The Honorable Manuel A. Diaz
"Building a Sustainable City"
2007 State of the City Address
April 26, 2007
Fellow residents, Chairman Gonzalez, Vice–chairman Sanchez, Commissioner Spence-Jones, Commissioner Sarnoff, city employees, elected officials, members of the consular corps, distinguished guests, friends, and my family. I welcome you and thank you for being here.
Estimados ciudadanos de nuestra ciudad de Miami, les saludo y les doy la bienvenida.
Bonswa mesdam et messieurs, moin ta rémen salué citoyen Miami yo.
Every generation faces a great collective challenge – a challenge that defines that generation by its response.
For our parents and our grandparents, the ones we now call the greatest generation, the challenge was a battle between opposing ideas...
A battle against fascism and communism...
A battle to save our way of life.
They faced two world wars and a cold war – because of their response, democracy survives, continuing to represent hope and freedom.
Our generation also faces a great challenge, but it is a challenge of a different sort.
Ours is not a battle between nations, isms, or ideas–
Ours is not a battle to sustain the fundamentals of democracy......
Ours is a battle to sustain life itself.
While the previous generation saved us from the threat of nuclear weapons, the actions of our own generation pose a new threat.
We are the only species that routinely and knowingly engages in the destruction of its habitat.
The overwhelming majority of scientific evidence is in - all of us are contributing daily to global climate change.
This undisputed evidence shows that global climate change brings severe weather, food and water shortages, higher energy costs, and other threats to our way of life.
For us, it means more and stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels, a threatened water supply, and a threat to one of the most fragile eco-systems in the world – our everglades.
During the past six years, we have been guided by the principle of self determination
A city that controls its own destiny and plans a course to guarantee sustainability.
Now is the time when we must decide whether we can afford to stay on our present course.
Now is the time when we must decide to help sustain our planet, help sustain our city, help sustain ourselves.
Now is the time for our response.
We must live up to the legacy of the greatest generation by letting our legacy be “the greenest generation.”
This is not an impossible challenge –
In six years, we took a city that was bankrupt and turned it into a thriving world city.
We have forged a new destiny, taking us from being the subject of ridicule to being the new face of america.
People from all over are moving here – they come with renewed faith in us.......a reaffirmation of city living............a return home to the way of life that satisfies the human need for interaction found in sustainable neighborhoods.
We must reaffirm that faith...enhance city living.... Satisfy this human need...and in so doing, guarantee our sustainability.
This is our greatest challenge – and our response will determine the state of our city for generations to come.
Cada generación enfrenta un gran reto– la de nuestros padres y abuelos fue la de luchar en dos guerras mundiales y en una guerra fria.
Muchos dieron sus vidas para defender la democracia en contra del fascismo y el comunismo-
Nuestra generación hoy también enfrenta otro gran reto– la lucha para preservar nuestro planeta.
Miami is responding - guided by the same pioneering spirit that gave rise to the magic city from a swamp.
We were first to join the family of world cities in a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - making us a leader in the greatest grassroots movement of our time.....because the answer to this global question demands a local response.
The city commission has adopted a comprehensive plan for environmental sustainability – I want to thank Commissioners Sanchez and Sarnoff for their leadership, and thank the entire commission for their unanimous support.
Our first ever office of sustainable initiatives is dedicated to changing the way we do business, bringing environmental action to everything we do.
Miami now has its own climate protection agreement -
It includes a green fleet program to assure higher fuel efficiency for all vehicles.
An expedited review process for green buildings.
A green purchasing ordinance for goods and services.
A water conservation program to protect and preserve this natural resource.
A tree master plan to restore a healthy tree canopy that increases shade, lowers urban temperature, and absorbs greenhouse gasses.
All of these measures and more have set us on a path toward environmental sustainability.
Our message has been clear : green is not a fad, green is our compass.
La evidencia cientifica comprueba que nuestras acciones estan causando el calentamiento global, dañando al medioambiente, y si no respondemos a este desafio, vamos a perjudicar el futuro de nuestro planeta, y el futuro de nuestros hijos y nietos.
Nosotros ya estamos respondiendo a esta amenaza – nuestra comisión ha aprobado una serie de medidas que nos ayudarán a combatir este problema con soluciones innovadoras diseñadas para disminuir las emisiones de gases nocivos, ahorrarles dinero a los contribuyentes y reducir nuestra dependencia del petroleo que esta en manos de nuestros enemigos.
Although we have taken dramatic actions, this is not enough.
To understand the real long-term solution to global warming, we need to first understand how we got here.
Traditionally, cities in America were developed as high density, compact, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods – think of Washington DC, Boston, and New York – where neighborhoods connect to form great cities.
But all that changed - we abandoned our cities for the failed promise of the suburbs.....we paved our land.... Destroyed our natural areas........wasted our water resources.........spent billions to connect distant neighborhoods........... Strained municipal budgets......., and we glorified the automobile.
And you know the result - longer commutes, traffic congestion, more asphalt, pollution, and isolation — disconnected neighborhoods diminishing human contact, separating us from our neighbors, and increasing human impact on climate change.
Make no mistake, the low density suburban sprawl that has characterized growth in south florida is the true enemy of sustainability –
It is not smart growth, it is not sustainable growth.
Major planning and environmental groups agree - the cure to sprawl is a return to the core - bringing people together so they can live, work, shop, and play close to where they live.
This is why the single most critical action we can take to help save our planet is to embrace smart growth - to design cities that make sense.
In Miami, way before there was a climate protection agreement or a Kyoto Protocol, we decided to embrace smart growth on a scale never before seen in any major us city - and this is the cornerstone of Miami 21.
Miami 21 is rooted in the belief of the power of traditional neighborhoods to restore the functions of sustainable cities.
It values long term, regional considerations over a short term focus.
Its strives to achieve a unique sense of community and place.
It challenges old assumptions in urban planning by providing an alternative to urban sprawl, traffic congestion, disconnected neighborhoods, and urban decay.
La gran solución a este problema es detener el crecimiento descontrolado de los suburbios, y regresar a la vida urbana, donde todas nuestras necesidades se encuentran en un solo vecindario.
Miami 21 es un plan que nos ayuda a establecer estos vecindarios tomando en cuenta la zonificación, nuestro desarrollo economico, el transporte, nuestros parques y areas verdes, el arte y la cultura.
Miami 21 begins by replacing an archaic zoning code with sustainable zoning and land use policies that promote great urban design.
It is a code that does not focus on what is forbidden, but on what is desired.
A code that clearly defines design expectations, bringing predictability to the public process.
A code that preserves neighborhoods and encourages sustainable development.
And speaking of sustainable development, Miami 21 demands green density - if you are going to build big in Miami, you either build green, or you don’t build at all.
Last year, we had zero green buildings - this year, we have over $2 billion worth of projects registered for green certification - and I’m not even including the state’s first green baseball stadium.
The development of Miami 21 has invited unprecedented massive public participation with over 100 public presentations and a website with 100,000 monthly visits.
This is democracy in planning - citizens planning a city that incorporates their dreams, while ensuring their future.
Miami 21 also designs neighborhoods with sustainable economies and a diverse range of jobs and housing - a long term strategy that focuses land use decisions on where the jobs are, and where they could be.
As a national leader in job creation - we have cut the unemployment rate from double digits six years ago to less than 4%.
Yet, our efforts to develop a more sustainable economic future must continue.
It begins with our children -
If we do not invest in our children, we will not have a competitive workforce,
We will not have neighborhoods that build community,
And we will not have a future generation of leaders.
Education is central to everything we do, because a sustainable city cannot exist without an educated citizenry.
Our partnership with the school system focuses on student achievement, capital investment, parental involvement, and civic engagement.
Six years ago, only 9% of city schools earned an A or a B - last year, over half earned an A or a B......
And, 71% of city schools either improved a letter grade or maintained an A.
Let me show you how this partnership has worked in one school - Holmes Elementary was a triple F - it has improved two letter grades to a C.
We developed an after-school program, recruited the private sector, and brought over half a million dollars in annual funding to the school.
This august, students will learn at a new state of the art Holmes Elementary.
We have with us Dahlia Gonzalez, principal of Holmes Elementary.
Sitting next to Dahlia is Hebdricka Gore. Through our after school program, she is now reading at grade level - let’s all show her how proud we are - Hebdricka...
Our Miami youth council engages high schoolers in civic action through various projects -showing them the value of a citizen’s voice.
I am very proud of these young leaders - and i know you are proud of them too - the Miami youth council.
These young people are losing their peers - young people murdering young people - just look at the massacre at Virginia Tech.
While many politicians are ready to console families after a tragedy, where were they before the tragedy?
Where were these same politicians when the assault weapons ban expired in 2004?
Today it is cheaper to buy an ak-47 soviet assault rifle on the streets of Miami than it is to buy a play station – and that is wrong.
That is why I have joined Mayor Bloomberg and hundreds of mayors to advocate for stiffer penalties for criminals and gun shop owners that use and deal illegal guns.
As parents, we cannot continue to live with the fear that our children will fall victim to a spray of bullets.
Sustainable neighborhoods also need the diversity that comes from mixed use development and a range of housing choices.
Miami 21 has the potential to double contributions into our affordable housing trust fund.
Almost $600 million invested so far, over $200 million to be approved next month, getting us closer to our goal of $1 billion by the end of the decade.
We respond to the house of lies by bringing the reality of affordable housing.
And I thank Commissioner Spence-Jones for her efforts to assure that all can have access to the American dream of home-ownership.
We continue to provide our residents with the tools necessary to build a sustainable economic future.
Through ACCESS Miami - the most comprehensive anti-poverty plan of its kind, we have touched over 100,000 people, putting hundreds of millions of dollars in the hands of those who need it most.
And because our vision for a sustainable city leaves no one behind, we refuse to accept homelessness as a permanent condition - as a result, we have reduced the homeless population by 50% since last year, with a remarkable 27% drop in chronic homeless.
Miami 21 also promotes common sense mobility and the ultimate solution - bringing people back to the urban center, to neighborhoods that are walkable and offer transportation choices.
If our city and region are to function, we must address our transportation needs.
The answer is not more roads, highways in the sky, or expensive heavy rail that destroys neighborhoods.
We simply cannot pave our way toward sustainability.
For far too long, cities have been planned around cars and not people. Well......not anymore.
We need to move away from government policies that invest in sprawl encouraging the use of cars, making it easier for suburbia to invade our city during rush hours.
Instead, we need government policies that make it less convenient to rely on the automobile.
And we need to do this now.
We need to plan for our people - because when we pave over our land, convert greenspace to parking, and expand our roads, who are we doing it for? Those that come to our city from the suburbs, tax our infrastructure, but don’t pay the taxes to support it.
Some would have you believe that higher density brings more traffic - just the opposite is true.
Studies have shown that doubling density decreases vehicle miles traveled by 38 percent, reducing the number of car trips and overall parking needs for the community.
The reality is that tens of thousands of people will be moving into our urban core - and buses lack the capacity to efficiently move this many people around.
This is why we need to invest in a streetcar system today - like the one we used to have - and we must do this while we can still afford it - rather than leave future Miamians to wonder why we failed to act.
A streetcar system is an inevitable solution - Miami can either pay for it now, or pay for it later - leaving future generations with a much higher bill to assure sustainability.
Miami 21 recognizes that great cities are those that embrace the beautiful and the generous public realm - the spaces that create pride - equally owned by all people - irrespective of economic or social circumstance.
Our first-ever parks and public spaces master plan sets forth a new vision for Miami’s open spaces and the public realm - calling for more funding, a park within half a mile of every resident, and no net loss of park land.
Our parks, open spaces, greenways and blueways will connect all of our neighborhoods.
Already we have doubled park funding and are starting to acquire more park land.
This Monday, I will join Chairman Gonzalez to celebrate the acquisition of six acres of new park land that will connect to fern isle, forming a new, 14 acre park in Allapattah.
I want to congratulate Chairman Gonzalez for his unwavering commitment to provide his residents with parks they can be proud of.
To complement the plan, the Virginia Key, Coconut Grove waterfront, and Museum Park master plans will serve as a guide to ensure that these pristine sites will achieve their rightful place in the public realm as great public spaces of regional pride.
Miami 21 also recognizes that our past is prologue - we are a young city, but rich in history – and a sustainable city understands the need to keep the places that tell the story of who we are.
Miami 21 will allow property owners to transfer development rights and expand the definition of eligible historic properties, creating the tools to preserve the character of up and coming neighborhoods like the MiMo district.
Miami 21 acknowledges that our gift to the future requires that we provide space and home for the arts.
Some may question the need for cultural space, art centers, art museums -
Art transcends time and ties us all together as the human race. Art is the soul and the spirit of each generation to be passed along to the next and beyond.
This is why we must celebrate the places of art - the synergy of the PAC, Museum Park, Art Basel, and the hundreds of independent galleries and artists that have helped place us among the great art capitals of the world.
Hemos obtenido grandes logros - han aumentado de un 9 a un 50% la cantidad de escuelas calificadas con grado de a o b.
Hemos creado mas empleos, lo que ha reducido la tasa de desempleo a menos del 4% del 12% cuando yo asumí el cargo.
Hemos aumentado nuestra inversión en viviendas módicas, $800 millones hasta el momento. Y nuestra inversión llegará hasta los mil millones para finales de esta década.
También estamos añadiendo más parques – este lunes, junto con el comisionado Angel Gónzalez, empezaremos a construir un nuevo parque de 14 acres, para que nuestros niños y nietos tengan donde jugar.
Government is responding - but government’s response can only take us so far.
Each and every one of you must also respond - because the real response, must come from you.
But how can a single person place us on a path toward sustainability?
Here’s one simple idea - it takes just 18 seconds to switch one light bulb - if every American replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a compact florescent bulb, we could save 7 billion tons of CO2 emissions and $8 billion in energy costs.
Here in Miami, over 420,000 CFL bulbs have been purchased since the beginning of the year saving us over 83 million tons of CO2 emissions and $11 million in energy costs.
This is why I will be introducing a resolution to the city commission issuing the 18 second challenge to all Miamians, urging us to reduce emissions and save money by the simple act of switching a light bulb.
The last time we were here, I announced that I had switched my city SUV for a hybrid car -
Today, I want to share these results - I have doubled my fuel economy, cut my gas consumption in half, cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 tons - and, I have saved taxpayers twice the amount of fuel costs for just one car.
Just imagine the savings to our wallets and to our environment if all five city commissioners, the city manager, and all of you joined Commissioner Katy Sorenson and I by switching to fuel efficient vehicles.
Sustainability depends on your individual actions - on your civic pride -
You need to care about the place where you live - you need to care about the place where you want to raise your family.
But ultimately, as stewards of our children’s future - we need to care for the place where they will live, the place where they will raise their family.
It is a moral obligation that rings with a sense of urgency, right here, right now - that we may transmit this city, greater, better, more beautiful and more sustainable than it was transmitted to us.
Only in this way will we honor our past by forging a new destiny, a sustainable destiny that will leave our children a better city than was left to us.
Thank you and God bless!