Passing the ‘Beauty’ test on Virginia Key:
What advice can the Mayor of one of the nation’s most liveable and progressive cities offer Miami?
“Seek to make the city beautiful,” said Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley, after speaking at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Forum, “Miami: The Making of A World Class City.” Riley, a nine-term mayor, was recently awarded the National Medal of Arts for his support of historic and cultural resources and for reinvigorating Charleston. He is founder of the Mayor’s Institute for City Design.
To be sure, the Chamber talk often circled back to improving infrastructure, investing in connectivity and capitalizing on the future trade bonanza with China.
But Riley said he also wants Miami to keep "beauty" in mind when making decisions about where to build, what to save, and how to do it.
“Some people can afford to go off on great vacations, visit exotic locations. But most people have only their cities,” Riley said. “We have an obligation to make cities places of beauty and inspiration.”
Charleston has a lot in common with Miami - most notably its waterfront setting. And Riley has made the most of it for his people - preserving, restoring and building beautiful waterfront promenades and parks of incredible variety, all accessible, free and above all, beautiful. Altogether, the City of Charleston has 120 parks, comprising 1500 acres of parks and open space.
Riley said he’s kept “on his toes” by preservation organizations and civic groups. “I work for them.”
So, what would Riley do with Virginia Key? The island and the entire Biscayne Bay Recreation Corridor that runs the length of the scenic Rickenbacker Causeway, is one of the most naturally beautiful places in our community.
Would Riley put parking garages and warehouses for boats on waterfront parkland?
Would Riley obscure the sight lines to the Miami Marine Stadium with a shopping center?
Would Riley let the place languish for years, marred by accumulating junk and chained-link fences?
No. It’s not likely any of those things would pass his “beauty” test. Nor would the people of Charleston let him.
Speaking of building beautiful public spaces, Riley told the Lexington-Herald Leader recently:
There's never an excuse to build anything that doesn't add to the beauty of a city... "The things of value are increasingly the things we own together...When you build a great public realm, the private money and development will follow."
Resources:
"Charleston the Transformed," The Lexington Herald-Leader.
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/03/07/1170076/eblen-charleston-the-transformed.html
"Urban Revivalist: Miami Not Yet a World-class City," The Miami Herald, March 12, 2010. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/12/1525558/miami-not-yet-a-world-class-city.html
Charleston, visitor information: http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/
