South Florida Searches For Sustainablity

New Urbanist pioneers Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Victor Dover -- all of Miami -- work to solve South Florida's development woes. "They were like prophets without honor in their own house. A group of South Florida architects and town planners, they gained respect across America for setting the pace in designing more attractive, humane, sustainable communities in the 21st Century. But they had little success in South Florida -- until now. In a time of sprawling sterility, they said let's get back to building the kind of Main Street towns and welcoming neighborhoods Americans recall fondly from earlier times. These would favor people over cars -- tucking garages in the rear, for example, and often restoring the front porch to the American home. The designs had orderly block layouts, innovative livability features and a balance of residential, civic and commercial uses."

Thanks to Christian Peralta