Five Years in the Making: Little Havana Pedestrian Priority Zones Groundbreaking

Yesterday, the City of Miami launched its first PPZ project along SW 2nd Street and SW 11th Avenue, directly in front of Riverside Elementary and Young Women’s Preparatory Schools. This effort marks the beginning of a series of safety and infrastructure improvements around Little Havana schools.

The project began with a Colab-led needs assessment that revealed Little Havana had the highest rate of pedestrian crashes in Miami-Dade County. From this study, we developed design strategies and identified four Pedestrian Priority Zones, which the City formally adopted into its Code of Ordinances. We then translated these strategies into specific projects within each zone and, together with the City, prioritized them into four phases of work.

Priority one projects include new crosswalks on SW 2nd Street, a shaded greenway and intersection upgrades at SW 10th Avenue by Riverside Elementary, and a greenway with a shaded entrance at NW 6th Street for Citrus Grove Elementary. Similar improvements at Miami Senior High School and Jose Marti Park over the past four years have already resulted in a significant reduction in crashes.Together, these improvements will make it safer and easier for students to walk to school, while enhancing the neighborhood’s infrastructure and sense of community.