Imagining a less-driven Florida

[marmar]

from the St. Pete Times:



Imagining a less-driven Florida
By Bruce Stephenson, Special to the Times


At the zenith of the housing bubble, Florida was an investor's paradise, the American Dream on steroids. Sandwiched within the profligate consumption of resources and adjustable mortgages was a profound belief that the Sunshine State embodied "the pursuit of happiness." • "Happiness," which the Founding Fathers equated to owning property, is having a tough go of it. In 2008, home values in Florida dropped by a third and forecasters rank metro Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach among the nation's 10 worst real estate markets.

Outlying subdivisions have been especially hard hit and, with the toxic brew of crude oil spreading in the Gulf of Mexico, the cost of building a landscape to SUV dimensions is sadly apparent. Prudence and moderation, hardly an American strong suit, were exempt from the machinations that built these places. The lure of quick riches and property acquisition fueled a speculative madness that has left developers bankrupt, Realtors unemployed, construction workers on the dole, and homebuyers, many minorities and recent immigrants, atop foreclosure lists. The cycle of boom and bust is as endemic to Florida as sunshine; the state has recovered before but this time, Carl Hiaasen contends, "something radical must happen."

Fortunately, Florida is a laboratory for radical experimentation. After the urban crisis of the late 1960s, a new model of corporate statism opened to rave reviews in Central Florida. David Brinkley, in the first network news broadcast from Disney World, was astounded at what he saw, concluding it was "better than any other urban environment in America." He wondered if "real cities shouldn't cede their planning duties to Disney."

In retrospect, the NBC newscaster had a point. After riding the Magic Kingdom's sophisticated transportation system, hordes of tourists decamp into a more deadly version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, otherwise known as metropolitan Orlando. It's a shocking step; Central Florida's auto-oriented "Roads R Us" planning mentality has placed it atop the "Mean Streets" and "Angriest City" rankings.

The average city of over a million population loses 34 citizens in traffic accidents annually; but 58 humans die on Orlando roadways each year. For those looking for security in the guarded, gated subdivisions surrounding Disney World, the prospects are equally caustic. In this dystopian landscape there is a greater chance of death by traffic "accident" than being murdered in central Miami. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/article1093261.ece

[lib2DaBone]

1. ..The Republicans in Florida will sit there .. whiile the cess pool rises above their neck..

because Gaaawd told them to do it. And Jeb Bush said it was OK.

Republicans never think for themselves.... they only follow what Faux News Tells Them To Do.....

Last one out.. turn out the lights...

[Dappleganger]

2. Thanks for posting this, I just read it earlier...

thought about doing the same but became distracted.

This article was VERY well-written and I'm hoping it's posted over at metrojacksonville.com, where they post about transporation/re-urbanization issues quite often.

The bastardization of Orlando is an excellent illustration of how NOT to do things. My hope is that more cities follow Detroit's lead by bulldozing suburbs and bringing people back to the urban core.