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An update from the Anthony James Catanese Center for Urban & Environmental
Solutions (CUES) at Florida Atlantic University
April 2005
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| Promoting Diversity: Abacoa Project co-sponsors Cultural Education Festivals |
 The Abacoa Project worked with various FAU departments, local community groups, businesses and others, to present both the fourth annual Fiesta Maya, honoring Mayan culture, and the third annual Sharika: A Multicultural Celebration on African-American History. As support for Jupiter’s Guatemalan Mayan community continues to grow, along with interest in their culture and appreciation for their work in Abacoa and its surrounding towns, Fiesta Maya was attended by over 1500 participants. Ed Maietta gave the Fiesta Maya welcome address, a tribute to the often unrecognized workers whose labors make communities like Abacoa so remarkable. The Town of Jupiter’s Town Council recently approved the construction of a workers’ resource center, which will provide a safe location for laborers to rendezvous with their employers, along with other services to support this community.
 More than 400 people participated in the Sharika festival, which included the premiere of “Freedom,” a video-based interactive art installation depicting the African American experience, at the FAU MacArthur Campus. Stacy Edens, a local community organizer and FAU administrator, gave the Sharika keynote address, and the festival saluted Limestone Creek (West Jupiter) resident Maude Newkirk, with 101st birthday regards. Roger Dean Stadium later honored Ms. Newkirk by asking her to throw out the first pitch on her birthday – for the second year in a row.
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| April’s Design Institute |
Walter Kulash, transportation expert with the Orlando firm of Glatting Jackson, and Margi Nothard, faculty with FAU’s College of Architecture, Urban, and Public Affairs. |
The Florida Public Officials Design Institute at Abacoa, dedicated to improving South Florida communities by offering training in smart growth and design, hosted its sixth session in Jupiter, Florida, on April 14 & 15, 2005. Four public officials learned first hand how to apply sound design principles to their cities, based upon the projects they brought to the Institute. April's session included the communities of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, Fellsmere and Stuart, the latter collaborating on a project with Martin County.
The two-day session began with teams of design experts visiting the communities for site tours by the officials and presentations by staff. Later that evening, on April 14th, the Design Institute participants joined the public for a keynote lecture by Walter Kulash, a leading transportation planner, at the Florida Atlantic University Jupiter Campus Auditorium. The second day of the Design Institute consisted of an all day workshop during which the design team addressed the challenges of each project. Through brainstorming sessions, the team suggested ideas, developed alternative solutions and made recommendations. For more information please visit
www.floridadesigninstitute.org or contact Marie York, 561-799-8689,
myork@fau.edu or Mary Beth Hartman, 561-799-8730, mhartman@fau.edu.
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| CUES participates in World's Fair |
CUES Senior Fellow Frank Schnidman with Florida First Lady Columba Bush and Ambassador Lisa Gable in the U.S. Pavilion’s American Journey gallery. |
Frank Schnidman, CUES Senior Fellow and former President of the Japan Society of South Florida and current member of the Board of Trustees of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, was invited to participate in the 20-person Florida Delegation, led by Mrs. Bush, for “Florida days” at the United States Pavilion at the World's Fair in central Japan--the Aichi EXPO 2005. In addition to cultural presentations and a “Doing Business with Florida” seminar that drew more than 60 Japanese representatives, the Florida Delegation received V.I.P. treatment not only by the staff of the United States Pavilion, but at numerous other Pavilions. A highlight of the visit was a personal tour of the U.S. pavilion by Ambassador Lisa Gable, the Commissioner General of the United States Exhibition. Included in the tour was a visit to the American Journey gallery which showcased American technological advances over the years, including a full scale replica of the Mars Exploration Rover, displayed against a backdrop of recent imagery captured by the Rover’s cameras as it still traverses the Martian landscape.
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| CSTC Focuses on Rural Lands |
The Rural Lands Subcommittee was created in December of 2004, to provide input into the Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast's (CSTC) Interim and Final Reports and to make recommendations to CSTC that relate to the future of the undeveloped agricultural land component of the Treasure Coast landscape. The subcommittee’s February-June meetings are focused on learning about issues related to the rural lands in the three CSTC counties and becoming more informed on planning approaches that can be used to retain rural character. Meeting topics have included Florida's Rural Lands Stewardship Program, Community Stewardship Organizations, Sarasota County's 2050 Plan, and Transfer and Purchase of Development Rights Programs. The July and August meetings will be focused on finalizing the committee's recommendations. For more information on the work of the Rural Lands Subcommittee, visit the CSTC website.
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| News and Notes |
 Marie L. York, AICP, Associate Director, was recently elected chair of the American Planning Association’s national New Urbanism Division. She is pictured with Mahender G. Vasandani of Illinois, Vice President, and Nathan Bilger of Indiana, Secretary/Treasurer. The New Urbanism Division members include design professionals from around the U.S. who contribute to the creation of sustainable communities that reflect the goals of the charter for new urbanism.
In another recent election, MaryBeth Burton, AICP, Assistant Director, was selected as chair of the Broward Section of the American Planning Association.
CUES is proud to announce the addition of Fabio Naranjo to our staff. Most recently with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, Fabio relocated to South Florida and joined our staff to work on projects for the South Florida Regional Resource Center and community-level activities for our regional indicators work. Fabio has a wealth of experience in public policy, public administration, and philanthropy. |
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| Activities & Events |
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Second Annual Regional Leadership Awards Program
The South Florida Regional Resource Center (SFRRC) will host its Second Annual Regional Excellence Awards luncheon honoring numerous individuals and groups that have shown a strong commitment to fostering regional thinking in southeast Florida. The luncheon will take place Friday, June 3rd at 12 p.m. at the Hilton Deerfield Beach located at 100 Fairway Drive, Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The SFRRC, who through its partners, CUES; the Collins Center for Public Policy, Inc.; and the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils, assists neighborhood, city, county and civic organizations with local needs and educates these organizations about the importance of regional collaboration. The Center also works to ensure that organizations and other public and private regional entities work productively together to shape regional public policy in South Florida.
To register for the event, visit www.sfrrc.net or contact George Gadson at 954-762-5623 or ggadson@fau.edu.
Richard Florida, Transportation Planner, Design Institute Keynote Speaker
Richard Florida identified the 3 T's of economic development: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance. Dr. Florida answers the following questions and more and explains what the impact will be for counties, cities, and companies the world over: How does the movement of talented people across borders affect regional growth? What do tighter immigration, faltering education systems, and strong international competition mean for U.S. growth? Who are the up-and-comers in the global creative economy?
Please join us for this lecture beginning 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 3 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. [Details]
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