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Fit City 2016

By Cheryl Jacobs

February 20, 2016

FitCity 3 which explored the intersection between health and the built environment was successfully held on February 19, 2016 at the the Miami Center for Architecture & Design in Miami. This year’s conference focused on Active Transportation & Mobility and provided participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of how our transportation and mobility development in Miami-Dade has an important, measurable and long-term impact on public health.

Sponsored by the Miami chapter of the American Institute of Architects in partnership with the Consortium for a Healthy Miami-Dade, Gold Coast Section of American Planning Association, and Southeast Florida District Council Urban Land Institute, Fit City 3 brought together architects, planners, designers, public health professionals, academics, government administrators, elected officials, community leaders and residents to discuss how policies, including Active Design, design standards, infrastructure and building codes can be beneficial to community health and overall quality-of-life.

The latest health findings for Americans, focusing on the chronic diseases most affecting us today, such as obesity and diabetes were presented, as well as discourse on how the design of our cities — streets, buildings, public spaces, and healthy food access — directly impacts our community’s health and well-being. Presenters included Suzanne Nienaber, Center for Active Design; Meg Daly, The Underline; Bernard Zyscovich, FAIA, Zyscovich Architects; Juan Mullerat, Assoc AIA of PlusUrbia; Cesar Garcia-Pons, Perkins+Will; Carlos Cruz Casas, Miami Dade Transit.

FitCity Miami 3 also served as the kickoff for implementation of Active Design in Miami. Active Design Guidelines, originally created in NY, are a set of strategies for designing healthier streets, buildings, and public spaces. Conference participants learned how Active Design has been implemented in New York City and how they are being re-created for Miami-Dade County.

For more information, contact Marta Viciedo, AIA/MCAD Project Manager at [email protected] or Executive Vice President, Cheryl Jacobs at [email protected].