From the Washington Post: “Detroit, the very symbol of American industrial might for most of the 20th century, is drawing up a radical renewal plan that calls for turning large swaths of this now-blighted, rusted-out city back into the fields and farmland that existed before the automobile.”  Full article here.  Turning a city into farmland is something Miami might want to look into for all the vacant land and surface parking lots in Downtown.

The American Planning Association Florida Gold Coast Section together with the Metropolitan Center at Florida International University and the Miami Science Museum invite you to a symposium:  “Planning for Haiti’s Recovery and Anticipating the Impacts on South Florida.”  Date: Friday March 12, 2010.  Time: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm.  Where: Miami Science Museum, 3280 South Miami Avenue, Metrorail Vizcaya Station.  Registration: $10 at door (free for students).  RSVP by Wednesday, March 10th via email to victoria.lerma@fiu.edu or calling the FIU Metropolitan Center at 305.349.1251.

Come enjoy refreshments as we  bring together various disciplines and interested community members to discuss the physical and community development issues facing Haiti and its people as the country begins the planning process for recovery.  The discussion will also address the anticipated impacts on South Florida’s urban systems – health services, housing, schools and transportation as we respond to the needs of Haiti’s refugee population.  Speakers, which will be followed by interactive discussion, include:

N. Emel Ganapati’s planning research focus is on post-disaster recovery.  Dr. Ganapati has managed several international and domestic projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institutes of Health.  She received a community award from the 10th Year Golcuk Earthquake Commemoration Committee for her contributions to the recovery of Golcuk, the epicenter of the deadly 1999 earthquake in Turkey.

Natacha Jasmine Yacinthe, PhD, AICP, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  She has worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) conducting a waste management and planning assessment for the City of Jacmel, Haiti.  Her assessments and planning resulted in a 25-page report with recommendations to the Haitian government on creation of a planning division and sustainable planning practices.

Bernard Zyscovich, AIA, is the President and Managing Partner of Zyscovich Architects.  He is a dedicated preservationist and urbanist, serving in numerous community leadership roles including Chairmanship of the Miami Design Preservation League, the organization responsible for the historic designation of the Miami Beach Art Deco District; Presidency of the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; and co-sponsorship of South Florida’s first Tropical Green Conference.

Oliver Kerr, FAICP, is a distinguished planner and member of the Board of Directors of the APA  Florida Gold Coast Section and a Senior Research Associate for the FIU Metropolitan Center. He has over 30 years of experience as a planner/demographer with the Miami-Dade County Department of Planning and Zoning.  He was responsible for the County’s demographic studies program, preparing estimates and projections of population and housing, neighborhood profiles, and studies of Miami’s changing ethnic and racial groups.

Moderator: Ned Murray, PhD, AICP, is the Associate Director of the FIU Metropolitan Center and a leading expert on economic development and housing market issues in South Florida.  He has served as Principal Investigator on many of the landmark economic development planning studies in South Florida including the South Florida Workforce Housing Needs Assessment, FEC Corridor Strategic Redevelopment Plan, City of Miami Targeted Industry Study and Miami-Dade County Economic Development Implementation Plan.

Morningside Walking Tour, Saturday, March 6, 10 am -1 pm, 5601 NE 6th Avenue.  Stroll with Museum Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George along the bayside shores of this beautiful boom era community amidst an original subtropical hammock. Explore Miami’s first locally designated historic district with its unique blend of Spanish style and Streamline Moderne architecture.  Meeting point is at the corner of NE 6th Avenue and 56th Street.  HMSF Members $20; Non-Members $25.

Stiltsville, Key Biscayne & Cape FL Lighthouse Boat Tour, Saturday, March 13, 10 am – 1 pm, Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Boulevard Downtown Miami.  Voted Best Tour by the Miami New Times! Enjoy this beautiful boat trip with Dr. Paul George to one of Miami’s hidden gems – Stiltsville, a remnant community of seven houses perched on stilts in the middle of the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay. See the Cape Florida Lighthouse, learn about the history of Key Biscayne, and hear stories of fabulous parties and nefarious mobsters. Advance reservations and payment required.  HMSF Members $39; Non-Members $44.

Secrets of Coconut Grove Walking Tour, Sunday, March 14, 10 am – 1 pm, Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive Coconut Grove.  Discover the charming history and hidden secrets of one of Miami’s original settlements, Coconut Grove as you walk with Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George. Hear about the challenges faced by early Grove pioneers, Bahamian settlers, and Seminoles as you visit the sites of the Peacock Inn, Millionaire’s Row, Plymouth Congregational Church and the Barnacle, the preserved home of Commodore Ralph Munroe.  HMSF Members $20; Non-Members $25.

Little Havana Walking Tour, Saturday, March 20, 10 am – 1 pm, Brigade 2506 Torch, SW 13 Avenue & SW 8 Street Miami.  Absorb Cuban culture with Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George on this classic tour through one of Miami’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Explore bungalow architecture, see the Tower Theater and marvel at the hand-rollers at a cigar factory. Visit Domino Park, Cuban Memorial Boulevard and see the home of the Miami’s first mayor. You can also join Dr. George for lunch afterwards.  HMSF Members $20; Non-Members $25.

Design District Architecture Walking Tour, Sunday, March 21, 10 am – 12 pm, 3610 NE 2 Avenue Midtown Miami.  Explore the heart of design in Miami with Dr. Paul George. See cutting-edge architecture, examine the nouveau-Minoan figures on the Buick Building, and window-shop at the high-end furniture stores and art galleries. Hear about developer Craig Robins, and learn about the neighborhood master plan created by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.  Metered parking is available under the highway (I-195).  HMSF Members $20; Non-Members $25.

Florida’s Fabulous Hotel Lobbies Coach Tour, Saturday, March 27, 10 am – 1 pm, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 West Flagler Street Downtown Miami.  Join Resident Historian, Dr. Paul George as he celebrates Miami Modern (MiMo), Art Deco, and Mediterranean Revival architecture with entertaining stories on this tour of some of Florida’s best-known and most beautiful hotel lobbies. Tour includes stops at the Biltmore, Fontainebleau, Essex, and the Doral Hotels, as well as a few surprises. Advance payment and reservations required.  HMSF Members $39; Non-Members $44.

ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean cordially invites you to a “Members Only” tour and networking opportunity: 1111 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 10:15am – 12:00pm.  Join ULI SE Florida/Caribbean on an exclusive members only tour of the revolutionary 1111 Lincoln Road project led by developer Robert Wennett.  Please register by Monday, March 22nd by calling 1-800-321-5011 (Reference #8135-1013).  $15 per person (ULI Members Only).  Registrants must meet promptly at 10:15am at the corner of Lincoln Road and Lenox Ave.  Light refreshments will be provided.

At least one company is in the game: Cabin Fever.  They have an office at 85 NW 71 St.  Other Miami companies doing prefab, or other companies doing prefab in Miami?  (Did the county pass that ordinance prohibiting prefab townhouses?)

The Student Council at the UM School of Architecture is proud to announce their inaugural student art show, “The Artist Behind the Architect.”  The exhibition opens Thursday, March 4 and will be installed through Saturday, March 6.  Korach Gallery hours are 10 am to 7 pm daily.

For anyone working in and around the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, Enterprise Communities has just launched a website to help “green” NSP houses.  Check it out here.  Probably includes hints applicable to regular houses, too.

Congratulations to the authors of the forthcoming “Miami Architecture: An AIA Guide Featuring Downtown, the Beaches, and Coconut Grove.”  Pre-order your copy today.

SAVE THE DATE – Friday, March 12 from 9am to 12pm, the Gold Coast Section of APA Presents: “A Post-Earthquake Symposium: Planning for Haiti’s Recovery and Anticipating the Impacts for South Florida,” to discuss the physical and community development issues facing Haiti and its people as the country begins the planning process for recovery
address the anticipated impacts on South Florida’s urban systems – health services, housing, schools and transportation as we respond to the needs of Haiti’s refugee population.  The event is graciously being hosted by the Miami Science Museum, more specific information will be provided next week.

UM School of Architecture invites you to a presentation about  architecture firms that have applied transformative approaches redefining architecture.  From the announcement: “For those of you considering opening an architecture practice, this evening is especially for you.  Elite Kedan’s publication ‘Provisional – Emerging Modes of Architectural Practice USA’ includes informative interviews along with drawings, diagrams, models, renderings, and photographs demonstrating a shared commitment to experimentation and learning-by-doing.”  Kedan has practiced with architectural firms in Boston, New York, Israel, and Miami and is adjunct faculty at FIU.  Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 6:00 P.M. at UM, Glasgow Hall, 1215 Dickinson Drive.

US News & World Report named both urban planner and landscape architect to its list of the top 50 careers for 2010.  Where does that leave plain ol’ architects?  What was Norm MacDonald’s old line about the worst job in the US?

This week at the University of Miami School of Architecture: “Transformations and Mutations in Architecture,” a presentation by Daniel Bonilla, architect from Bogotá, Colombia.  From Architectural Record: “[Bonilla's] inspiration came from his hometown of Bogotá, Colombia, where in high school he drew buildings on-site as a way of observing and understanding the city. ‘I started to develop a concern that is important to my work today: how buildings change and affect society,’ he says.”  Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 6:00 PM at University of Miami School of Architecture, Glasgow Hall, 1215 Dickinson Drive.

While the focus of the DawnTown annual architecture competition will remain downtown Miami, I would like to report on more events not in downtown, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables.  What’s happening in Hialeah?  Doral?  Kendall?  Homestead?  Represent your hyper-local architecture community!

Don’t forget to visit the improved Simpson Park at the corner of SW 15 Rd and Miami Ave (map), designed by Chad Oppenheim.  The park features one of Florida’s last natural hardwood hammocks, and now your local NET office!  Thoughts on the new entrance features?

InnoVida Holdings, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. and  Alonzo Mourning cordially invite you to the unveiling of “InnoVida Housing Solutions for Haiti” designed by Andres Duany.  Alonzo Mourning will announce his commitment to assist with the relief of the immediate housing need in Haiti.  Tours of Full Scale Housing Prototypes will be available.  Special Guests: General Wesley Clark, Dr. Barth Green (UM Project Medishare), Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (UM School of Architecture), and more.  Light lunch and refreshments will be served.  Wednesday, February 24, 2010, from 12:00p – 2:00p at 470 N.E. 185th Street, No. Miami Beach, FL 33179.  RSVP to Lisa Yanowitz at lisa.yanowitz@innovida.com or 786-837-7200 x 40309.

For even more information, see the PechaKucha website or Andres Viglucci’s article.

A reader writes that there is a rumor that Miami-Dade County will soon consider creating a height limit on manufactured housing: two stories and 25 feet.  Any truth to this?  Please share what you know in the comments.  Such a limit might prohibit affordable housing similar to what Alex Gorlin presented at the recent ULI townhouse panel: modular and prefabricated townhouses or low-rise multifamily.  Why would the County want to limit options for affordable housing?