Guardians of the Everglades: Routes & Roads Oversight

8 AM – 5 PM
Price: $100  (Lunch included)
Capacity: 48
AICP CM: 7

Engage directly with one of South Florida’s defining planning tensions: advancing mobility and economic growth while protecting one of the world’s most fragile and significant natural environments. This mobile workshop explores the intersection of mobility investment, economic development, and environmental stewardship in South Florida’s rapidly evolving urban edge.

Participants will travel aboard the Metro Express Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to Homestead, examining how high-capacity transit infrastructure is reshaping regional connectivity and influencing growth patterns along the southern corridor of Miami-Dade County. An on-site economic development demonstration in Homestead, where local planners will discuss how transit-oriented investment can stimulate redevelopment, improve access to employment centers, and support housing and commercial opportunities.

We will then pivot to a critical environmental perspective through a presentation by representatives from Friends of the Everglades. The discussion will focus on the mounting development pressures facing the Everglades ecosystem, including suburban expansion, transportation corridors, water management challenges, and land-use conflicts at the urban-wilderness interface.

Through guided discussion and field observation, the workshop will present the competing — and often interconnected — perspectives surrounding infrastructure investment and environmental protection.

Art Deco to Adaptation: A Multi-Modal Journey Through a Resilient Miami Beach

9 AM – 5 PM
Price: $100  (Lunch, water taxi, bike rental included)
Capacity: 25

Please note: This tour involves bicycling and boating

Experience the intersection of urban innovation and coastal beauty with this full-day, multi-modal exploration of Miami Beach. The journey begins with a City of Miami Beach Trolley transfer from the InterContinental Hotel to Maurice Gibb Memorial Park, the starting point for an immersive cycling tour.

The route will highlight the city’s commitment to community, history, and a sustainable future as well as the practical character of Miami Beach, where daily life is increasingly shaped by a direct connection to the water and the engineering to manage it. Moving from quiet neighborhood parks to the busy beachfront, the trip captures the balance between a relaxed coastal lifestyle and the active efforts to keep the city resilient.

Key highlights of the tour include: Bayshore Park, Artist Housing at Miami City Ballet, the Miami Beachwalk, the iconic Art Deco of Lummus Park, scenic vistas at South Pointe Park, concluding in Sunset Harbour with a specialized one-hour session led by the City of Miami Beach Resiliency Team.

The day wraps up with a unique commute across Biscayne Bay via the City of Miami Beach Water Taxi, followed by a Metromover ride back to the InterContinental. This comprehensive circuit offers a deep dive into the infrastructure and lifestyle that define modern Miami Beach.

Miami esta de Moda! Explore the Explosion of Downtown Miami

11 AM – 2 PM
Price: $25
Capacity: 25

Miami’s downtown renaissance represents a unique convergence of infrastructure investment, international migration, finance, tourism, and architectural ambition. This walking tour offers an immersive exploration of how one of America’s most rapidly evolving cities is redefining urban redevelopment in the 21st century.

Downtown Miami has transformed from a traditional business district into one of the most dynamic urban redevelopment laboratories in the United States. This walking tour is designed to showcase how transit-oriented development, public-private partnerships, mixed-use density, and global investment are reshaping the urban core of Miami.

On the Right Track: A Coastal Mobility Tour

11 AM – 5 PM
Price: $85 (Includes Brightline ticket)
Capacity: 25

Come join us on a multimodal tour exploring the interconnectedness between mobility and urban development. Starting with a rail journey from Downtown Miami to Aventura on the MetroRail and Brightline, participants will witness how transit infrastructure is fueling the new wave of density, investment, and transit-oriented redevelopment along the region.

Continuing in Hollywood, this tour will cover coastal development and waterfront communities where substantial coastal development is occurring. The tour will highlight how the city is integrating high-density vertical development with strategic public investments in parks, open spaces and community facilities.

Preserving Miami’s Historic Urban Neighborhoods

Noon – 5 PM
Price: $85
Capacity:48

Please note: All participants need to pick up the boxed lunches before boarding the bus.

This tour will take you to two historic Villages located just north of downtown Miami. Both have historical significance, El Portal has a Sherwood Forest, an Indian Mound and a cave. Miami Shores is full of beautiful architecturally significant buildings and was at one point a large pineapple plantation.

The tour highlights Miami history while also showcasing how these two Villages are adapting to modern times. Step into the history of one of South Florida’s most distinctive communities. Founded in the 1920s, Miami Shores Village showcases a rich mix of Mediterranean Revival gems, charming Art Deco and Streamline Moderne homes, and postwar ranch-style residences. With its winding streets, lush landscapes, and timeless architectural character, the Village offers a living museum of South Florida’s evolving design traditions. After many years of being a hidden gem, people are discovering the unique vibe of El Portal.

You will see wild peacocks, enjoy old canopy growth and learn about some of the new developments in the planning stages. El Portal has one of the oldest homes in Miami and the west side was developed with homes that were the first in the nation to have central AC as part of the original design. Both of these communities are highly sought after by both developers and families seeking to relocate to vibrant, family-oriented neighborhoods that offer a strong sense of community, rich architectural character, and proximity to Miami’s urban core. There’s lots more to highlight about both Villages, this is just to peak your interest.

Rethinking Density in Little Havana Built Out, Not Built Up

7:30 – 11 AM
Price: $25
Capacity: 25

Please note: This is a walking tour. Comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen, waterbottle, and sunglasses are encouraged.

Join us for a walking tour through Little Havana that explores an often-overlooked story of urban growth in Miami. While density is frequently associated with high-rise development, Little Havana demonstrates an alternative model: vibrant, walkable neighborhoods that achieve density through thoughtful urban form rather than building height.

Exploring by relying on public transportation, we will examine how the city expanded outward through the development of some of its earliest neighborhoods. Along the route, participants will explore the evolution of housing types, commercial corridors, public spaces, and the cultural landscape that helped shape Little Havana into one of Miami’s most distinctive communities.

Connecting Transportation + Place: Exploring Miami-Dade’s Mobility Corridors

8 – 11 AM
Price: $25
Capacity: 25

Please note: This is a walking tour. Comfortable shoes, hat, sunscreen, waterbottle, and sunglasses are encouraged.

Photo courtesy of The Underline

Walk with us for an inside look at The Underline, Miami’s transformative 10-mile linear park and mobility corridor. Spanning 70 to 170 feet in width, The Underline is designed to connect communities through safe pedestrian and bicycle paths, improved intersections, enhanced lighting, and seamless access to public transit.

With Phases 1 and 2 already open and Phase 3 under construction, local practitioners will share insights on the planning and development of these segments, current programming, and the economic impact the project is already generating.

You’ll also discover the exciting recreational features planned along the corridor—including butterfly gardens, playgrounds, fitness equipment, basketball and volleyball courts, soccer fields, picnic areas, dog parks, and more.

What a View! Explore the Miami River and Its Changing Course

Noon – 5 PM
Price: $85 (Includes water taxi ticket)
Capacity: 40

Please note: This tour involves boating. Attendees should bring a hat, waterbottle, and sunglasses.

Cruise through the crossroads of Miami’s past, present, and future along the Miami River. Aboard a guided water taxi tour, participants will experience the river as a historic engine that helped shape the city. From active marine industries to new mixed-use projects along the shoreline, this tour reveals the interconnected push and pull between preservation, progress, and public access.

During this tour, participants will explore the history behind Miami’s waterfront from planners, developers, and civic leaders shaping the next chapter of this South Florida transforming urban waterway.

Under Construction! Connecting Miami  Through Iconic Infrastructure

Offered twice: Thursday Noon – 2 PM | Friday 8 – 10 AM
Price: $55
Capacity: 20 / per tour

PLEASE NOTE: This tour visits a construction site. Attendees MUST wear close-toed shoes. Hard hats and vests will be provided. 

Experience the future of Miami infrastructure from the ground up! View the transformation of the I-395 Signature Bridge project, designed to initiate reimagining mobility and connectivity across Overtown, Downtown Miami, Omni, and Edgewater. Participants will gain behind-the-scenes access to one of the region’s largest active construction sites to explore how this project is improving traffic flow, enhancing pedestrian safety, and creating new opportunities to expand multimodal connections.

From iconic design to trail connections, this mobile tour offers a look into urban transformation and community reconnection.

Rails & Revitalization: Hialeah and Doral Transform

8 AM – 5 PM
Price: $85 (Includes lunch)
Capacity: 25

Metrorail trains make their way through Coconut Grove on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Miami, Fla. City of Miami officials approved the Transit Station Neighborhood Development, which will allow for transit “nodes” to be built surrounding rail stations that allow for increased development and affordable housing within a mile of each station.

Explore two of South Florida’s most exciting stories of urban transformation on this mobile tour! From Hialeah’s transit-oriented expansion along the MetroRail and TriRail corridors to Doral’s evolution to a vibrant destination, participants will get to witness the projects, redevelopment opportunities, adaptive reuse strategies, and public spaces that are redefining cities. Come to learn and discover how smart growth and bold reinvention are shaping the future of planning in these dynamic communities.

Transit & Transformation: Underline  + Coconut Grover Development Corridor

8 AM – 5 PM
Price: $60 (Includes lunch)
Capacity: 25

Come and experience one of Miami’s fastest-growing transit-oriented corridors on an immersive walking and rail tour through Coconut Grove and the Underline. Explore some of the recent TOD projects, including Grove Central and the Douglas Station redevelopment, while learning how innovative zoning, financing, and design strategies are driving smart, modern urban growth. Through Coconut Grove, participants will continue through projects like CocoWalk, The Well, Ziggurat, and Grand Avenue’s revitalization, all of which are set within one of Miami’s most iconic neighborhoods.