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.

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

THOUGHTS ON TURNING 57

SIX DECADES ON EARTH AND STILL STANDING

I  turned 57 on Oct. 22nd. In my 40 years as a writer, I have interviewed the famous, the infamous, the mega wealthy and those headed to prison.

My life as a journalist, marketer, storyteller and advocate has taken me to places I never thought a kid from a working-class family – the first to go to college – would ever go.

Certainly, my greatest accomplishment has been being a companion to my Heidi for 35 years.

When it comes to professional achievements, I have a Pulitzer nomination and several diverse awards on my walls. I have reinvented myself from a sportswriter to urban affairs journalist, then to a public policy chief, business development director, marketing manager, communications leader, storyteller and advocate.

One of my favorite story sources, who became a friend and mentor in Ohio, had an “I love me” room filled with honors, accolades and scrapbooks from his rewarding life. Perhaps like me, he sometimes doubted his ability or shrugged off praise while taking the slightest shortcoming to heart. Maybe that’s why Saul crafted his I love me room in his cozy abode in greater Columbus.

I recently submitted an extended bio for a speaking engagement. After publishing about 7,000 bylined stories during the past 40 years, it felt odd to write about myself in the third person. Despite the awkwardness, I did feel fairly good about myself (always a challenge in these go-go-go, dog eat dog times), so I will share some of it:

His 40-year career, the past 21 in greater Miami, has been marked by dozens of national stories on the planning profession in diverse publications plus more than a decade of daily Blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts on urban design.

When Wright came to Florida, he already had been a Pulitzer-nominated, award-winning journalist who covered the urban affairs, smart growth and planning beat at the Columbus Dispatch newspaper. His work earned special recognition from the City of Columbus Planning Department for expert, in-depth coverage of planning in the growing city.

While working as the first full-time urban affairs reporter at the Dispatch, Wright covered not only planning, zoning and development issues, but also focused on land use’s impact on equity, inclusion, diversity and accessibility. His marquee story was a first of its kind special section chronicling a year spent with a photographer in the city’s oldest, poorest, most-neglected neighborhood – Franklinton, which was under gentrification pressure due to an Army Corps flood wall that would usher in development.

In Miami, he has worked with leading urban designers, town planners, architects, engineers, landscape architects, sustainability experts and similar leading firms that create a better built environment. He was put his expertise in Universal Design, Inclusive Mobility and access for People with Disabilities into every winning project.