1992-1993
Long the target of the westward expansion of the city through intrusive and incompatible development, the agricultural community of Redland was through the years been able to push back and maintain a way of life reminiscent of its founding in the late 1800’s. In August of 1992 much of south Florida was impacted by the destruction of Hurricane Andrew which saw its greatest impact in the Redland region of southern Dade County. More than 250,000 people were homeless after the storm and the winter crop capital of the United States was in ruin. Most of the tropical fruit groves were heavily damaged, and the historic architecture and landscapes were in disrepair – a perfect opportunity for destroying Redland once and for all.
The Dade County Historic Preservation Office headed by Margot Ammidown its director contacted the University of Miami for help in doing damage assessments of the historic buildings and landscapes in the area. After conducting the initial damage assessments, one quickly surmised that the survival of the regions historic fabric, was linked to the survival of agriculture and a larger comprehensive effort was needed if one were to save the historic buildings and landscapes. Through a generous grant from the Knight Foundation, a two year effort to create a preservation and tourism plan was developed. The work involved the publication of a book with contributing authors, student research assistants, a charrette, surveys and ultimately a plan that provided an overview of the issues affecting the area. Case studies on how to produce compatible grow, increase education about the importance of agriculture in an urban environment, and recommendations for its protection in the form of overlay zoning with the design of a thematic Resource District. The work received a great deal of attention locally and nationally winning a Progressive Architecture Award in 1995 and was later adopted by Dade County. Its design guidelines are also an early example of form based codes a planning technique now widespread.
Principle Authors: Rocco Ceo, Margot Ammidown
Contributing Authors: Ted Baker, Robert Carr, David Copps, Brent Probinsky
Research & Publication: Maria Nardi
Consultants: Dwight Danie, Richard Hubacker, Maria Nardi, Vincent Scarano, Erick Valle, Teresa Van Dyke, Erick Vogt
Research Assistants: Claudia Bancalari, Alisa Block, Hector Fernandez, Rebecca Freund, John Garcia, Robert Herrick, Thuy Kieutran, Kevin Storm, Kevin Turner
Publication: Maxine Bercovitch, Cheryl Doering, Richard Hubacker, Christopher Jackson, Moray Ferguson Newton, Barry Mahaffey
Book Design: Cowen Design
Charrette: Rocco Ceo, Margot Ammidwon, Mohamed Abd Razak, Stuart Baur, Alisa Block, John Garcia, Ma’in Haddad, Nancy Hills, Sheila Iglesias, Markus Ketnath, Marcellino Marrero, Christine Marzouca, Maria Nardi, Dan Negas, Jorge Planas, Alberto Rodriguez, David Rosenblum, Suzanne Spence, Miriam Tropp
Historic Surveys: Teresa Van Dyke, Simone Chin, Alisa Block, Shirley Franco, Nancy Hills, Felix Lorenzo, Marcellino Marrero, Jason Nicholas, Mohamed Abd Razak, Miriam Tropp
