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 Miami-Dade County, Florida is one of the most diverse communities in the world, with 60 percent of the population born in a foreign country. The region boasts access to Latin America and Europe and emerging technology strength. Since the City of Miami?s incorporation in 1896, it has grown tremendously, transforming it into one of the world?s renowned centers where people can work, live and play while enjoying a high quality of life.
In June 2004, the Brookings Institution released a report titled ?Growing the Middle Class: Connecting All Miami-Dade County Residents to Economic Opportunity.? In this study, Brookings documented alarming trends in Miami ?s local economy:
- High levels of poverty: 18 percent in the county and 29 percent in the city live below the federal poverty level
- Low-median income: Miami-Dade?s median household income is $35,966, far below the national median income of $41,994
- A dwindling middle class: Between 1995 and 2000, 160,000 people left Miami-Dade.
In response to Brookings? findings, a new regional initiative was born. Imagine Miami was launched in June 2004 to address the county?s high poverty rate and its shrinking middle class.
Imagine Miami is an economic development initiative to build a community and economy that work for all. By creating a common vision for the future, identifying strengths upon which to build, and working across the diversity to accomplish joint goals, Imagine Miami will increase access to opportunities and improve the quality of life for all. Imagine Miami ?s mission is to move Miami from number one in poverty to number one in community prosperity by 2015.
Imagine Miami is a unique civic partnership, organized into eight critical sectors: business, academia, arts and culture, community, government, media, philanthropy, and youth leadership. Each sector will engage people in imagining a better Miami-Dade, reaching out to get community input that will shape the goals, and working to implement the sector specific and cross-sector components of the initiative goals. Leaders from each of these sectors have been recruited to spearhead this ambitious effort. Imagine Miami is devoting 2005 to creating a community vision and mobilizing the resources needed to make their goals a reality.
Priorities for Miami
Imagine Miami has four broad priorities. Using a "scenario planning" process, the Leadership Council will set specific, achievable and measurable goals that build upon current community resources and assets. These are summarized below:
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Economic Prosperity: Imagine a Miami with an "innovation" economy and culture -- building on our competitive advantage as a "Gateway to the Americas " -- that works for all and ensures that everyone has an income sufficient to meet basic needs for housing, food, and health care.
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Civic Health, Inclusion and Unity: Imagine a Miami where our diverse population, institutions, and elected officials work together to agree on and achieve common goals, solve problems, and build healthier neighborhoods; leadership roles are open to all; and we value and learn from our differences and similarities.
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Environmental Sustainability: Imagine a Miami of livable communities, with respect for our natural environment, and with adequate recreational opportunities and public spaces to enrich our lives.
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Opportunity: Imagine a Miami where everyone has the chance to build a better life, through access to education, work, civic, cultural, and recreational opportunities. (Each goal mentioned above also incorporates Opportunity.)
Imagine Miami has already been embraced by over 100 diverse community leaders. This year Imagine Miami has been conducting countywide strategic planning to determine its 10 year goals and the cross sector workplans needed to achieve them. This encompasses:
- Listening to Miami Dade sector leaders to learn how they Imagine Miami
- Listening to targeted community members through surveys, focus groups and community forums
- Creating an inventory of community assets
- Developing scenarios for the county?s future
- Identifying resources and leadership needed for our success
Imagine Miami is developing scenarios for the county's future. All of this will determine the priorities for how Miami moves to #1 in community prosperity by 2015.
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?Imagine Miami is daring because it confronts the failures of our civil society. A civil society is much more than the institutions of government and the social order. Its roots lie in the traditions that recognize individual worth. Its success is measured, first and foremost, by the opportunities that allow people to thrive. A true civil society is expansive at its foundation, attendant to basic needs of housing, healthcare, safety, viable work, and perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to learn. These factors are necessary stepping stones to the diverse, rich perspectives and robust conversation of which we are capable.? Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College
For more information on Imagine Miami, visit their website at www.imaginemiami.org, or call Daniella Levine at x24.
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