Elements of Urbanism: Downtown Fort Lauderdale
Join Metro Jacksonville as we take a look around Downtown Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Tale of the Tape
Fort Lauderdale Population 2010: 165,521 (City); 5,564,635 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1911)
Jacksonville Pop. 2010: 821,784 (City); 1,328,144 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1832)
City population 1950: Jacksonville (204,517); Fort Lauderdale (36,328)
Metropolitan Area Growth rate (2000-2009)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): +10.77%
Jacksonville: +18.29%
Urban Area Population (2000 census)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): 4,919,036 (ranked 5 nationwide)
Jacksonville: 882,295 (ranked 43 nationwide)
Urban Area Population Density (2000 census)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): 4,407.4
Jacksonville: 2,149.2
City Population Growth from 2000 to 2010
Fort Lauderdale: +13,124
Jacksonville: +86,167
Convention Center Exhibition Space:
Fort Lauderdale: Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward Convention Center (1991) - 200,000 square feet
Jacksonville: Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1986) - 78,500 square feet
Connected to Convention Center:
Fort Lauderdale: N/A
Jacksonville: N/A
Tallest Building:
Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas River House - 452 feet
Jacksonville: Bank of America Tower - 617 feet
Fortune 500 companies 2010 (City limits only):
Fort Lauderdale: AutoNation (212)
Jacksonville: CSX (259), Winn-Dixie (306), Fidelity National Financial (366)
Urban infill obstacles:
Fort Lauderdale: Florida's housing bust
Jacksonville: State & Union Streets cut off Downtown Jacksonville from Springfield.
Downtown Nightlife:
Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas Boulevard
Jacksonville: East Bay Street
Common Downtown Albatross:
Surface parking lots.
Who's Downtown is more walkable?
Fort Lauderdale: 97 out of 100, according to walkscore.com
Jacksonville: 88 out of 100, according to walkscore.com
City Land Area
Fort Lauderdale: 31.7 square miles
Jacksonville: 757.7 square miles
About Fort Lauderdale
Las Olas Boulevard
Las Olas Riverfront
Notable Residents
The Wave Streetcar
Museum of Discovery & Science
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
Photos by Ennis Davis
Fort Lauderdale Population 2010: 165,521 (City); 5,564,635 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1911)
Jacksonville Pop. 2010: 821,784 (City); 1,328,144 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1832)
City population 1950: Jacksonville (204,517); Fort Lauderdale (36,328)
Metropolitan Area Growth rate (2000-2009)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): +10.77%
Jacksonville: +18.29%
Urban Area Population (2000 census)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): 4,919,036 (ranked 5 nationwide)
Jacksonville: 882,295 (ranked 43 nationwide)
Urban Area Population Density (2000 census)
Fort Lauderdale (Miami): 4,407.4
Jacksonville: 2,149.2
City Population Growth from 2000 to 2010
Fort Lauderdale: +13,124
Jacksonville: +86,167
Convention Center Exhibition Space:
Fort Lauderdale: Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward Convention Center (1991) - 200,000 square feet
Jacksonville: Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1986) - 78,500 square feet
Connected to Convention Center:
Fort Lauderdale: N/A
Jacksonville: N/A
Tallest Building:
Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas River House - 452 feet
Jacksonville: Bank of America Tower - 617 feet
Fortune 500 companies 2010 (City limits only):
Fort Lauderdale: AutoNation (212)
Jacksonville: CSX (259), Winn-Dixie (306), Fidelity National Financial (366)
Urban infill obstacles:
Fort Lauderdale: Florida's housing bust
Jacksonville: State & Union Streets cut off Downtown Jacksonville from Springfield.
Downtown Nightlife:
Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas Boulevard
Jacksonville: East Bay Street
Common Downtown Albatross:
Surface parking lots.
Who's Downtown is more walkable?
Fort Lauderdale: 97 out of 100, according to walkscore.com
Jacksonville: 88 out of 100, according to walkscore.com
City Land Area
Fort Lauderdale: 31.7 square miles
Jacksonville: 757.7 square miles
About Fort Lauderdale
Quote
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale,_Florida
The city is a popular tourist destination, with 10.35 million visitors in 2006. Fort Lauderdale is sometimes known as the "Venice of America" because of its expansive and intricate canal system. The city is a major yachting center, with 42,000 resident yachts and 100 marinas and boatyards in 2006. The city sits 23 miles north of Miami, Florida. Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area host over 4,000 restaurants and 120 nightclubs in 2006.
Fort Lauderdale is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, who was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict. Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed; the first was at the fork of the New River, the second at Tarpon Bend, in what is now known as the Sailboat Bend neighborhood, and the third near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.
Las Olas Boulevard
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Las Olas Boulevard is a popular thoroughfare in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States that runs from Andrews Avenue in the Central Business District to A1A and Fort Lauderdale Beach. The easternmost section of the boulevard is interlaced with canals and waterfront homes. The commercial stretch, approximately 1-mile in length, features cool sub-tropical breezeways and courtyards alive with bars, nightclubs, bridal stores, shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and hotels. The name "Las Olas" means "The Waves" in Spanish.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Olas_Boulevard
Las Olas has its own historic house, a museum of art, a nearby IMAX cinema and an art house movie theater within a short walk. Las Olas Boulevard can be accessed by the Fort Lauderdale water taxi. The boulevard is a popular attraction for locals and visitors, being ideally situated close to Fort Lauderdale beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades. It is known as a dining and shopping destination.
Las Olas Riverfront
Notable Residents
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In the early 1980s Las Olas went through a major renovation program to enhance property values. The land was worth much more than that of the standing homes. It was decided that anyone who wished to buy property on one of the isles would have to tear down the existing home and build a home of equal or greater value than the land. There were a few celebrities that already lived on Las Olas, but new homes and waterfronts made it more appealing to move to the area. Professional tour companies provide tours that take people down the waterways to show off the celebrities homes and yachts.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Olas_Boulevard
A few of the most notable are:
Johnny Weissmuller, noted as an actor who played Tarzan and invented the signature yell.
Wayne Huizenga, noted as the ceo of Waste Management, Inc and Blockbuster Video.
David L Cook, noted as a Christian music star and entrepreneur.
Connie Francis, noted as an actress and movie star who was featured in the movie, Where the Boys Are which was filmed on Las Olas Blvd at the famed Elbo Room.
Dan Quayle, noted as the former Vice-President of the United States of America.
Lee Majors, noted actor who played The Six Million Dollar Man and former husband to Farrah Fawcett.
Sonny and Cher, noted singers and actors.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, noted television and movie stars. Stars of I Love Lucy fame.
Gloria Vanderbilt, noted designer and socialite.
The Wave Streetcar
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The Wave, a new 2.7 mile electric streetcar system costing $125 million, is being planned for the downtown. Most of the construction funding will come from federal ($62.5 million), state ($37 million) and city taxpayers ($10.5 million), with approximately $15 million from assessments on properties located within the Downtown Development Authority. Broward County (BCT) has committed to operating the system for the first 10 years at an expected annual cost of $2 million, and has guaranteed funding to cover any shortfall in ridership revenues.[74] The construction cost of $50 million per mile is considerably higher than other recently-built streetcar projects, in part due to the challenges of building a electric transit system over the 3rd Avenue drawbridge.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lauderdale,_Florida
Quote
The New River Tunnel is one of three underwater road tunnels in Florida (the other two are in Walt Disney World), that replaced the Federal Aid Highway Bridge, a drawbridge opened on August 26, 1926 and closed in 1958. It carries U.S. Route 1 underneath the New River and Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_River_Tunnel
The tunnel was built after a lengthy debate on whether to construct another bridge or a tunnel. The old drawbridge operated so slowly that it sometimes took motorists 45 minutes to cross from one end of the bridge to the other, creating massive traffic jams in the heart of the city.
In 1986 it was renamed in honor of Henry E. Kinney, who had advocated its construction while he was chief of the Fort Lauderdale/Broward Edition of the Miami Herald.
Museum of Discovery & Science
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
Photos by Ennis Davis