Miami, FL
Built environment, Transportation, Community safety and policing | 2025
Investigating pedestrian safety issues to inform and support equitable infrastructure improvements.
The Little Havana neighborhood in Miami has historically faced significant pedestrian safety challenges, recording 293 pedestrian crashes, including 21 fatalities, within a recent five-year period. Factors such as inadequate crosswalks, poor lighting, high-speed traffic, and increased use of electric scooters and bicycles have exacerbated risks, particularly affecting the predominantly Hispanic and immigrant community. Live Healthy Little Havana (HLH), a community-based organization focusing on social determinants of health, will conduct a resident-driven initiative to document pedestrian safety challenges.
HLH will initiate the project with a community listening session, gathering residents' concerns to identify priority locations requiring attention. HLH staff will train residents to collect qualitative data, such as community experiences and observational data on intersections, crosswalk conditions, sidewalk quality, lighting, and traffic patterns. Project staff will analyze Miami–Dade County crash data and city transportation reports, compiling findings into an accessible and visually engaging pedestrian safety report. A community data walk will provide Little Havana residents an opportunity to present findings to city officials, stakeholders, and the broader community. HLH will further share these insights with the City of Miami’s Office of Resilience to inform ongoing mobility initiatives, and with the Miami–Dade County Planning Advisory Board and the City of Miami’s Planning, Zoning, and Appeals Board to support informed decisions on future infrastructure investments.
Local transit and pedestrian safety proponents, along with Little Havana residents, will use project findings to continue to advocate for pedestrian infrastructure investments, such as enhanced crosswalks, improved lighting, and traffic calming measures. Involving local residents in data collection and outreach, combined with establishing a resident-led pedestrian safety task force, will amplify local voices, improve pedestrian safety awareness, and enhance quality of life in Little Havana.