ANALYSIS:
Tactical urbanism addresses urban challenges with low-risk and low-cost treatments that have a high likelihood to yield a good return on investment. An example of a tactical urbanism treatment is taking an underutilized surface parking lot and transforming it into a community gathering place.
The Miami Beach Senior High School PTSA approached the City of Miami Beach about implementing tactical urbanism elements at challenged intersections by painting an artistic three-dimensional crosswalk that is not only pleasantly eye-catching, but also has the effect of reducing the speed of approaching vehicles.
Street-plans Collaborative is an urban design firm that has helped the City of Miami Beach produce its Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan. In the attached letter, Street plans offers certain services for the City to consider the establishment of a Quick Build program that will lean on the tenets of tactical urbanism. The scope of services for implementing this type of specialized project consist of creating a community outreach program where projects are identified based on feasibility, conceptual design plan and project implementation. Cost for the implementation of tactical urbanism pieces city wide range from $200,000 to $300,000. An evaluation of specific space for development is an additional $20,000 - $30,000. The City would be responsible for lead marketing, traffic control, long term maintenance, significant staff time. This is currently not funded.
In addition to bringing communities together, tactical urbanism projects can also have mobility, safety, and traffic calming benefits. Examples of projects include protected bike lanes, protected bus lanes, crosswalks, parklets, bus stop improvements, traffic calming, and wayfinding. While tactical urbanism can serve to test the effectiveness of certain mobility treatments on a pilot basis, it is important to note that these types of projects have been difficult to implement in Miami-Dade County. Currently, several tactical urbanism projects proposed and funded by the City are stalled at the County level, including proposed protected bike lanes on 72 St, 73 St, and along Euclid Avenue.
County concerns inevitably arise when roadway engineering design standards need to be relaxed or waived in order to implement the desired tactical project, which is usually the case. Other cities are also having similar challenges with securing County approval to implement tactical urbanism projects on roadways. Miami Beach staff will be meeting with County leadership in the coming weeks to discuss ways of moving forward on the City’s tactical urbanism mobility projects and will provide an update following the meeting.