Urban sprawl is a hot button issue is South Miami-Dade County. Depending on whom you speak to, they’re either strongly for it or against it. The UDB, or Urban Development Boundary, is a line drawn in Miami-Dade’s master plan that separates agriculture from suburbia. Periodically and frequently, developers petition the county and state to move the line to accommodate new development. Sometimes the line moves, sometimes it doesn’t. This dance has been going on for years. Why is the UDB important? Because it allows space for agriculture, and provides a buffer between the city and the Everglades, an important source of our drinking water. Look at Broward County. They don’t have a UDB — and count how many farms, groves and ranches remain.
Recent editorial in The Miami Herald (7/24/09):
Hold the line on development
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1155156.html
Recent related article in the Miami Herald (6/29/09):
Infill development will help hold line
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1116072.html