Finds
Sometimes, wandering the maze of massive art fairs can feel a little overwhelming. If you’re looking for smaller doses and more intimate settings in which to explore art, you’ll enjoy the smattering of galleries in the trendy Wynwood Art District. Recently named “the 6th most stylish neighborhood” in the world by Complex magazine, Wynwood is home to over 70 galleries, museums and collections. You’ll have a wonderful time exploring this artist’s haven, and you’re sure to meet some interesting new people too.

3. Mingle with Exhibitors, Ask About Their Offerings
At an art fair or opening, exhibitors are really only exhibiting a small selection of their work. In many cases, they bring their higher-end items. If there’s an artist whose work you really like, approach them (or the owner of the gallery or publisher who is exhibiting their work) and find out if they have pieces that are more in your budget. Ask if they offer limited-edition, archival-quality reproductions of their work, as many artists do. Or if the work is very large, ask if they do smaller works. It never hurts to ask, and besides, it gives you an opportunity to get to know the artist and learn about their inspiration, technique and larger body of work.

by Eric Smith, CEO with Artexpo International