HONORED TO HAVE 3 MILLION BLOG READERS

I HAVE SHARED MY UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXPERTISE BY POSTING ON MY BLOG 365 DAYS PER YEAR FOR MORE THAN ONE DOZEN YEARS

Universal Design in Avila, Spain

As an award-winning storyteller, I am proud that my humble blog has had more than 3 million unique visitors over its lifetime.

Recently, it has been getting 25,000 to 50,000 readers per day.

Wheelchair Accessibility consulting in Madrid Spain

My posts would fill the equivalent of 12 full nonfiction books.

I have successfully transitioned from an expert writer on planning…to an acclaimed planner focused on Universal Design, Inclusive Mobility and Aging in Place.

Universal Design Work in Madrid Spain

I still write.

I published independent journalism.

And I work as a marketer for a select few planning, architecture and transportation engineering firms that believe in Design for All and creating a better built environment for all ages, incomes and abilities.

Universal Design Work in Segovia Spain

The urban designer part of me has delivered keynote addresses at global gatherings of planners, engineers, architects and others who work on quality of life at a community and regional level.

I have also teamed with some of the best urban design and mobility firms to work as a subconsultant on Universal Design plus wheelchair access.

Inclusive Mobility consulting in Toledo Spain

I hope to soon announce a major collaboration with one of the best downtown development authorities in the nation.

Stay tuned.

https://urbantravelandaccessibility.blogspot.com/

COMMUNITY BUILDING

THROUGH UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND INCLUSIVE MOBILITY

For more than three decades – as a journalist, planner, marketer, educator and activist – I have worked to make the built environment a better place.

The key has been Universal Design – making sidewalks, transit, healthcare, education, arts, job centers and housing accessible to all people of all ages, abilities and incomes.

It was a pleasure to share some of my thoughts on Universal Design and Inclusive Mobility in civic space, while on the inaugural DDA block walk this week.

I was privileged to be on the first block walk led by Ralph “Rafael” Rosado, chair of the Miami Downtown Development Authority.

An expert planner, Rosado also serves my District 4 City of Miami Commissioner.

The walking tour included diverse chats about walkability/urban vibrancy. Honored to chime in about Universal Design and ADA issues.

Thanks to Miami City Commissioner Damian Pardo – whose district covers much of the Central Business District, Brickell and Performing arts areas in the city core -- for graciously listening to my ideas for enhanced access for people with disabilities.

I emphasized that the sidewalk should be maintained during all construction.

Miami currently allows developers to close sidewalks for years of construction.

For a single round trip, a pedestrian or wheelchair user must cross dangerous traffic 4 times.

DDA and other leaders understood this must stop.

Most cities require scaffolding to keep sidewalks safe and open during development taking place along them.

HONORED THAT MY AWARD WINNING STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HELP ILLUSTRATE

URBANIST AUTHOR THOMAS WILSON’S UPCOMING BOOK: EXCEPTIONAL PLACES

Thomas Wilson is a planner, author and scholar who is completing "Exceptional Places" about iconic historic districts.

My photo above illustrates this excerpt:

Ocean Drive art deco hotels in Miami Beach.

The city’s preservation movement of the 1970s and 1980s succeeded in saving its historic resources and creating one of the nation’s most iconic historic districts.

Following its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, South Beach went into decline as newer, larger hotels were built elsewhere on the island.

In the mid-1980s new investment on Ocean Drive led to a resurgence of interest in South Beach (and Miami Beach in general), eventually positioning it as an international destination.

The historic core is the Miami Beach Architectural District, which includes much of the southern third of the city and encompasses the Art Deco District of mostly smaller hotels, commercial strips, and residential areas.

The latter elements are progressively more prevalent towards the Biscayne Bay side of the island.

According to the nomination form the district “contains the largest concentration of 1920s and 1930s era resort architecture in the United States.” 

Visit Thomas Wilson’s Substack at:

https://thomasdwilson.substack.com/p/exceptional-places

 

CELEBRATING MORE THAN 550,000 READERS

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION UNIQUE VISITS TO THIS BLOG

Thanks to readers around the world who have followed this blog for more than a decade.

Cumulatively, its content could fill the pages of five full-length books.

Topics focus on urban design, planning, architecture and transportation – most often in the context of creating a better built environment for people with disabilities.

Sometimes my fine art photography, which is earning places in respected galleries, is featured. Or there might just be a travel pic, cat foto or joke shared.

In the past 12 months, I have posted news of my work (and excerpts of my published work), including:

1 School of architecture guest lecture

2 Acclaimed photography exhibits

3 PBS documentaries on camera

4 TV appearances as an expert

5 Keynote speeches

6 Photos from the road during international consulting

7 Global radio broadcasts

8 Universal design workshops

9  New design inclusion clients

10 Daily social media posts on design and DEI

11 Podcasts on planning

12 Published cover articles

SHARING A YEAR OF SUCCESS

IN STORYTELLING, PLANNING, KEYNOTE SPEAKING, EDUCATING, INFLUENCING AND EXHIBITING AS A VISUAL ARTIST AND ACTIVIST

I’d like to reflect on a year of unprecedented travel, workshops, projects, publishing and appearing in the media – all aimed at making the world a better place for all.

So, appropriating the 12 Days of Christmas into the 12 months of Activism, here goes:

On the first month of creating a better built environment for people with disabilities, my passionate hard work gave to me:

1 School of architecture guest lecture

2 Proclamations praising

3 Acclaimed photography exhibits

4 TV appearances as an expert

5 Keynote speeches

6 Passport stamps from international consulting

7 Global radio broadcasts

8 Universal design workshops

9  New design inclusion clients

10 Daily social media posts on design and DEI

11 Podcasts on planning

12 Published cover articles

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL 

WHO HAVE SUPPORTED MY PASSIONATE WORK

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I would start at the Ball and Chain in the heart of Little Havana’s Calle Ocho. It was a big key to the turnaround of this famous main street of Miami’s most famous neighborhood.

I live within walking distance.

The owners are super community minded. They buy historic buildings and rebuild them — so they don’t fall prey to the wrecking ball.
The music, drinks and bar food are great too.

I would then go on a walking tour of Shenandoah — the part of Little Havana that I’ve lived in for 20+ years. There are tons of unique houses and apartments. You can see Spanish Mission, Mediterranean, Art Deco, Belvedere Bungalow and all kinds of unique, built from scratch homes from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s.

For a great meal and a fair price, I’d go to La Camaronera on Flagler Street. I remember when this was a little standup counter with maybe a half dozen total food items — all fresh from the sea. The seafood is still fresh caught, but now there are more than a dozen tables. And along with the signature fried fish and shrimp sandwiches, there are some gourmet plates and even craft beer. It’s a nice transition of a very longtime family business into one that’s perfect for locals and visitors.

I’d also take a stroll north of Calle Ocho toward the Miami River. This area also has great old 1920s apartments, houses, churches and businesses. It’s still a bit hard scrabble, but perfectly safe. My photo exhibit at the Miami Beach Art Deco Welcome Center on Ocean Drive at 10th Avenue showcased my images of this area.

I would enjoy the heart of Calle Ocho — roughly between 12 and 17 Avenues — though a lot of new development is heading east of 12th — and stop at SW 13 Ave. There, you can walk a meandering path among mature trees and many public monuments that cover the history of the Cuban exile experience in Miami.

Many of the old homes have been restored, though there are not any shops or restaurants on the area known as Cuban Memorial Boulevard. When you reach Coral Way on the south end of the path, you are rewarded by another tree-lined main street with tons of mom and pop restaurants, bakeries and shops.

Everybody knows Miami Beach and nearby Little Havana neighborhoods of Coconut Grove and the city of Coral Gables, so I’ll reserve my tips solely for la Pequena Habana.

 

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

For more than 20 years, I have been the go-to writer on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — through the lens of a better built environment for people with disabilities — for the National Association of REALTORS.

My Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning writing has been featured in Planning Magazine, the publication of the American Planning Association.

I have been a speaker on Universal Design and inclusion at a nationwide APA conference.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

I have had the privilege of working as a featured contributing writer to the United Spinal Association and its New Mobility Magazine for more than two decades. 

United Spinal is the premier nonprofit for people with spinal cord injuries and all who use a wheelchair for mobility.

I very much enjoyed writing legislation and create public policy for the better part of a decade for Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who represented Little Havana.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

My disability advocacy was rewarded when I co-created the groundbreaking Universal Design course for graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Miami School of Architecture.

My advice is to turn your passion into your career. 

You may not get Bill Gates rich, but you will have a very rewarding career.

I’ve also learned to be flexible. 

When I started at a newspaper, I figured I’d work as a daily journalist for more than half a century…till I slumped over my desk after filing a front page story.

The internet greatly reduced the profitability of newspapers, so I later pursued careers in public service, marketing, business development, content creation and creative arts.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

Learning about town planning and urban design shaped my career as a writer.

I have published thousands of stories about how to make our cities a better place to live — for all people of all abilities, backgrounds and incomes.

I bought a camera to illustrate my stories, even though the Columbus Dispatch newspaper had a staff of top-nothing photojournalists.

When I moved to Miami in 2000, I started having exhibits of my photos — from my trips to Spain and South and Central America.

I got to work with the greatest photographer of the 20th century — Ara Guler, The Eye of Istanbul. 

I edited the English language version of his biography.

MEET STEVE WRIGHT (PROFILE FROM SHOUTOUT MIAMI)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER/UNIVERSAL DESIGN THOUGHT LEADER/PLANNER/EDUCATOR

I am from Ohio, so I am grounded, loyal and show up on time.

My late mother struggled with severe mental illness for her entire adult life.

I became a writer because I wanted to tell the stories of all people — including those that struggled each day of their life.

I later became a leading disability advocate, clearly an outgrowth as a child who served as his mom’s caregiver.

I started out as a daily newspaper reporter for a large paper in my native Ohio.

I wanted to be a pro sports team beat writer, but got started covering suburban government and zoning meetings.