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An update from the Anthony James Catanese Center for Urban & Environmental
Solutions (CUES) at Florida Atlantic University
September 2005
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| Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast Completes Work and Plans Next Steps |
 The Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast, facilitated by CUES and the Conflict Resolution Consortium, completed its work on September 24 during its final meeting in Stuart, Florida. Created by an Executive Order signed by Governor Bush on March 30, 2004 at the request of local Treasure Coast Senator Ken Pruitt, the 37 person committee issued a report containing a Regional Vision, Guiding Principles and Action Steps for implementation. Senator Pruitt attended the first day of the two day meeting and commended the group on its work and predicted that it would provide a model for other regional convenings in the State of Florida. The final report will be posted shortly. Committee Chair Melissa Meeker indicated she would take the lead in organizing a volunteer not-for-profit, Sustainable Treasure Coast, recommended in the report to insure successful implementation of the Committee’s recommendations. Florida Atlantic University and Indian River Community College responded to the report recommendations by pledging to create the Institute for a Sustainable Treasure Coast to provide research, data and indicators of success to track forward progress of the Committee’s recommendations.
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| Events throughout Region Focus on Housing Affordability Gap |
 Leaders throughout South Florida are growing increasingly concerned about the high cost of housing in the region. The growing gap between housing prices and incomes is causing great concern for communities who want to accommodate residents of all incomes. Many upcoming events in the region will be focused exclusively or in part on this challenge. The Broward Housing Partnership is kicking off these events. Their “Affordable Housing Summit” will take place on October 5th and 6th. This summit will feature nationally recognized speakers who will discuss tools and best practices that have worked successfully to solve the housing dilemma in other communities. The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council’s First Annual Regional Workforce Housing Symposium “Achieving Results,” is slated to raise awareness of the scope and magnitude of the region’s housing crisis and increase knowledge about successful model programs being used by communities to address workforce housing needs. Case studies will also be used. Finally, the Second Wednesday Lecture Series, sponsored by Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, the Florida Atlantic Planning Society, Owl Productions, and the Broward Section, American Planning Association, Florida Chapter is focusing its entire academic year program on this issue. For more information, contact Department Chair, Jaap Vos at jvos@fau.edu.
In addition to these “housing-only” programs, several others will also address this pressing issue. The Tri-County Leadership Council is presenting its third annual Regionalism Summit entitled “Regional Integration: A Catalyst for Economic Progress.” This dynamic event taking place on October 21, will feature a housing panel moderated by Sun-Sentinel columnist Doug Lyons and which will include many perspectives on the housing issue including a state legislator, government officials, a non-profit, and an affordable housing developer. The South Florida Regional Resource Center is sponsoring this event.
The November 9-10 Palm Beach County Economic Summit will also be addressing this issue. The sub-committee focused on housing is exploring government programs that may help to bridge the gap. The program will include public financing options and the use of bonds, state and federal grant partnerships, performance zoning, and an evaluation of best practices. CUES is staffing this event.
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| NEWS FROM THE SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER |
Social and Economic Disparity Update
“South Florida is a region in which often conflicting cultures and diverse racial and ethnic groups compete for valuable resources such as water, living space, economic opportunity and access to health services and education systems. As a result of these circumstances, it is also a region with a tragic tradition of racial and ethnic discord that periodically explodes into civil violence. These factors combine to create an environment of constant disparity in South Florida in which the region’s affluent and impoverished are polarized in terms of opportunity but closely positioned in terms of living environment.” (Indicators of Social and Economic Disparity in South Florida, July 1991)
Indicators of Social and Economic Disparities in South Florida was a study first completed in 1991 by South Florida Regional Resource Center (SFRRC) partner, South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC), and funded by the Ford Foundation through the National Association of Regional Councils. This landmark report identified indicators of social and economic disparity in the Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in four key areas: housing, health care, employment and education.
The SFRPC, lead partner on the project, will update the original study to include the greater seven-county region adding Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach counties to the original three. The new study will offer a more complete assessment of what is being done and what can be done to address disparities identified in Southeast Florida. It will attempt to answer the following questions:
- How does social and economic disparity manifest itself in Southeast Florida today?
- What are the likely trends for social and economic disparity over the next 10 years in Southeast Florida? How might these trends play out over a longer timeframe, say 25 years?
- What may be the consequences of these trends in social and economic disparity for the region’s sustainability?
- What can we do today to reduce the extent of social and economic disparity and its impact on the region’s desired future?
The update will incorporate four approaches:
First, the project will update the basic indicators of social and economic disparity for the entire seven-county Southeast Florida region, compiling regional totals, and comparing them to state and national totals where possible. Second, a survey instrument will be designed to interview “typical” households in targeted areas around Southeast Florida in order to better understand how disparity is experienced by real people in the region. Third, results will be summarized of the two previous steps in the study and analyze the trends in social and economic disparity. Fourth, the most significant efforts that have been undertaken to address social and economic disparity in Southeast Florida over the last 15 years, with special attention to those that are ongoing today will be documented.
This is one of several projects the SFRRC is engaged in. The SFRRC, generously supported by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is a partnership between CUES, the Collins Center for Public Policy, and the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils. For more information on this effort, contact Dick Ogburn at ROgburn@sfrpc.org. For more information about the SFRRC, visit www.sfrrc.net.
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| Next Florida Design Institute Taking Place in November |
|  The Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, dedicated to improving South Florida communities by offering training in smart growth and design, will host its seventh session in Jupiter, Florida, on November 3-4, 2005. Four public officials will learn first hand how to apply sound design principles to their cities, based upon the projects they have selected. November's session will include the communities of Miami Gardens, Homestead and Boca Raton. There is still an opportunity to add one more Public Official to the session – contact us for more information.
The two-day session will begin with teams of design experts visiting the communities for site tours by the officials and presentations by staff. Later that evening, at 7 PM on November 3, there will be a keynote lecture by John Classe, developer of Baldwin Park, at the Florida Atlantic University Jupiter Campus Auditorium, which is open to the public (see below for details). The second day of the Design Institute will consist of an all day workshop during which the design team will address the challenges of each project. Through brainstorming sessions, the team suggests ideas, develops alternative solutions and makes recommendations. For more information please visit floridadesigninstitute.org or contact Marie York, 561-799-8689, myork@fau.edu or Mary Beth Hartman, 561-799-8730, mhartman@fau.edu.
John Classe Lecture -
Design Institute Keynote Speaker
Please join us at 7 pm on November 3, 2005 on Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter Campus to hear John Classe, Vice President of Planning and Infrastructure of Baldwin Park Development Company, give a true sense of what it takes to develop new urban towns. Mr. Classe, a refreshing and entertaining speaker, is redeveloping the 1,100-acres of the former Naval Training Center in Orlando, transforming it into the pedestrian-friendly community of Baldwin Park with neighborhoods, shops and offices. He talks openly about the economic realities of traditional neighborhood development, about the marketplace, and design based upon finance, rather than amenity placement. Prior to joining Baldwin Park, Mr. Classe was the Principal Engineer for Disney’s town of Celebration and Universal’s Island of Adventure. Join us for an open discussion of the practicalities of redevelopment, with an eye for design that makes economic sense and meets the demands of today’s marketplace.
This free event will begin with refreshments at 6:00 and the lecture at 7:00 in the Jupiter Campus Auditorium of Florida Atlantic University. [Directions]
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Coastal and Ocean Policy Initiative Update |
Manatee Protection and Boat Facility Siting
 CUES continues its work on the Palm Beach County (PBC) Manatee Protection Plan (MPP). Comments on the second draft have just been received from agency reviewers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Other comments have been submitted by such stakeholders as the Save the Manatee Club and the Marine Contractors Association. Public comments may be suonline (see “Request for Comments”, which also provides for downloading of the MPP and related mapping products).
CUES continues to work on the Palm Beach County Manatee Protection Plan (MPP). Comments on the second draft have just been received from agency reviewers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Other comments have been submitted by such stakeholders as the Save the Manatee Club and the Marine Contractors Association. Public comments may be submitted online (see “Request for Comments,” which also provides for downloading of the MPP and related mapping products).
Marine Management Plan for Monroe County
In collaboration with the South Florida Regional Planning Council (SFRPC), CUES is preparing a plan to address waterfront redevelopment issues in Monroe County, FL. The plan will include goals, policies, future marine-related land use maps, action recommendations, and an implementation strategy aimed at preserving and enhancing both public water access and the working waterfront throughout Monroe County. CUES’ Working Waterfronts Report has recently been submitted to the SFRPC. Forthcoming is a Legal Overview with recommendations and information on legislative proposals and efforts to preserve the working waterfront in the Keys.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Boating Study
CUES is partnering with the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts – Boston under a two-year contract with FWC to prepare a Boating Access Facilities Inventory. The project includes a pilot study for Lee County, Florida, to be completed in December 2005. CUES will also be compiling a comprehensive database of information on boat ramps, marinas, dry storage facilities, mooring fields, and docks throughout the State of Florida.
Economics of Beaches
Under contract to the Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems (Bureau) of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CUES is in its third year of a project examining the related issues of tourism and beaches and assessing the state’s existing beach management program. At the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association on September 30 in Key Largo, CUES Assistant Director Dr. Lenore Alpert, together with Roxanne Dow of the Bureau and Dr. William B. Stronge of FAU’s Department of Economics, gave the presentation, “The Economic Impact of Beach Tourism on Florida’s Beaches.”
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| News and Notes |
On September 27 at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores, CUES Director Jim Murley provided a detailed discussion on “Waterways and Waterfronts” for the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County. Mr. Murley also presented the lecture, “The Oceans and Coastal Resources Management Act: What it Says and What it Means,” at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association on September 29 in Key Largo.
CUES Assistant Director Lenore Alpert was the keynote speaker at FAU’s Second Research Lunch for Fall 2005 on September 27 on the Boca Raton Campus. Dr. Alpert discussed the work of CUES during her talk entitled, “Providing Solutions to Urban and Environmental Issues through Research, Education, and Partnerships.” FAU’s Division of Research and Graduate Studies serves as host for this luncheon lecture series.
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| Activities & Events |
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Broward Affordable Housing Summit
On October 5 and 6, participants from all viewpoints will be invited to attend a landmark summit on housing in Broward County. Commencing with presentations and cocktails on the evening of October 5th at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts and continuing all day on October 6th at the Broward County Convention Center, the Affordable Housing Summit will feature nationally recognized speakers who will discuss tools and best practices that have worked successfully to solve the housing dilemma in other communities. In the afternoon, participants will be asked to brainstorm in working group sessions aimed at setting Broward’s course. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: September 30, 2005. Learn more about this event and the Broward Housing Partnership.
The Society for American City and Regional Planning History is holding its 11th Biennial Conference on Planning History in Coral Gables, FL from October 20-23. Of special interest to South Floridians is a special pre-conference workshop entitled, “South Florida’s planning: past, present, and future.” This event will feature local preservationists, planners, community activists, public policy experts, including CUES’ own Jim Murley. More information on this event and the rest of the conference.
Third Annual Regionalism Summit: Regional Integration: A Catalyst for Economic Progress
On Friday, October 21, the Tri-County Leadership Council will hold its third annual regionalism summit. This summit will enable participants to learn the latest information about our region and what is projected for South Florida's future; learn about existing regional initiatives in the education, transportation, business, and urban development sectors; learn about a new and excting technology initiative, Florida Lambda Rail, that connects business and universities to a high speed optical network that will eventually connect to a national network; participate in an engaging focused discussion with leaders from throughout the region; learn more about one of our region's most pressing challenges: the growing gap between our median income and median housing price and learn about efforts to develop and grow the bio-science sector.
The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council's First Annual Regional Workforce Housing Symposium "Achieving Results"
On October 27 at the Indian River Community College Chastain Campus, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council’s symposium on workforce housing intends to bring together housing and community development officials, the building industry, banking and finance, business associations, industry, local elected officials and all those interested in addressing the workforce crisis in our Region. Participants will have an opportunity to better understand the scope and magnitude of the Region's housing crisis and learn about successful model programs being used by communities to address workforce housing needs. Case studies will be featured to give attendees a nuts and bolts appreciation of how to implement innovative solutions locally and regionally. Final date for registration is October 10, 2005. Download registration form. For more information, call (772) 221-4060 or email admin@tcrpc.org.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: NATIVE AMERICAN GAMING AND MUNICIPAL PLANNING
Native American gaming presents both challenges and opportunities for adjacent municipalities. On Friday, October 28, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, come see one of the region's largest and most successful Native American gaming facilities and hear more about the positive and negative impacts generated by this type of facility. This session begins with a facility tour and is followed by a panel discussion. We will then proceed to "happy hour" at one of the Hard Rock's many new venues. This event will take place on Friday, October 28 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from 2 until 5 p.m. (happy hour to follow). This event is sponsored by the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, Broward Section (BAPA). BAPA members participate for free; non-members pay $10 (NOTE: does not include happy hour!). Please RSVP to Sue Henderson at shenderson@broward.org
The 21st Century Palm Beach County: 2005 Economic Summit
On November 9-10, Palm Beach County is inviting residents, business people, government officials, environmentalists, educators, and others to participate in an exciting visioning process to establish future direction to ensure a strong, stable, and diverse local economy with the ultimate goal of having residents rate the county number one in prosperity and quality of life. Summit sessions include: Industries of the Mind; Smart Growth & Transportation; International Investment; Quality of Place; Agribusiness, Equestrian, and Food; Total Education; and Housing. Learn more about this effort.
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