Miami transformed : rebuilding America one neighborhood, one city at a time / Manny Diaz ; foreword by Michael Bloomberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Diaz, Manny.

Contributor:

Bloomberg, Michael.

Series:

City in the twenty-first century book series.

The city in the twenty-first century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Diaz, Manny.

Mayors--Florida--Miami--Biography.

Mayors.

Cuban Americans--Florida--Miami--Biography.

Cuban Americans.

Miami (Fla.)--Politics and government--21st century.

Miami (Fla.).

Miami (Fla.)--Social conditions--21st century.

Miami (Fla.)--Economic conditions--21st century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 218 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Six-year-old Manuel Diaz and his mother first arrived at Miami's airport in 1961 with little more than a dime for a phone call to their relatives in the Little Havana neighborhood. Forty years after his flight from Castro's Cuba, attorney Manny Diaz became mayor of the City of Miami. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the one-time citrus and tourism hub was more closely associated with vice than sunshine. When Diaz took office in 2001, the city was paralyzed by a notoriously corrupt police department, unresponsive government, a dying business district, and heated ethnic and racial divisions. During Diaz's two terms as mayor, Miami was transformed into a vibrant, progressive, and economically resurgent world-class metropolis.In Miami Transformed: Rebuilding America One Neighborhood, One City at a Time, award-winning former mayor Manny Diaz shares lessons learned from governing one of the most diverse and dynamic urban communities in the United States. This firsthand account begins with Diaz's memories as an immigrant child in a foreign land, his education, and his political development as part of a new generation of Cuban Americans. Diaz also discusses his role in the controversial Elián González case. Later he details how he managed two successful mayoral campaigns, navigated the maze of municipal politics, oversaw the revitalization of downtown Miami, and rooted out police corruption to regain the trust of businesses and Miami citizens.Part memoir, part political primer, Miami Transformed offers a straightforward look at Diaz's brand of holistic, pragmatic urban leadership that combines public investment in education and infrastructure with private sector partnerships. The story of Manny Diaz's efforts to renew Miami will interest anyone seeking to foster safer, greener, and more prosperous cities.

Contents:

Foreword / Bloomberg, Michael

Introduction

July 21, 1961

The Lost Generation Finds Its Way

Creating My Own Politics

Two Six-Year-Olds

The Choice for Change

Now What?

Grand Ideas

Expanding Economic Opportunity

Education

Making Neighborhoods Safe

Investing in Our Future

Designing a Sustainable City

Fostering Arts and Culture.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781283898232

1283898233

9780812207637

0812207637

OCLC:

822017906