Miami: Ultra-Livable Paradise or Car-Dependent Nightmare?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ค. 2023
- South Florida is a place of contradictions. It can be a livable, walkable dream if you have means, but it can be a sprawling abyss if you have to drive around it every day, as so many people do.
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Americans in general have cars. Sorry you weren't born in the 19th Century. You wouldn't be happy here. Miami isn't affordable. When I moved here I bought my first house for $16.6K...that same house is pushing $600K now. It's too hot and too humid... did I mention Palmetto bug and 2739 species of lizards. And snakes.. don't get me started. Malaria outbreak recently. Did I mention hurricanes? On the plus side I've only had and encounter with one rattlesnake.... it was in my garage. So you would have to worry, you'd be on foot as you walked around car-free. Did you visit the Everglades? You can walk and wade all you want out there.
IT'S VEGAS WITH SALTY MOLDY HUMIDITY.. Lets just say hot tourist zone
Yep its no joke
everywhere that is not a "car dependent nightmare" i.e. cities are the real nightmares.
I love your work Ray and think yo provide a valuable perspective for city planning and transportation. For the first time in the dozens of your videos I've watched you lost me a bit at the very end of this one. You mention the inability of some to pay traffic tickets as a basic transportation inequality. There really is a simple way for individuals to overcome this - don't get traffic tickets! It really isn't hard to drive in compliance with local laws. Stay somewhere near the speed limit and drive with some sense of common courtesy. Regardless of your economic means, if you choose to disregard the safety of other users of America's (admittedly flawed) roads by driving at excessive speeds or in otherwise unsafe ways than maybe you have demonstrated your inability to use the road network and shouldn't be a part of it. One's inability to pay the fine, or even the suspension of one's license, is perhaps a necessary feature to ensure that those who choose not to safely integrate into the road network aren't legally allowed to do so.
" Lush tree canopies for the rich -- and urban heat islands for the masses." True in far too many places.
Those masses cut their own trees/shade in their yards for various dumbest reasons. Like extra car parking space, firewood, or don't want leaves falling on roof, etc. Because of that government there actually will not let cut trees that are in your yard. You need to get special permission to cut trees in your yard.
idk abt Miami but that is not true at all in Philly, the urban heat islands directly correlate with race and poverty-the city just doesn’t plant trees in these areas because they are disinvested
I was talking with a friend and the whole reason they were not a fan/sort of against walkable cities (she was thinking NYC, Santa Monica, Chicago, etc) was because "not everyone can afford that."
Sounds like the distinction between Scottsdale and Phoenix 😂
poverty is the result of not working hard enough and smart enough, its the result of the mentality you display here, "im not rich because other people are rich" its liberal nonsense and is the mentality of the perpetual victim. "lush tree cannopies for the people who earned them, and whatever is on the bottom for the people who wont" would be the only way to reword that to make it true. try to get better at figuring out when youre being finessed and these videos wont work so well on you.
"The Jedi's power works best on the weak minded"
You know you've made it when a non-profit pays you to come and make content about their city! Huge congratulations!
Still need to get him a fully-funded trip somewhere, but you right - talk about a compliment!
Probably the best $50 they've ever spent.
@@Urbanhandymanpretty sure they would spend more.
@@41052 My reply MIGHT have been a joke.
@@Urbanhandyman that’s pretty obvious.
I’m super saddened by how good urbanism for the rich means that too often the most walkable parts of the city are filled with impractically expensive amenities. What is the point of walking to a grocery store that charges 2-3x more than the one you can drive to?
We have to stop subsidizing cars and car infrastructure. The gross (total) difference in cost between the two is hidden by all the subsidies that exist to owning a car, paying for gas, paying for roads (and utilities) by taxing people who don't drive heavily (while lightly taxing those who do drive heavily), and the property tax scheme that undervalues and therefore undertaxes parking lots.
Friend, I stand by the fact that Miami is never a good example for urbanism. It’s a freaking playground for the global super rich who need to hide money. It’s a city with no real urban vibrancy. Is it fun for nightlife? Sure. Does it have some decent shopping in malls? Heck yeah! Does the city vibrate with a local neighborhood urban hum? No. Now, their urban rail system is certainly built on good bones and has great potential. But it’s not the rail network that makes a vibrant livable city. Point of reference; which rail station do you get off from Little Havana to West Miami?
Its actually not good urbanisn to allow so parking spots per housing units for new developments in the walkable neighborhoods. By limiting the number of parking spots per unit, you will attract people who actually walk and use public transit, this in turn will soften demand for these units and make the places more affordable. That is good urbanism.
@@Jack-fw4mwcars and "car" infrastructure isn't subsidised. Cars are always paid in full by the individuals that buy them and the infrastructure used by cars as well as everything that has wheels (which includes lorries that carry your food and the beloved buses and trolleys) is paid by tax added to the fuel price. If you're going to make a point against car dependence at least make it without making up things.
@@TheSuperBoyProject It's crazy that you could literally have googled for 30 seconds to realise you're wrong - gas taxes cover part of the cost of roads, but nowhere close to 100%
I grew up in Miami and used to take the public bus/metro to get to school and around the city. I was always late and always lost but I knew I wasn’t getting a car so we worked with what we had. Then I moved to Washington D.C. for college and realized just how terrible the transit system in Miami was. Every time I go back to Miami, I get so mad thinking about how you’re basically forced to have a car and the history behind making those freeways to begin with.
Yep, moved from SoFlo to the DMV in 1984 and lived there for 8 years without needing a car.
Moving to Chicago from Miami was a pleasant shock to the system. I relied 90% on transit as planned, and soon realized I could bike commute using Divvy and my own bike nearly year-round. Practically speaking, none of those options existed in Miami!
its funny because even DC has an awful transportation system especially post 2020. "great" for the US, pathetic for most of the world
@@charlienyc1 im also trying to go to chicago. Im also from miami
Absolutely. Miami's a Car-dependent nightmare. Just got back; an hour from Boca Raton, & Ft. Lauderdale, without traffic. It's crazier with traffic.
As a current Miami resident, this rings so true that it hurts. Transit is so lacking down here, car wrecks are so common, and heat runs rampant pretty much year round.
What Miami needs is a brand new power plant that uses sewer gas,propane, natural gas, ethyl alcohol and methyl alchohol to run on and provide electricity for light rail and streetcar lines.
I remember when it got chilly in the winter when I went to college and stayed a bit after (1979-1985). Sad to hear it's becoming Equatorial in it's year round temps. Global overheating will not be kind to it. 😭😭😭
@@edwardmiessner6502they’re already getting flooded with literally almost every rainfall. The international infrastructure community is making so much fun of them for it
There are literally cars broken down on the side of the road everywhere. Especially during rush hour, there's always 2 people arguing or some scraped up car on the way to where you're headed.
@@luislaplume8261 Which would only excellerate global heating. It would be much better to use solar energy or wind.
View of an outsider who recently traveled there for the first time: On my first day in Miami I was shocked by what a pedestrian hellscape it was...fast roads, aggressive drivers, broken beg buttons... prime waterfront park real estate wasted by poor design and lack of shaded benches. I was standing on the corner to cross to said park, an intersection that might ostensibly be used by pedestrians, and had to dodge an SUV because the corner is also the entrance to a parking lot?? The people mover is cool though, as is the path/park under the metro. Good luck trying to find transit to Miami Beach
If you want to feel worse about it, Miami is basically an urbanist utopia compared to the rest of Florida.
@@jodajoda2863You should have been with me in 1968 when Miami had only a few bus lines and no rapid transit and me and my family and y uncle's family visited Miami.
I lived there for a few years. Miami Beach and particularly South Beach, downtown, Coral Gables, etc. are better off for transit than the rest of the city. Everywhere else a car is necessary. Believe me, I learned the hard way a car was needed. You can live mostly sans car on South Beach, though.
@@charlienyc1I’d put Coconut Grove on that list as well.
Transit to Miami Beach is served by frequent regular bus service. Which is set to increase and speed up in November with the launching of the better bus network. Additional express bus services connecting the mainland will also be added starting in November and be completed by 2027. As for rail transit, the metromover is expected to be extended to Miami Beach by 2029 provided that the NIMBY'S don't block it.
I live in Miami Beach, and I do have to say that unless you live in walking distance to one of the metro stations (which only serve a select few areas, particularly south of downtown) and your work is located around these metro stations, it is practically impossible to live without a car. The bus systems are infrequent and go to extremely limited ranges. Also, the city has some insane sprawl with Broward and Palm Beach counties being part of the metro area, and without a car (the bright line stations are not walking distance for the vast majority of people), these areas are just impossible to reach. As an urbanist I lament having to drive, but it is what it is.
Question: I visited Miami just once, but I did notice Miami Beach having (somewhat) decent buses and walkability. Is that because I was a tourist, or because Miami Beach itself is alright but gets bad when you’re trying to access something in Miami?
Edit: Thanks for the helpful replies y’all! Sounds like some areas are decent within themselves, but the overall city still needs a lot more. Sounds like a similar situation to Atlanta then, where I lived for three years
@gargargargar so basically about 90% if not more of miami lives in suburban sprawl not appreciably close to public transit. I grew up there and lived south of the final metro station (and still too far east to use anyway) and there were a half dozen tremendous neighborhoods south of me just completely unserviced by anything but the broken bus network. Miami has no public transit.
@@gargargargar I live in SOBE. Miami neighborhoods are quite walkable but only within its own area. It is impossible to walk from Brickell to Coconut Grove to Miami Beach, so on and so forth. To get to one from another, you will most likely need a car
@@gargargargarHaving lived there a few years, I would agree with your assessment. Getting around South Beach could serve as a model for the other 90% of the city.
What's cool about Brightline, is that you could get a commuter pass, work in Downtown Miami and live( luxury condo) right next to West Palm Station!
I'm from Florida and have lived in Miami a couple times. Whenever I see people say Miami is walkable etc., I roll my eyes. The reality is Exactly as you say, the rich areas are walkable, everyone else gets stroads and shopping plazas like most of Florida. Unless you are rich and live in downtown, or you've inherited a family home in one of the historical neighborhoods near the center of the city, you're out in the sprawl that constitutes the vast majority of the metro area.
Who says it's walkable? The only walkable parts are like South Beach, Midtown, & the Financial areas Downtown like Brickell.
Frankly this happens in Chicago too. The most galling aspect of it is that the aldermen who represent the (mainly minority) stroad-y areas keep demanding more stroads and belittling complete streets and opposing traffic calming, and then wonder why their neighborhoods don't take off. The suburbs are worse; the stroad addiction is broader based and it becomes more of a class thing, upper-class and middle and below supporting car dependence and only the upper-middle class areas supporting complete streets.
I work as a transportation planner in Palm Beach County and I can assure you that the car dependency gets worse the farther you go north in the Miami metro area. There are a handful of walkable places in Broward and Palm Beach County but they are totally disconnected from each other and the suburban municipalities work with FDOT to block any changes.
Yeah like "the place" I used to ho there it s the only place to go.The downtown s empty
Absolutely. Car-dependent nightmare. Just got back, an hour from Boca Raton, & Ft. Lauderdale, without traffic. It's crazier with traffic. It takes 20 minutes of driving just to get through small suburbs.
Florida is the worst in this regard. I miss it sometimes, but then I am reminded in videos like these that I made the right choice to leave, for a multitude of reasons.
I moved to Delray Beach and took the bus to the gym. I remember being really confused around 7pm when Google said their was no bus going back. I started playing around with the time in Google maps. Apparently the last bus left the plaza at 6:30pm on a freaking weekday.
I grew up in Jupiter, and I'm visiting again now after having moved to Vancouver three years ago. The bus service is absolutely abysmal, with it being just a single route that runs hourly, has no Sunday service, and (as the previous commenter pointed out) service that runs no later than 7PM. I really wish they do anything to make it more available, and maybe even add a couple more routes. In spite of that, it still felt awesome to take the bus now after having never taken it when I was younger. And the PalmTran busses are pretty great, even if the service is terrible.
I've come to the same conclusion, both in my role as a transit planner, and as a living human. Living near reliable frequent transit, within a couple blocks of grocery, pharmacy, and gym, is a game changer. Only way to live
The sad reality is in Most North American cities, including where I live in Toronto, there are areas with decent density, walkability, and transit surrounded by sprawl and car-dependent nightmares. Because so many people understandably don't want to live in the latter, walkability becomes something only the wealthy can afford.
@@yobb1n544it seems walkability is only available to those who are very well off/professionals/childless with roommates or those who are totally destitute living in subsidized housing or the ghetto.
It's the globalist tyranny of living near the places you actually want to go
Do you live in an apartment or a house with a backyard? My guess it’s an apartment. No, I don’t want to live like a sardine. I like my home 🏡 and my lawn.
@@eddyherrera3207 good for you. I want walkability.
As someone who lived in Miami for 30+ years before moving to Chicago, I'm honestly blown away with how much you absolutely nailed the issues in Miami during such a short visit. Incredible video
I mean it's pretty noticable. I just came from down there & it's unbelievable, you have all these long bridges between South beach & Midtown/Downtown & there's no walkable solution. It takes 50 min from Ft. Lauderdale & Boca Raton down I-95 to reach the Miami Beach areas.
Why you move to Chicago?
@wardogmobius I was about to ask that😂 . As a illinois, miami is better in my opinion, but chicago is still a decent plac
@@person-ce8cr chicago is far safer in terms of risk from natural disasters and climate change
I’m a south Florida native studying in Chicago and have been visiting my mom who’s moved back down to Miami recently… it’s insane that they don’t implement a system similar to the CTA and L lines. Have downtown/Brickell be your loop area and have lines running thru every major suburb neighborhood and to the tourist spots. Ugh it’s so dysfunctional and this double decker highway has me thinking Miami and FDOT are a lost cause
Now the term "stroad" is showing up in transit reports! It shows the power of just giving something a name. There's that one state highway you always hated being on but didn't know why ... Well now you do! When something has a name it gains a focus, and we can actually work on fixing it.
As a Miami resident and knowing well that I live in Miami, seeing CityNerd visiting Miami is a win for future transit projects and a better service for locals and tourists.
You should visit us in Montréal next summer. It's an amazing summer city where there's always a festival going downtown, one after the other. The central city has great transit (until the government finishes sabotaging the STM), good biking, some great walking and a lot of self-deprecation that would make you feel right at home.
I'm coming in August. Canadian Civil Alive, google it! www.eventbrite.ca/e/canadian-civil-alive-tickets-651504486457?aff=erelexpmlt
When going to Minneapolis, a couple of spots to see:
1. The Stone Arch Bridge - you'll be able to see all of the biking that takes place along the river and over the bridge along with the pedestrian paths. You can also see the historic character of the city when looking at the ruins of the old grain mills.
2. North Loop - a lot of companies are moving out of downtown into the North Loop. Part of this is due to office space going up near Target Field, but it's also becoming the new lovely part of town. The new high speed rail to Duluth will start at the Target Field station.
3. Uptown - Uptown is farther outside the city, but it's a good example of the unique amenities that we have here. The city has a kayak rack rental program at the lakes, along with private kayak renters at the lakes and the river.
4. Saint Paul - If you have a chance, stop in Saint Paul. The two cities have a stark contrast when it comes to bike paths, but they are connected by the Mississippi River Trail. Saint Paul is also home to our Union Station which serves Amtrak. Summit Avenue is a NIMBY area where they are currently fighting a set of protected bike lanes with arguments that the lanes will require removal of old oak trees in the area. Grand Avenue suffers from a "historic district" that has kept housing supply low and led to mane retailers leaving the shopping district. Part of the reason for that is that Summit Avenue folks were worried about shade from tall apartment buildings on Grand Ave.
A word of caution: our light rail lines have the highest crime rate in the country. Be careful about which stations you get off at. In particular, the Lake Street station is known to be VERY unsafe. The blue line is typically safer than the green line.
Safe travels!
Light rail crime is reportedly being addressed to some degree. Street art on Lake Street and other areas are a plus. Land of 10,000 support groups and vibrant art communities are urban fabric. Not sure how to make it visually compelling. Welcome.
The grade-separated Greenway in Mpls is fantastic for non-stop riding across town.
Also the Highland Bridge mixed-use development in St Paul is a 120 acre/3000 unit repurposing of the old Ford Ranger plant.
The Twin Cities also have a consistent street grid with few cul de sacs, so if a road is busy one can walk/ride on a parallel road.
As someone who grew up in South MPLS I fully support these recommendations. Disconnection between downtown the rest of the city due to 35W, 94, and 394 was really felt growing up.
Only activity I'd add if you go to MPLS during the Minnesota State Fair it is worth at least a half day!
Another important point is the recent changes in R1 zoning laws and minimum parking requirements I don't think will be fully realized for another 10-15 years. Along with new Minneapolis Street Design Guide, the city has a bright future with better pedestrian and cyclist focused street design as the streets are slowly updated. Yes, lots of NIMBYism in the wealthier neighborhoods but stuff is getting done.
Transit wise:
-Blue line stops including VA medical center, 46th ST, and 38th ST have some pretty poor land use (lack of up zoning for apartments and, parking lots) but does connect downtown conveniently to MSP.
-Green line similar issues to Blue line station land use wise but it importantly connects the 2 downtowns.
-Northstar commuter line probably has the worst station land use, its mostly park and ride with low train frequency so it's much slower than driving and last train leaving downtown is 5:30pm so better hope no meetings run over.
-Rapid Transit Buses are a newer development with priority lanes on some of the highways but it can be really tough to get to some of the stations via bus (especially the orange line along 35W.) 5 more lines are in planning or opening in the next 2-3 years!
-Overall Minneapolis is looking to expand most of the lines and increase frequency with its newly announced goal to get 60% of trips to be outside of a cars.
Sunbelt resident who just spent a week in the Twin Cities area here: absolutely recommend checking out the Mill City/St. Anthony Falls area. I had a great meal at a restaurant that overlooks this area, but all I could focus on was the jealousy bubbling as I saw cyclist after cyclist rolling by, enjoying the streets with sparse car traffic and the Stone Arch Bridge with no car traffic. I'm not sure how well the non-car network connects beyond this area; but judging by the use, I'd say it's at least North America Good.
Light rail was okay. I was amused by the prominence of the Mall of America in the transport network. Very North America.
Also avoid moa unless you would like to eat at quality dining establishments like cheesecake factory or switch buses otherwise it's way overrated and just a big mall
Hitting the nail in the head as usual
Some areas of Miami are walkable but almost nobody can afford living there. The regular people live 1 hour away inland in a maze of stroads and freeways
why is it so hard to find good cuban food in miami
Thank you for mentioning the displacement in Overtown. A World More Concrete is a great book covering systemic issues between race and property rights in Miami. (also if you ever come back there's a great Thai place called East Thai and Noodles right by the South Miami metrorail station!)
Another tale of two cities is the difference between north and south of the county. The stark difference in resources and accessibility in places like Opa-locka, Miami Gardens, Hialeah (most places west of i-95 and north or i-195) is so extreme to Brickell, Wynwood, and South Beach.
Interesting.
Eat the rich?
Thank you for being the first urbanist/city-planning TH-camr I've seen to cover Miami correctly. It bugs me that Alan Fisher ranked Miami how he did in his video on the top 12 US Cities because no, the city is not as walkable and bikable as Instagram would have you believe and public transportation is still second priority behind cars. Really great coverage, loved the footage, you showed the Miami residents like me would recognize and I thank you for that!
As a resident the whole "Pedestrianized ways for the rich, stroads for the poor" correlation is so true unfortunately, I used to live in Hialeah and now I live in Miami Gardens and these neighborhoods are all largely unwalkable urban heat islands but they are among the only places that are really affordable left. Meanwhile, only a 10 minute drive away from where I live is a affluent neighborhood called Miami Lakes which has tree covered streets, sheltered bus stops and integrated and safe feeling neighborhood parks galore, all capped off by a walkable mixed use district in the center, but the apartments in that district cost millions of dollars, so most people just put up with the shitty walking and driving conditions in the other neighborhoods.
South Florida is crazy car dependent, but it is pretty wild that we have rail connecting Miami to West Palm beach, and now there is the brightline going up to Orlando. So many commuters live west though, unfortunately there’s no significant east west transit
Urbanism AND a Dickens' reference?! My great expectations of this channel have been met!
I saw what you did there. lol
This channel is a house that permits no bleakness
@@CityNerd 😂😂😂
I went to the University of Miami from 2000-2004 and went back to visit in January 2020, right before Covid hit. The drivers were just as rude, aggressive, and oblivious as I remember. I noted some of that density near Metrorail stations is impressive, but with US 1 just blowing through everything like a vehicular battering ram, the urbanism isn't going to reach expectations. The saddest area was Sunset Place in South Miami, which was hopping in the early 2000s, it was in a vegetative state by 2020. Perfect spot for a huge TOD.
A company bought both Cocowalk and Sunset Place with plans to redevelop both away from closed off mall into mixed use developments with better integration with their respective neighborhoods and streetscapes. The Sunset Place plan specifically would have seen new residential towers up to like 20 stories, with office and retail space included that also faced out to U.S. 1 and Red Road. I also believe they were pushing for better pedestrian connections to the South Miami Metrorail station too where they were also redeveloping that parking garage to mixed use too. City of South Miami refused to approve the plan because they thought the added height would "ruin the character of Downtown South Miami" so the plans had to be put on hold. What's ruining the character is a giant mostly abandoned mall sitting along the cities mainstreet...
Spot on. Lived in Miami for two years without a car, barely a cent to my name, living off a starfruit tree in my neighbor’s front yard. If it hadn’t been for all the “accessible” fruit in that town, I probably would have died of starvation.
The pedestrian bridge you mention at 13:20 near the University of Miami was built in response (not sure if partially or wholly) to a student death trying to cross US 1 in 2005. It would be better to have the at-grade crossing be safer but since that was not addressed by the state it seems the bridge was the next best alternative.
Yes, you’re correct - that bridge is designed to aid pedestrians, not drivers as he implied.
I went the University in 1979-83 and despite the higher speed limit on Route 1 it was safer to cross mainly because the beg buttons actually worked and the motorists actually obeyed the traffic lights. FDOT must not like maintenance.
Wanted to make sure this was pointed out. I was a student during that time and the danger of that crossing (which UM’s largely car-less population crosses all the time) is burned into memory.
Overpasses seem to lack elevators or ramp for accessibility? Big no-no, mans people need it (disabled, older, stroller,...}
@@jobw There’s an elevator on each end of the overpass, at least in this case
As someone who lived in Miami a few years ago, unless you live in Brickell or some mega expensive zones around Coconut Grove/Coral Gables; it’s just as bad as anywhere in the south maybe worst. The urbanism of Doral, Hialeah, Kendall is so outrageous it hurts. And I’ll also say this, even in Brickell you need a car cause all the restaurants/grocery stores/doctors office/ basic necessities and places that people and friends want to go to are impossible to get to without a car. Unless you want to spend 2 hours waiting for those trolleys and walk in infested car strodes. Miami is mega overrated, not the worst in the south but far to be in any way good, especially compared to the transit in Latin America like CDMX or Medellin.
Like any overpriced area attempts at making rail expansion are also blocked by NIMBYs.... Except they live in highrise condos 😂
Seems like a good area for car sharing. Are there many cars available in these areas?
@@michaelvickers4437 There are cars of plenty; there are also many retailers in Hialeah if you are interested. Doral is prettier zone tho but I am not sure if it is cheaper.
Medellin is lucky, try Bogota LOL...most of South America doesn't have great transit but of course a few cities stick out, and compared to the US it does seem alright
@@FreshTuna We don't talk about Bogota LMAO. Though it did recently win a prize for doing the most for cycling in 2022, I think there was a report somewhere of urbanists advocating to start looking at Latin America for possible ideas of development since they have similar history and yet are able to have better transit and city design. I guess the Mayor is doing something right; it's been a couple of years since I've been, so I am a bit behind in the city politics. But I would say that CDMX, Rio, Medellin, and Buenos Aires are the best cities in Latin America for an urbanist lifestyle (of course, I haven't been to Peru or Chile, so I can't speak for them). Though, in my opinion, the biggest problem in Latin America is similar to Miami in the sense that walkability is left for the rich. It isn't as outrageous as in America, but, for example, in Bogota, designated bike lines are just placed in the most expensive areas of the city (Zona Rosa, Chico, Andino sector, and more) while the other less affluent neighborhoods are left in the dark like Bosa or Kennedy. This is funny (ironic?) since the ones who need it the most are them since they are the ones who either can't afford a car (end up buying a motorcycle) or the public transit is too full or dangerous, but they work in the northern sector of the city. This is insane cause the last time I was there, there were many cyclists just going on highways alongside cars, which was incredibly dangerous. The city should truly try to implement bike lanes for all sectors, not just the pretty ones. And add trees too! The quality of air is so different from Chapinero to Kennedy! But this problem is not just Colombian; it happens from Argentina to Mexico. (Just compare Condesa/Polanco to Xochimilco or Tiahuac!)
Miami is indeed a land of contrasts when it comes to urbanism. There are some areas of the city where even the buses are sufficiently frequent that you can live without a car, and there are others (even in Miami proper) where it is a complete transit desert and you're basically forced to use a car to get anywhere. Similarly with the treescape. Some neighborhoods are great, others are a recipe for skin cancer.
The weirdest part, though, is that it's not always the places you'd expect. Some relatively affordable areas have good transit connections and decent enough walkability while some wealthy areas are complete hellscapes. There is definitely a correlation, but it isn't as strongly correlated as it is in other cities I've lived in.
I'm just thankful that somebody saw sense before the car cheerleaders managed to turn the entire place into Broward County. FDOT's still trying their damnedest, but there are enough people with sense that they often don't completely get their way.
There's a lot of criticism to be leveled about the half penny sales tax and how it gets spent, including asking how on Earth it could have cost over a billion dollars to put in a mile and a half of track and build an (admittedly large) station and glorified parking garage. However, it has allowed the county to pay transit workers reasonably, bought the new Metrorail cars, funded making Metromover fare-free and also funds all those rubber tired fake trolley buses (also fareless), which do help with the transit desert issue in many areas of the county.
In short, there's lots to like (at least for the US), which makes the shortcomings all the more obvious and infuriating. Not that many people will get to experience it now that Miami is the least affordable city in the entire nation thanks to rapidly increasing rents combined with the severely depressed wages compared to other cities.
I grew up in So. Miami and then FLL, and the latter (Broward Couty) is a hellscape except along the beaches. Last time I visited, I was shocked at what is considered a bike lane. It can take two hours to get to the beach by transit from my mother's house, or 30 minutes by car. Miami has the highest income inequality of any major American city.
And Brightline and Tri-Rail, built on the legacy rail of the the FEC and ACL (now CSX), are useless for most as they run north-south along the I-95/US1 corridor. And why Brightline doesn't have a stop at FLL airport, where the station would largely be in the terminal, is beyond me. There may be opportunities to run more rail into SW Miami - Dade along other little-used or abandoned ACL and CSX lines, but nothing in Broward.
@@kennethduckworth7111 There’s already , transport from Miami airport into the city, I think it’s called skyline or something forgot. I took public transport, the whole time I was in Miami, at least the tourist part.
A few ideas for Minneapolis:
Lake Street - Multiple hubs showcasing the wide swathe of diversity in South Minneapolis, some of the best food you'll find in town, plus an interesting indoor market building in the Midtown Global Market. Starting from the River and venturing west on Lake is a fun tour.
Uptown - On the Western end of Lake st, a vibrant and ever shifting neighborhood embattled in constant transit changes and nimbyism. A lot of good food found amongst the chains here.
Chain of Lakes - Also on the West end of Lake street you'll find Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska. You can see the Green Line Extension station here and also take a lovely bike ride around the lakes, down to the mansions of Lake Harriet, and the Lake Harriet Bandshell. Almost daily music at the bandshell during the summer.
South Minneapolis - So many wonderful hubs, 48th st and Chicago, E 50th st and 34th Ave, just like, all of Minnehaha Ave, and the Minnehaha falls. While you're there check out the TOD of the 46th st and Hiawatha Ave Blue Line stop.
Of course downtown has some lovely areas too:
North Loop - The hip new spot, all the restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and Twins Games you need. Plenty to do and see, plus plenty of construction.
Mill District - Lots of luxury condos and some nice restaurants
Loring Park - Wonderful food, great park, and the sculpture garden is just a pedestrian bridge away, over the I94 city killer.
Finally check out North East Minneapolis as well:
St Anthony Main/Marcy Holmes - Beautiful park running down the mississippi that was just redone, nice restaurants and plenty of new infill.
Dinkytown - The college neighborhood, it's exactly what you expect and it's wonderful for it.
Central Avenue - Heading North on Central is just amazing. So much good food and things to see, not great transit though.
Then of course there's St Paul. I won't go into too much here but check out the University Campus on the Green Line, then the Midway area where the Allianz soccer stadium is, lots of potential, there. There's plenty to see in Downtown St Paul as well, and it's a lot of fun to compare and contrast the two cities and their respective designs. Catch a Saints game if you can, it's a great time!
Excellent, thanks!
@@CityNerd To add to the Minneapolis recommendations - try to find how many protected bike lanes only exist for a block or two. The city definitely gets up to that next level of livability, but can sometimes make idiotic decisions within that level, with new protected lanes that seem to start and end nowhere. (Look at Franklin Ave between Hennepin and Lyndale for a prime example). While it's good they're adding bike lanes in a lot of places, the way they're going about it seems rather piecemeal and scattered.
The controversial Green Line extension is another example. MetroTransit decided to route the extension down an alignment that was easier to implement as opposed to one that serves more people.
That said, the only places I've not seen people talk about are the Milwaukee Ave historic district, a tiny two block long pedestrian only street surrounded by charming homes.
Also the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. It's home to much of the Somali /greater East African community, and hosts a mix of historic architecture and midcentury brutalism.
There's tons of good food options, but the Ethiopian restaurants are top-tier. Check out either Dilla or Mesob - they're both off the blue line!
As a transit using person who lives in South Florida, I'm happy you highlighted the much needed improvements needed. Miami and most of South Florida would greatly benefit from transit improvement. Love this, keep up the awesome videos! Wish I would have bumped into you.
Damn that comment also rings very true in Orlando. The neighborhoods surrounding downtown and some of the bougie small cities are usually tree lined with sidewalks and narrow streets. Even some of those streets are made of brick for a nicer aesthetic. The majority of Sunrail stations doesn't even have housing in walking distance...Florida is an interesting urban hellscape that I don't miss.
To add to your point about drivers licenses... Miami has a larger than average populate of people without regular immigration status, and without regular immigration status there is no path to legitimately get a drivers license. Which exacerbates the entire situation of driving without a valid license.
"Without regular immigration status", in other words, illegal aliens.
Undignified at 10:33 is a great way to put it for so much of the pedestrian experience in Miami outside of those walkable zones. I do wish they had expanded the Metrorail as they said they would from the beginning. The costs to build new lines have become so high and that makes it more sad to imagine what could have been especially now that development is starting to catch on around the stations.
Walking anywhere except downtown and Miami beach is just hell. I walked to Vizcaya from Brickell, and it wasn't that bad, but walking to city hall was. No sidewalk, small shoulder, cars going 40 past you. The only good thing that I took the trolley back, which is free, but has horrible frequency and is a rough ride
When Ocean Drive was car free it was perfect. I hope it goes back. Also Miami Beach has tons of working class people living in tiny apartments for 50% of our income. 🤣
There is a clear distinction between the working class housing and the rich folks. In my opinion Miami Beach is very walkable/bikeable. There are many public parks and free outdoor gym areas with real gym equipment. I like it, minus the cost of living.
I should really have some affordable housing for people who work in Miami Beach but under certain salary. Not projects just basic apartments but nice enough. I don’t know how that that would be done because I suppose mostly land landlords want to have the rent as high as they can. .
Meant to write there should be, not, I should
As someone who's born and raised in Miami and still stuck here. I hope you return to see the rest because it just gets worse .....WAY WORSE. Areas like Hialeah and Doral are HELL to walk and everything is so o surely far or inconvenient to travel to without a car. It can be done but the heat and rain makes it extremely difficult for those who do. A close friend who has lived in wyneood for 20 years has said it has gotten safer but they have also kicked everyone out. Downtown is a total mess and half of it is kinda just abandoned or unused. You said it best wakability and nice urbanism for the rich and everything else for the rest. And funny thing is the rich still have to drive too and WILL DRIVE to the nicer areas. The urbanism here is just a tourism sceme to get ppl to go to certain areas to spend money. It ultimately comes down to Miami notoriously terrible management. The city is always starting, abandoning, over budgeting projects and ppl in charge are honestly not cut out for the job and the ppl of Miami aren't much better being led on by them. It's honestly a nightmare and I don't plan on living here for the rest of my life simply because the city doesn't seem like it will change much for decades
Good on Transit Alliance for their work and for providing our boy with a big ol’ stack of Cheesecake Factory gift cards.
It really sealed the deal
@@CityNerdhope you tried the Factory Nachos, a name so appetizing that none can resist. Would love to see that street art video topic you mentioned!
As a society we need to keep dunking on these cities when their biases come to life in the form of infrastructure. Choosing between convenient pedestrian access to your mass transit and making a car with one person in it possibly have to wait an extra 3 seconds before making a right hand turn? Of course build a pedestrian overpass and make people walk up stairs, across, down, around and up again. When designing a casino our outlet mall entrance make sure to have landscaping and shade trees for the patrons and a pull in for getting dropped off and picked up. When designing a bus hub be sure to create a wide open, sun bleached expanse of concrete and flaking paint with absolutely no way to bike in or be dropped off safely.
That's never going to happen. Texas & Florida don't GAF about what you think about their Gun/Car culture.
Looking forward to Minneapolis!
As a former south metro resident, I feel that the current and future Blue Line, Green Line, and A Line BRT corridors get a lot of attention (especially with the Highland Bridge redevelopment over the river in St Paul), but may be worth checking out the Metro D Line corridor and 6 bus (future E Line BRT) for a look at former streetcar suburbs + Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska.
The 515 bus also runs through Richfield, an inner ring suburb that is aggressively rebuilding stroads into complete streets + roundabouts (they even have a "sweet streets" trademark for their transportation plan site!).
As a "fun" little activity, you can now take a historic street car to and from Bde Maka Ska and Harriet. Slightly charming, slightly embarrassing that this is all that remains of a once-massive network.
@@mikeciccone If memory serves,the streetcar system stretched from Lake Minnetonka all the way out to Stillwater on the WI border. It’s a crime it was ripped up.
@@manmasher oh easily. Legend has it you used to be able to get to Chicago by streetcar alone (although other modes are definitely faster!)
@@mikeciccone That’s wild! The WI portion would be hellishly long,though.😏
In defense of Dixie highway, the alternative was extending I-95 through that area. The stroad saved neighborhoods like coconut grove from the same fate as overtown
I’m guessing those were majority white neighborhoods with the political sway to not have a highway plowed through their neighborhood? Good for them, I guess.
On the other hand, taking Highway 1 from Miami to Homestead is a pretty miserable experience - most of the time it's heavy stop and go and with all the driveways it's pretty dangerous. Also, because of the congestion on Highway 1, Google Maps often ends up putting you on Old Cutler Bay, which, while nice and scenic, is probably not a good road for alot of traffic. Highway 1 probably should be more limited access. Maybe not interstate standards, perhaps more of a boulevard or parkway. Certainly should not have the driveways anymore - there's just too much traffic for that to be safe.
@@ccoder4953Yeah, I think some kind of limited access highway needs to be build along the S Dixie Hwy corridor - I genuinely think it is the worst road in America. Certainly the worst near anywhere I’ve lived.
When I lived there I found out that FDOT previously had plans to build a two-decker elevated I-95 over Route 1 from where it currently merges into the highway near Viscaya all the way down to where the Snapper Creek (Route 878) cuts in or beyond. Freeway revolts I think killed it.
There is no defense for S Dixie Hwy.
The widening of that Stroad fueled sprawl to the south in the in the 1950's and 1960's. The induced travel demand was the cause for the "need" to plan the I-95 extension, that the more affluent neighborhoods ultimately fought against...they also fought the metrorail...as they would fight any sort of right sizing of US 1.
It was me! I was the guy who sent you the urbanism for the rich, car depandancy for the poor comment via instagram direct message. I also mentioned the destruction of Overtown, so I'm happy to see that mentioned as well. It's sounds crazy to say, but road construction is often racist in this country.
I really appreciated your mention of Overtown and the freeway's impact on their historic community.
I-95 destroyed Black OVERTOWN which had a population of around 30k before it was built. The population today is less than 10k.
Yes, so sad.
Thank you for making this. I’m from South Florida (living elsewhere now) and it was really interesting to see an outside perspective on Miami’s urbanism, which I’ve been a lot less optimistic about.
And no, you cannot say SoFlo
For Minneapolis, take a peak at our complete streets policy, streets design guide, and transportation action plan. We have some recently completed and planned projects to transform local streets and arterials to put SOVs dead last on the priority list (particularly in South Minneapolis). Our bike score is pretty high too with our on and off-street/park facilities. Also another plus 1 for Richfield, a suburb that is creating pretty good arterials for a first ring suburb. Enjoy!
The lack of metro rail connection to Miami Beach really is a shame. You'd think having an easy connection between the biggest tourist area of the county and the airport would be a no brainer, but as far as I know it's never been attempted and isn't likely in the near future.
It was planned initially but the taxi lobby killed it 😕
As of November 2022 A Metromover extension to South Beach will begin construction in 2025 and be completed in 2029.
One thing I noticed about a lot of places in the US outside of NYC is that you have to tell crosswalks when you're there so you can get a walk symbol rather than it being part of the light cycle automatically. I'm currently going to school out of state and where I'm living currently I have to press a button when I approach the sidewalk to even get a walk symbol. I never have to do that when I'm back in New York. The first time I walked to campus from my apartment I stood at the crosswalk for 3 minutes without a walk symbol. I ended up just booking it across the street before I spoke to someone who told me I HAVE to press the button so I could cross, otherwise the walk symbol will never show up. I was shocked. I never made that mistake again but it really made me realize just how bad pedestrian infrastructure is in most of this country.
Born and raised south Floridian here, it’s sad how this region has so much potential but is held back cause of FDOT. For example I wish there was rail services between broward and dade county but running through the west side and connecting with existing metro lines towards the east. Instead, with the $16.7 billion from the federal government allocated for infrastructure the awful state governor funds more and more highways all over the state. We add lanes to our highways to make the 3 lane traffic now be 6 lane traffic. Commuting to work outside of a rail line adds so much exhaustion to a daily commute due to heavy traffic. A lot of negatives in this area but also a few bright spots that leave me with some hope especially excited about the brightline and it’s connection with Orlando. Great video as always! (Just signed up to volunteer as well! It starts with our local areas, get involved!)
@andobytes Grew up in Miami too and agree with you on FDOT ! Look at that $800 Million dollar Monstrosity the State is spending on the additional highway lanes on I-395 downtown! They should have just given Miami Dade County the funds to expand Metrorail to South Beach!
On the note of the persistent stroadiness of Route 1, Virginia is reworking the section of Route 1 that cuts into DC through Fairfax county and installing a BRT and separated bike lanes through the corridor while upzoning the areas alongside it for increased density. You would think that this would correspond with a reduction in the amount of vehicle travel lanes along this stretch, but nope. VADOT is retaining at least 3 vehicle travel lanes in each direction and almost every single cut-in driveway will retain access directly onto Route 1. It's simultaneously exciting and nightmarish.
Will the protected bike lanes conflict with the driveways?
@@grahamturner2640 Yes, making the bike lanes a death trap. That's the problem trying to add amenities to heavily travelled streets and stroads in the US. The state DOTs will make sure they are a waste of money.
Tbh, if Virginia’s DOT is spending tons of money on all those amenities plus an ROW-widening, I don’t know why they would design it like a typical stroad instead of like Queens Blvd or some sections of Santa Monica Blvd, where the roads that provide local access are separated from the roads that carry through traffic.
City nerd ! Thank you for making a video about my city. I'm glad you touched upon some of the gentrification that goes on and in general the lack of affordability of the good urbanist areas we have. Some of us Miami urbanists try to use public transpo, but commute can be up to 20 miles for us, needing at least one metro + bus or two buses. Since our heavy rail is limited, we have to take buses a lot of the times. However, the traffic is so bad that the schedules can be inconsistent and the rides can be VERY slow. I also want to point out that the tri rail is actually really solid (and affordable) to get between Dade Broward and Palm Beach county. Also, we are getting a mover that will go to Miami beach from the downtown area, so, some good news! Thanks again.
Metromover extension?
This video opens up a new niche. Lots of community plans out there to explore and discuss.
I really like the free trollybuses in Miami, more cities should offer these mini buses it has stops in dif places than the bus so it fills gaps also love the free people mover. The main issue with transit in Miami is that there is no late night transit besides some very limited routes, so basically after midnight say on the weekend you have to basically either pay like 70 dollars for Uber during regular surge or use the docked bikes to get back to the mainland from the islands, this is the greatest problem I see besides there being a lot of streets that lack bike lanes but you can just bike on the sidewalks there.
For Minneapolis, check out the SE Washington Ave bridge over the Mississippi. Walking and biking up top, trams on the bottom (and cars, but you can't ask for everything). An important walking/biking connection for all the kids at the U up there, and bridges over rivers are always nice.
As someone who has grown up 21 years in Miami, it is without a doubt an a car dependent place. I have driven in NY, Baltimore, Europe and this place is the worst place to drive up there with Rome. Complete dedication against urban planning, NIMBYISM, disregard for traffic laws. I think this place would rather have 10 lane freeway like in Houston than a good metro transportation. It’s given boogeyman connotations here of metro expansion as something that would be state or government overreach for some reason. Only places walkable are rich places like Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, or the parts being gentrified and redeveloped like Little Haiti but still with no go public transportation in mind. Or any planning for rising sea tides which would need a good drainage system
Why is Rome a bad place to drive?
honestly, nimbyism runs wild in Miami. I often attribute it to communist trauma for most of the Cubans living where I live. (West Kendall) they really believe any government attempt to fix anything is communism
@@andysalcedo1067 As a 1st generation cuban american, let me tell you that reasoning is not valid, all though correct assessment of situation. It's like a child throwing a tantrum or a ironic video game character npc that is aggro. I was buying two juice bottles at CVS on Saturday, old cuban working register, I tell him I don't need a plastic bag as it's just two juice bottles I was going to drink instantly, so to save the plastic bag. He instantly starts trying to argue with me about that it's bs, climate change is a hoax, and that it's communism. I laugh say sure and tell him again it's just not to waste a plastic bag that I was going to throw away the minute I walk out, he says sure I say goodnight it ends. Literally point blank delusion at times, out of nowhere constantly hopes out the "communism". When I've gone back to Cuba they are not like this, and my grandparents aren't like this. It's I say 40% to 65% of cuban community is like this, and the rest just let it happen for some reason like it's good for that type of outbursts to represent us, just pure insanity
@@Arginne You can go yourself and see. It's not an italian thing. Although people say Napoli as well do to motorcylists making up majority in Napoli, but no Napoli driving was not bad. Rome is, again you can look this up or go see yourself, just complete disregard for traffic laws and no enforcement, also when they're in the wrong in Rome they argue. Also when I was in a sightseeing bus in Rome, the guy who crashed started to argue and try to escape before police came, just Rome things
I am an architect from Brazil, thank you for sharing your point about Miami in this video, very interesting. Part of Brazil investing so much in highways is due to corruption but also to the fact that it favors cars and a large part of the population sees public transportation or walking as something for a "poor person, financially". It is really difficult to make people not car dependent in a city that prioritizes it. But it is necessary for people to see that this is not feasible and not good in the long term. Today is a winter day, but this week we had the highest temperatures in recent years for winter. As we see, the rich have some advantage in comfort and some walkable spaces when it comes to consumption. But poor people do not have the same right.
MINNEAPOLIS IDEAS: Minneapolis’ best assets are its green spaces and variety of fine arts offerings (theatre, music, visual art, etc.). The best areas to visit are north loop, mill district, northeast, and the chain of lakes. Downtown is slowly reviving but still underwhelming. Biking along the Mississippi River parkways, crossing the stone arch bridge, and walking along St. Anthony Main are all good. Also, west St. Paul has an old money charm some people like. Taking in a theater show at the Guthrie is great. Walking through the sculpture garden at the walker art center has some iconic landmarks. Unfortunately, the light rail network isn’t very wide reaching but the bus network is usable though it takes awhile to get places with less frequent service than most would like. Visitings the parks around the lakes and Minnehaha Falls are quintessential Minneapolis summer destinations.
I hope you mean Mac Grove/Merriam Park when you say west St Paul, and you don’t mean the municipality West St Paul? Hahaha
@@gray7354 Oh yeah I'm talking about Mac Grove, Highland Park, Summit Hill. Should've designated lol
Thank you for measuring the comfort of air using the dew point instead of humidity. Seriously, you are one of the few.
My girlfriend and I used public transit, or walked, as much as we could when we visited Miami. Getting around south beach on the bus was pretty easy and pleasant, which was something we weren't used to coming from central Florida. One moment where public transit definitely failed us was when we spent a day in Wynwood and tried to go back to our hotel via the bus after dinner. It was dark out and there weren't any bus stops near where we ate so we had to walk down dark, barely lit streets and eventually gave up and called an uber. There's definitely an argument for smart bus stop placement so women (and everyone) can feel safe using transit whether it's day or night
Sorry to hear that but Miami is planning on expanding the Metro Mover train to Wynwood.
@@xoxxobob61 I'm glad to hear that, I wish we would have had it then
Miami has about the same population density as Chicago and has more geographic constraints than most US cities. Their issues are more political than most US cities.
To be fair, US1 has other names than S. Dixie Hwy. Through downtown and Brickell, it's Brickell Ave; north of downtown and all the way to Broward county it's Biscayne Blvd.
Man! As a Miami Hurricane who lived in Miami for 5 years without a car, I throughly enjoyed this videos. Some of your comments were hilarious and a lot of them were true. My favorite video to date!
While I think Miami needs a LOT more investment in public transit (specifically rail), as someone who lives in a walkable neighborhood here (Coconut Grove), there is like 4-5 months out of the year where it is extremely unpleasant to walk for more than maybe a quarter mile outside, and forget about cycling. So, it’s a bit challenging because I actively wouldn’t want a “walkable” Miami, but perhaps one that is less car dependent
I mean, urban spaces like New York, Baltimore, DC, etc get very hot and humid, too. With tree coverage and having amenities close together, having walkability in hot & humid regions is possible.
Thank you so much for making this video I've been a fan of your a channel for a while and I was showing your videos to my kids yesterday.. I live in South Miami . I'm a single working father and I have taken the transit system a lot in order to get around and do what we have to do I move to south Miami, goulds area from Brooklyn about five years ago. I was so spoiled with the mass transit in NYC. We live down south I work construction and drive Uber you hit so many good points you're absolutely right walkability for the rich - tree cover for the rich, and heat islands for everyone else the disparity is brutal especially when you get down south I'm glad you mentioned over town as well historically great video thank you for doing such an in-depth Idive and pointing out the grim realities down here yes they are improving mass transit but there's a lot of ground left to cover, and it's a car dependent zone. keep rocking thank you
"Walkability for the rich, car-dependency for everybody else"
As a Houstonian, I can do you one better:
Shaded bikeability for the yuppies, car-dependency for everyone else, and walkabikity for none.
As someone living in Honolulu, I can do even better: "Walkability for tourists (i.e. exclusive resorts and waikiki beach), car-centric hellscapes for absolutely everyone else."
Metrorail south along US 1 was simply a matter of putting it on the abandoned right-of-way of the FEC RR to Homestead.
As a former Miami Resident, I recommend not moving to Miami or anywhere in Florida, it’s hell on earth
As a lifelong Pennsylvanian with a lot of family and friends who moved to FL. Trust me I’m staying right up here fuck the sunbelt
Florida is just awful to get around via anyway form of transportation. It's just so bad for no reason.
I’m curious if you owned a house or rented. It seems getting a house insured there is becoming impossible.
I moved to Minnesota it’s colder but so much better than the sunbelt in every other way
😅😂😅😂
For your Minneapolis trip, you can talk about how biking accessibility is both good and bad. It does indeed have one of the highest bike friendliness among big American cities. However, there are some big caveats.
1. The most obvious issue is the bike network gaps. The city tries its best to route you to the nearest trail with its protected bike lane, but it can make getting to a destination very roundabout to get protection. It is continually getting better though
2. The bike map is incredibly bad. The county, city, metro, google maps bike map are really outdated or inconsistent. What it considers low stress is definitely not what I consider low stress. Or there is a safe route that’s just not listed. Or a “safe route” would just be riding on the sidewalk. It takes a lot of just asking around or going there and finding out, which definitely is not a good user experience.
3. The lack of city run bike share makes it hard for people who dont have storage space for a bike or have visitors come and use the bike network
If you look at the Vancouver bike map especially in downtown, it’s incredibly clear what is safe and low stress and what is not. It also has a great bike share system that’s easy to use.
All that being said, it is way, way safer to bike here and more convenient than my last city (Los Angeles) and there’s just way more people who bike as transit. Definitely 2 steps up from Los Angeles, perhaps also 1 step down from Vancouver.
If you need more info, happy to elaborate.
Edit: Because so many people bike here, it's so much easier to ask people for directions. I often get lost or am not sure what's the safest route to get somewhere, but because so many people bike here, it's easy to ask someone a recommended route. One time a couple let me follow them since they were going the same way! It's a benefit of having high ridership (this even applies to walking and transit) that goes unsaid
All true, well said. Additionally, much (most?) of Minneapolis’ bike path network is clearly designed for recreational cycling, not for biking as transportation. It’s great to have bike paths around the lakes, the Grand Rounds, etc. but only some small parts of those trails are useful for residents who are actually trying to ride to work or something.
As a fellow Twin Cities resident, what I think helps our bike network is having an integrated, regional approach with planning that has led to suburbs, especially Richfield, to develop insanely good bike infrastructure. Richfield and other inner ring suburbs are a great case study into how even a post-WWII planned environment can be changed, even over a short period of time. There's issues but Minneapolis continues to improve every year, between the Portland and 60th area crossing over Hwy-62, and the Bryant Ave street redesign. It's looking up for sure and we are plugging in the gaps.
@@52_Pickup The fact that I can bike from where I am to Roseville (a suburb, for those reading this not in the twin cities) which is about 6 miles away with most of it being protected and low stress is wild to me. I am very grateful for all the progress that was made even before I came here.
@@kennethridesabike Absolutely! I have done multiple bike trips upwards of 26 miles almost entirely on separated infrastructure, like looping around the suburbs and then connecting up the river valley to Minnehaha Falls park. Then getting to go through the urban grid on bike infrastructure that's integrated and being upgraded? Absolutely exceptional in my books for regional integration, and it's why I didn't quite understand the criticisms in many US cities towards "disconnected trails to nowhere" kinds of bike infrastructure until seeing other American bike networks.
Even if we still have a long way to go (full municipal winter maintenance is a must, if Richfield, Bloomington, Anoka, etc can afford to plow sidewalks and bike/multimodal infrastructure, St Paul and Minneapolis need to. Thank goodness there's a huge push for that to be fixed.) we REALLY have done a lot. All it takes is some advocacy and further doubling down on those good bones, for making us the best cycling metropolis in the US.
Minneapolis places to go (I'll focus on outdoor stuff, since it's summer and the weather has been nice):
- First off, I recommend you bring or rent a bike (the bike-share is expensive though). Lots of trails, however several are closed or detoured right now due to construction.
- Loring Park & the Sculpture Garden. (If you happen to be in-town on Jul 29th, there will be an art fair goin on in Loring Park).
- Chain of Lakes. All the Lakes have stuff going on at them, but Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska tend to have the most.
- Minnehaha Creek, Park, and Falls. The creek also connects to the aforementioned Chain of Lakes and has a bike path along it.
- Stone Arch Bridge. Several parks and the Mill City Museum are also located nearby.
- Downtown. Could be hopping, could be sparse; depending on when you're here. You might find the Skyway interesting.
- Lake Street. Not pedestrian friendly IMO, but a lot of diverse establishments. Fortunately the Midtown Greenway parallels most of Lake Street.
- Minneapolis Institute of Art. World-class free-admission art museum, they do have a "suggested donation."
- Many, many parks scattered throughout the city.
- While you're here, you might want to consume our signature food invention, the "Juicy Lucy." Where exactly it originated and who makes the best version is a whole thing I will not get into.
- If you like Somali or Ethiopian culture and cuisine, check out the Cedar Riverside neighborhood.
- The Mall of America, I suppose. Also, not in Minneapolis.
Sant Paul places (don't forget Minneapolis' twin!):
- Como Park, Zoo, and Conservatory.
- Allianz Field, where the local MLS team plays.
- Downtown & Lowertown. Many historic buildings, more skyways, St. Paul Saints play at CHS field here.
- Frogtown neighborhood. Lots of good restaurants, especially if you like South-East Asian cuisine.
- Unfortunately the Rondo neighborhood just south of Frogtown was bulldozed decades ago to put in I-94.😥You can probably guess why they chose Rondo to destroy and not, say, Summit Ave.
- Selby Ave east of Lexington Ave and most of Grand Ave. Both fairly walkable old-urban areas.
These are just what came to mind for me off the bat. I'm sure you can find other lists too.
Transit stuff:
- If you plan on riding transit, I recommend you get a "Go-To Card" to make things easier/quicker. You can find more info on that at metrotransit.org.
- Union Depot. Located at the terminus of the Green Line in downtown St. Paul. Where the Amtrak and intercity busses stop.
- Metro LRT. Blue Line runs from downtown Mpls through the airport to the Mall of America. Green Line connects the two cities' downtowns with an extension being built to the SW suburbs.
- Probably the most uncomfortable bus station in the cities is at I-35W and Lake Street along the Orange Line BRT (the R is not earned, imo). Don't leave out the bad thigs!
- There is a pilot free-fare program that just started, mandated by the state. It's only on a few bus lines and I'm not very familiar with the areas the routes go through. Check metrotransit.org for more info.
As a Floridian in the central part of the state, the beautification, road diet or street scape projects only happen in the affluent or highly visible areas to promote higher end economic generators or exceptional tourist areas-anything about money. Everything else is a suburban/sprawl hellscape, rural arterial, or interstate. The infrastructure and overall lack of real state-wide multimodal is irreparably linked to large economic undercurrents, which are generally controlled by big developers and, shocker, who also lobby very well for themselves in local codes and statutes. They drive it all in the name of the economy-which is really just protecting their wealth and the gap. And vehicular travel benefits them the most. There is just no real economic incentive to get developers into multimodal or to force agencies to take a harder stance. The only truly multimodal places here are some college campuses, and sometimes that’s a stretch.. definitely not UCF. Like in the video, Miami has some things going on, but still way car dependent. Tampa and St Pete have a few areas, but not an above grade train line. Orlando downtown for a few blocks, and Jacksonville is just awful.
Thanks for visiting my hometown! We're far from perfect but many of us are pushing for better and more sustainable urbanism.
Could we get a tier list of the most-least evil state DOTs?
I can tell you who would be up at no. 1 for most evil --- FDOT and TXDOT, tied for first place.
Miami area is is the only part where you can farm plantains, breadfruit and other tropical stuff. So actually good Mofongo can be a thing. Unfortunately, sprawl has pretty much swallowed most of the valuable terrain, and most backyards are so tiny you really can't farm much. Most plantains at the store end up being from Ecuador.
@CityNerd’s voice, cadence and vocabulary is EXACTLY the voice inside my head that constantly judges my life choices. “Okay, I’ve got more to come…if you can believe it.”
Visit the Nicollet Kmart in Minneapolis! Some “slum-clearing” in the 70’s was done to attract a shopping mall, and when nothing materialized, they threw a Kmart in there. Split up one of the most important roads in the city into two pieces. The kicker is that, even after the Kmart closed, there’s a post office inside with a lease until 2025. Everyone knows that this was a mistake and there’s nothing we can do about it
I live in Miami and this is, in my opinion, a very comprehensive analysis of how unintuitive transit is here. It’s honestly laughable when I see 4 new highways being built before a single bus station. Sad that Miamians prefer more lanes for their 4x4 than a sustainable transit system.
The solution to transit is to remove zoning regulations so that, within reason, anyone can build anything anywhere. This is how Tokyo is completely supportive of cars and roadways but is still walkable to a degree no western city, not even in Europe, can manage. If you stuff everything important into one part of your city, no number of trains or cars will get everyone into and out of it efficiently.
Sorry but you have to take into account the weather. Miami is super hot and you will sweat like a waterfall and the next minute a random hurricane hits… I car solves this problem. This is why his video you don’t see anyone riding the rail
@@gumby7919make it so people don’t have to walk far to the things they need, and if they do have to go far, make the stations and actual vehicles as hospitable as possible
@@gumby7919 Most people who shoot public transit video try to include as few people in the shot as possible. He is probably doing the same. It's kind of an annoying habit because it makes almost everything look underused.
@@gumby7919 One idea is to enclose and air condition the stations; obviously the platforms will be equipped with platform screen doors.
In addition to ocean drive, I saw a major change on Washington Dr. during the pandemic - one traffic lane had been made into parking, and the space inside that, which had been parking before, made into a bike lane/pedestrian/patio space, for the restaurants, etc. Washington drive is basically the main street running north/south through Miami beach - if you're not going to *the beach* or Lincoln drive anyway. It's flanked by bars, restaurants, stores of all kind, and so I was incredibly disappointed many months ago to see they had changed the road back; to 2 lanes each direction.
With the single lane, protected space, the street had never felt more pedestrian friendly. And less noisy. Less of a chore or danger to cross. It was just nicer.
I feel like you covered the Miami you see going to destinations, but not the Miami you see as a resident. For me, Miami was mostly I95 and US1, driving 20 min to Aventura mall only to spend another 20min parking. Driving to friends that were in the same neighborhood because of culdesac street design. Dade county is mostly hellscape.
Miami. Ugh. I've been all over Miami, for one. Some parts are easier than others. One time I stayed up in North Miami (it's own municipality, I think), at this hippie-esque hostel type place via AirBnB. The experience there was fine, and I liked the people that were staying/living there. Getting there via bike, on a bike tour, sucked. Coming and coming each day was so horrible. I thought I had things bad up in New Jersey, but that area is just not good for bikes or getting around outside of owning a car. Even some of sidewalks were in really bad shape, and it doesn't seem like anybody gives a damn. I don't even know how you'd exist up there without a car, to be honest.
The last time I was in south Florida Dadeland was just a mall! Looks like a lot has changed there. It is a problem when the train just runs to neighborhoods average and low income folks can't afford.
Ray, you are a delight! The dry humor mixed with educational content is second to none. Well done sir!
Haha, yep, and going to Cheesecake Factory in Miami is Ok, we are not judgmental
As a Miami native, it's a car dependant hell hole
The bike lane and one way on Ocean Drive in South Beach is a revelation in terms of making the area more enjoyable. I experienced when it was two way traffic. Bright Line is an amazing development for US regional travel. Other than that, Miami has decades to go to be a world class transit city.
I took the train to get from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale instead of a car on the toll road. Much more stress-free.
I'm in Miami and it's a nightmare. The people here are more tightly wound than anywhere I've ever been. More loud cars, honking, cars blowing through crosswalks to turn right on red- without caring if anyone's in the crosswalk. I've gotten honked at so many times legally walking across the street, my throat is sore from screaming at the... *JERKS!*
I’ve lived in South Florida ( but not quite Miami) my whole life and would take the tri-rail sometimes to go to school when I was in college. Every city and downtown area is starting to look like Miami and the class difference is STARK. It’s fun to frequent downtown areas but even getting there is often a 20 to 40 minute drive through our suburban hellscape. I wish our transit system was better but car dependency has this state in a chokehold
As much as I'd love to say the pedestrian buttons should work, I feel bad for whoever has to try to find parts that last long in Florida's hot saltwater air
Getting to Miami beach is annoying. You are pretty much forced to take an uber or maybe Citibike. Could implement a BRT or convert one of the bridges to solely buses.
For Minneapolis, I would check out the midtown greenway and for biking, Nicollet Mall for the lack of cars and somehow also people, and Northstar for disappointing commuter rail. I think our green line stations are much better than the blue line ones and have better development. The blue line cedar-riverside station is kinda weird though, almost like a rural station in a way. I live in the northern edge of uptown and walk to most everyday places. I also think the warehouse district(North loop), parts of downtown close to the river, St. Anthony, and the part of NE on central is fairly walkable. The movement of the arts district and the (perceived) ups and downs of uptown are also interesting given its great location. The capped tunnels by lording park and the proposed capping on I94 in St. Paul could also be something to look at. I think downtown St. Paul is also pretty walkable and the area SW of it. They have the planned streetcar system and the green line functions more of a typical LRT system IMO compared to the blue line in Minneapolis. I would also look at how the prevalence of so many smaller universities affects development and the number of small, isolated walkable areas. Summit Hill in St. Paul’s walkable-ish too. Most of the walkable places I mentioned are very popular with younger people and I believe are growing. One last thing to mention/see is our fake BRT system. Some lines are good and others are not as good.
Hi, neighbor!
I'm near the north end of the Wedge. Got rid of my car 2 years after moving here. It's a wonderful part of the city.
Ray probably knows this at a glance but the Twin Cities fall on the Boston side of the "one metro area split into many municipalities" spectrum. Maybe worth contextualizing for outsiders trying to understand the urban dynamic, like why a "city" so small has such a large downtown area.
I was just about to comment that you must have gotten so lucky to have such sunny days in July. And just then, you noted there was more to come about the rain. I think that’s part of why we’re so car dependent. In the summer especially, walking even short distances is just a nightmare.
Underground transit is probably for the best in most cities, but I do like the aesthetics of raised mass transit.
"Walkability for the rich -- and urban heat islands for the masses" is pretty much all of South Florida transit in a nutshell. Brightline is nice if you are wealthy or upper middle class, but its too expensive for any kind of normal use for the poor and lower middle class. It also has terrible integration with local transit, especially outside of Miami.
On the other hand, Tri Rail is actually affordable with decent integration but is very neglected and barely has funds head its way. Its taken like 6-8 years to open up one new station on mostly existing rail in downtown Miami which is crazy. The buses they integrate with have terrible frequency and range, especially outside of Miami.
They are also building some commuter rail in northeast miami (the wealthy areas of course), but they haven't indicated if this will be tri rail, Brightline, or some new service. It should just be Tri Rail for better integration.
Brightline has many specials often on its website so it’s not always as expensive. Also, it is integrated in many cities outside of Miami such as when I took it to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm an electric small bus met us at the station to take us to where we wanted to go.
The deals are usually just for big groups and special events/sports. Nice to have, but still expensive for any use outside of that.
Also, those electric cars in West Palm and fort Lauderdale have limited range near the station. What if I want to take the bus from a few miles away? Near impossible most of the time. This is what I mean by a lack of local public integration.
@@victorabadia3702 I agree with you that the public transport can be better integrated. Electric bus is called circuit does go a few miles but it depends on what direction.
Yes many of the specials are for groups, special events like football and families but I’m a solo traveler and I found a special for $39 for traveling in November and also a special for traveling in December. I did sign up for the email to be alerted to specials so I don’t have to look at the website all the time.
@@victorabadia3702 the deals on Brightline are not just for groups and special events and sports, I bought two different tickets just for me individually and then a $22 ticket which was for two people traveling together special so that’s $22 one way Orlando to Miami !!!
It is true there could be better public transport
Car dependent nightmare--- I lived there for 5 years recently then moved to London
i lived in miami for four years between 2015-2019 for college and this is very spot on. there are so many areas of miami dade it's interesting. i went to fiu, and during my time there, there were some student pedestrian fatalities considering many intersections right outside the campus are like 8 lane free ways (not sure if you heard of fiu's bridge catastrophe - rest in peace to the lost souls and peace to their families) the traffic in south florida is insane and driving is very erratic. as much as i loved it and its vibrancy and the amazing people i met i can't imagine permanently living in south florida again
Omg you’re coming to Minneapolis. Please visit uptown it’s pretty walkable but I love hearing other people’s opinions on how it can be improved because there are a ton of things to improve. The biking infrastructure being created is super exciting and you have to visit the greenway!!!
As an avid Brightline rider to Miami (usually to head to Miami Beach) I do find it easier to watch on the Beach island than around Miami. That said, I love that the Brightline, MetroRail and eventually Tri-Rail are essentially in the same location (as some bus stops and MetroMover). There's talk of extending the MetroMover over to Miami Beach but honestly thought it'd be better to extend the MetroRail for capacity reasons. However, if the frequency of the MetroMover is enough then it's fine. I do like the free Miami Trolley buses that I also heard are getting extended. I think the South Beach area is pretty pedestrian friendly and find it much easier to go there via train and connect either via Brightline+, Uber, or bus vs trying to drive there from West Palm Beach.
Long time viewer, first time commenter, and I love the weekly content. If you’re at all familiar with the gradual implementation of VMT requirements in California as a result of SB 743, I’m curious if you have any insights into whether a VMT fee program for new development can serve as a sustainable source of transit funding, both for new and existing service. I know these fees have been slow to develop and developers may try to use statements of overriding consideration as a way around VMT impacts, but it seems over the long term this could be a good source of supplementary transit funding, at least. Thanks for all the engaging content!
I lived in Miami - Dade County yrs back now live in Ohio. I lived in Miami Beach and worked at the Port of Miami. I would have to take the bus to Govt Station and then metro mover to Bayside and then had walk across the Port of Miami Bridge because no transit went there. It sucked.
Thank you for this video! I've been trying to find good information (compiled in one place) on this exact topic for the last week
Not sure if you're still checking comments, but what I hear from Puerto Ricans with ties to Miami is that Wynwood Walls symbolizes how gentrification pushed their community out of Wynwood
Car free Ocean Ave was awesome. really needs to come back if they took that away.
But then where would all the geniuses with Ferraris, etc. parade and share their car stereos playing music everyone surely wants to hear? /s
Left out tri-rail! Which I think is the best airport shuttle in the country (hits 3). Used to use it all the time.