The Miami Center for Architecture & Design is making Miami-Dade County a healthier place to live, work and play by working with city leaders to adopt and implement Active Design Miami, a set of policy and design strategies for creating healthier streets, open spaces and buildings. The initiative is meant to change the way public and private spaces are designed by going beyond looking at the efficiency of a space, but rather taking into account the way they affect the health of the individuals who interact with them.

Miami-Dade County faces a number of challenges that can benefit from use of Active Design strategies. With two-thirds of Miami-Dade County’s 2.6 million residents overweight or obese, Active Design Miami comes at a perfect time. Its goal is to tackle the County’s rising obesity and chronic disease rates, and high rates of depression and other mental health issues affecting our communities.

As of today, Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Pinecrest, Surfside, South Miami and Key Biscayne have formally adopted Active Design Miami, and several other cities are also nearing adoption. The strategies are not one-size fits all, so cities can select the most appropriate ones for their needs. MCAD is currently working with the County and the six cities to implement the strategies that address the health needs of their respective city. In addition, Active Design Miami puts on several meetings and events that encourage healthy living. MCAD will continue working with the county and municipalities to implement these strategies.