Next American City is a quarterly magazine that covers the progress and change of cities across the nation, so you'd expect them have something to say about the Miami 21 zoning code that was finally passed earlier this month. In fact they say, "Miami 21 is an historic, and perhaps watershed moment in America's urban history."
While we've been following the developments in the local media, it's nice to get some national perspective. For instance, we didn't know that the zoning code is the first of it's kind to be applied to such a large city, and that Denver may follow in our footsteps.
While some people, especially in the context of the upcoming mayoral election, think Miami should stop trying to be a first-tier city (in the words of one local popular blogger: "Why do we need to try to be New York or Chicago? How about let us be satisfied as being Cambridge, Mass or Hartford, CT."), it's nice to be reminded that Miami can (and should) shine as a national example.
The Next American City is heavy on praise for current mayor Manny Diaz, crediting his bold vision.
If thing work out as everyone at this point is assuming, and Tomas Regalado, the only commissioner to vote no on Miami 21, is elected as Diaz's successor next week it's hard to imagine if he'd accomplish anything that could be called "historic" let alone a "watershed moment in America's urban history."
This is a man who told The Herald today that his three major goals as Mayor are "repaving streets in his district, completing a wall at a subdivision called Coral Gate, and building a fire station on West Flagler Street."
Maybe not everyone agreed with Diaz's vision, but at least there was some.
