‘Miami 21’ Zoning Overhaul Brings Activity, Connectivity

MIAMI–The complete overhaul of Miami’s zoning code was not easy, but it was worth it, Miami Director of Planning and Zoning Francisco Garcia said here at the MBA Commercial/Multifamily Servicing and Technology Conference.

“We had a byzantine zoning arrangement,” Garcia said. “There were some 40 zoning designations, and there are not 40 different urban conditions; there simply are not.”

In the past, Miami’s zoning was car-centric and emphasized controlling density rather than controlling the appearance of buildings, Garcia noted. He said the city formerly employed single-use “Euclidean” zoning, which strictly divides land uses into residential, commercial and industrial zones. “Euclidian zoning separates uses and doesn’t care how they intersect,” he said. “That makes for a fractured city.”

Elsewhere in the world, planners focus on creating walkable cities rather than separating uses, Garcia said. “If you protect and beautify the right of way by inserting some organic matter, line the right-of-way with habitable space that is occupiable by human beings, that brings activity and connectivity. That is a desirable state of affairs. But to do that, you need to de-emphasize the emphasis on permitting and density.”

Garcia said he and fellow Miami urban planners tried to make a single point about the city’s former zoning: “Look, if you keep going this way, you’ll end up with a city that you’ll regret,” he said.

So the city launched the Miami 21 zoning code, a form-based code guided by New Urbanism and Smart Growth tenets that requires new buildings have pedestrian-friendly frontages that encourage street activity.

The city’s pedestrian-friendly zoning overhaul took effect in 2010. The American Planning Association honored the code with its National Planning Excellence Award for Best Practice the following year.

“Miami 21 was a complete overhaul,” Garcia said. “It made zoning graphically intensive and intuitive. People now know what is coming so they won’t be surprised. The intent is to enhance the quality of development, to make sure new development is respectful to its neighbors and to enhance public space.”

Garcia said new development should be “mindful” of its context. “Each project is intended to be a unit within an urban fabric that fits together well and is coherent,” he said.

For example, Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami. Garcia noted any property fronting Biscayne Boulevard has a good view of Biscayne Bay. But in some buildings constructed as recently as the 1990s, developers placed all parking in a multi-story platform that fronts the street, giving cars rather than people a good view of the bay. “But with our new form-based code, residential units now line the outside of the building, which is a much better, higher quality approach,” he said.

Garcia said good city planning such as Miami 21 is predictable and transparent to all, so citizens feel like a part of the process. He called the process challenging but gratifying. “Miamians now expect their city to be not good but great,” he said. “And that is exactly what we were hoping for.”