Miami Urban Future Initiative

Despite the voices calling attention to the need for more affordable housing, only about 3% of the 2019-2020 Miami-Dade County budget is dedicated to solving the crisis.

And a crisis it is.

Researchers say 130,000 new housing units are needed; the county has plans for 10,000.

Miami is known as a global destination for hospitality, but it also has a reputation as a deeply unequal place. The greater Miami metro region has a poverty rate of 14.3%, among the highest in the country.1 While the region boasts high-profile foreign investment, its middle class continues to shrink and the local economy is dominated by low-paying service jobs. Miami’s communities of color are disproportionately affected by these dynamics: Latino and black Miamians are twice or 2.5 times as likely, respectively, to live in poverty as white residents are.

For years, leaders struggling to broaden the economy of Miami and the rest of South Florida beyond low-paying service jobs have wrestled with a vexing dilemma: Have those efforts been hampered by a crippling brain drain?

After diving into the question of whether we’re having trouble keeping our college grads or providing them with rewarding work, one of the nation’s leading experts suggests in a report released last week that the answer is both yes and no. But the news on balance is not great for the metro area comprising Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

A new report says Miami is the seventh least-affordable large metro area in the world.

The recent report by urban researchers Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo says the Miami region’s housing unaffordability crisis reinforces its high levels of inequality.

On February 22, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Pillar Trustee Board hosted their inaugural Goals conference where business leaders, city officials, residents and stakeholders discussed challenges and opportunities facing Miami Beach. More than 150 guests attended the event and heard remarks from City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber , Leading Urbanist Richard Florida and Marketing Strategist Bruce Turkel.

A new report has found that six in 10 employed adults in South Florida are spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent. That’s the highest of any metro area in the country.

South Florida’s bid to attract Amazon’s HQ2 may have come up short when it came to landing the big prize. But in a panel discussion Tuesday, regional leaders said the bid process itself has galvanized the tri-county area to think and work more collaboratively.

“This process showed an extraordinary level of regional cooperation, done in a record amount of time,” said urbanist Richard Florida, who led the discussion of the panel, “What Did We Learn From Our Amazon Adventure.”

With Amazon’s search for its second headquarters or “HQ2” finally over, it’s time for Greater Miami to get back to the business of building its own economy. The fact that Miami was selected as one of 20 finalists out of the 238 cities that applied to the original request for proposals reflects the tremendous strides the region has made in the economic development arena.

Long considered the gateway to Latin America, Miami takes steps to become a truly international city.

Miami ranks first among large U.S. metros for the share of its residents who are immigrants (41 percent of the population), placing the metro ahead of San Jose, L.A., and San Francisco, according to a new research brief from the FIU + CCG | Miami Urban Future Initiative (MUFI). The report also finds that Miami ranks first among large U.S. metros according to the amount of merchandise goods, commodities, and cargo that it transported internationally in 2016 ($1.5 million tons).

Miami ranks first among large U.S. metros for the share of its residents who are immigrants (41% of the population), placing the metro ahead of San Jose, L.A., and San Francisco, according to a new research brief from the FIU + CCG | Miami Urban Future Initiative (MUFI). The report also finds that Miami ranks first among large U.S. metros according to the amount of merchandise goods, commodities, and cargo that it transported internationally in 2016 ($1.5 million tons).

Can Miami raise its profile as an innovation hub? Urbanist Richard Florida, currently a visiting fellow at the Florida International University-Miami Creative City Initiative, has said in the past that South Florida needs to make a greater effort to support the tech sector and envision itself as a hub for entrepreneurship.

Miami ranks eighth among large U.S. metros for the total amount of venture capital invested in its high-tech startups ($1.3 billion in 2016), according to a new research brief from the FIU + CCG | Miami Urban Future Initiative (MUFI). The brief also finds that Miami’s high-tech companies each earned an average of $14.2 million in venture capital investment in 2016—the second-highest share among large metros.

Businesses in Miami are growing at one of the fastest rates in the country, according to a new study by the the Miami Urban Future Initiative.
Among all large U.S. metros, Miami ranked eighth in annual business establishment growth between 2010 and 2015, at 2 percent – more than double the national average, the study said.

In its latest research report, “Benchmarking Miami’s Growth and Competitiveness,” MUFI evaluates Miami’s growth and competitiveness compared to 52 large U.S. metros with more than one million people.

The following research brief from the Miami Urban Future Initiative provides a data-driven assessment of Miami’s status as a global metro, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with populations of more than one million people.

This research brief provides a data-driven assessment of the economic growth and competitiveness of the Miami metro, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with population of more than one million people.

In February, MUFI held it’s 2nd event hosted by ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean gathering a panel of researchers, real estate developers, and economic development agencies at the new Arts & Entertainment District—the latest neighborhood to emerge as a cultural destination for city residents—to address these persistent challenges and offer some solutions for driving more inclusive development by attracting a creative class.

The Miami metro—which spans Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties—is an aspiring hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. While Miami has long been a breeding ground for small businesses, the economic value of these businesses has historically trailed behind that of leading tech hubs like the San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Seattle, and Boston-Cambridge. But the tide appears to be turning in Miami’s favor.The following research brief from the Miami Urban Future Initiative provides a data-driven assessment of the economic growth and competitiveness of the Miami metro, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with populations of more than one million people.

The report, Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base, is the latest in a series of research briefs produced by the FIU-Creative Class joint venture. The multi-year initiative was underwritten by the Knight Foundation to help local business and civic leaders learn more about where Miami stands in comparison to other U.S. cities in fostering the sort of knowledge-driven occupations necessary to compete in the modern economy.

FIU + CCG |MIAMI URBAN FUTURE INITIATIVE RESEARCH BRIEF: Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base. In its latest research report, “Benchmarking Miami’s Talent Base,” MUFI evaluates Miami’s human capital assets compared to 52 large U.S. metros with more than one million people. Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the report specifically examines Miami’s creative workforce, educational attainment levels, and share of students, faculty, and college and university graduates.

Greater Miami has experienced remarkable economic success in recent years. The metro area—which spans Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties—is now the eighth-largest in the United States, with around 6.1 million residents and economic output that exceeds that of many nations. As a symbol of Miami’s dramatic growth, its downtown has been stunningly transformed into a bustling area featuring new restaurants and hotels, an expanding cluster of startup companies, and a twenty-first century skyline of high-rise offices and condo towers.

Talent is a key driver of advanced economies. Highly educated and skilled individuals drive income, wages, and economic growth in cities and metros across the globe. As Miami aspires to the ranks of leading global cities, how does its talent base stack up? The following research brief from the Miami Urban Future Initiative provides a data-driven assessment of the Miami metro’s talent base, comparing its performance in recent years to all 53 of America’s large metros with populations of more than one million people.

South Florida offers a plethora of dining options from all nationalities catering to different tastes, whims and budgets. Many self-proclaimed “foodies,” lovers of food, take it upon themselves to write about their experiences traveling to different eateries around the Magic City and beyond.

Miami blogger Starex Smith does just that, traveling and writing about his experiences as a hungry black man. In his blog, The Hungry Blackman, Smith mixes reviews, restaurant recommendations and profiles from the different establishments that he visits locally and in different states.

Equity is a growing focus in South Florida, as communities try to address problems like high housing costs and a car-centered transportation system that excludes some public transit users.

A new organization is hoping to spur even more conversations about how to resolve some of those problems.

Miami faces growing challenges of inclusion and affordability. According to a new analysis by the FIU | Miami Urban Future Initiative, the Miami metropolitan area ranks sixth among large U.S. metros on the New Urban Crisis Index, a composite measure of economic inequality, economic segregation, and housing unaffordability.

The Miami Urban Future Initiative is a joint effort between the Creative Class Group and Florida International University’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA), funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to develop new research for building a stronger and more inclusive economy in Miami.

Miami faces growing challenges of inclusion and affordability. According to a new analysis by the FIU | Miami Urban Future Initiative, the Miami metropolitan area ranks sixth among large U.S. metros on the New Urban Crisis Index, a composite measure of economic inequality, economic segregation, and housing unaffordability.The Miami Urban Future Initiative is a joint effort between the Creative Class Group and Florida International University’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA), funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, to develop new research for building a stronger and more inclusive economy in Miami.