Pinecrest in 2035
Imagine it’s the year 2035, and Pinecrest has just been recognized as America’s most livable town. Our property values have reached new heights, propelled by the best quality of life that you will find in Florida. Our kids bike to school. Our older residents walk or ride eBikes unafraid of falling or being run over. Our community is flourishing. Traffic has come down considerably thanks to our residents’ transition to using bikes for short-distance trips. How did we do it?
Watch the video, or simply read on.
I described a vision for mobility in Pinecrest and introduced the Dutch Cycling Embassy to our Pinecrest Council during the special Council session of September 17th. These were my remarks.
A Glance At What Is Possible
Imagine it’s the year 2035, and Pinecrest has just been recognized as America’s most livable town. We’ve surpassed our long-term goal for bike adoption, now leading the nation with over 50% of trips shorter than 3 miles being made by bike—something that was unthinkable just 10 years earlier.
Traffic congestion is a thing of the past, and our streets are alive with the joyful sound of children playing outside, swapping screen-time for unstructured playtime with their neighborhood friends.
Caregivers have experienced a significant shift too, no longer needing to shuttle 10-year-olds to school or extracurricular activities. In fact, enrollment at our local public schools is up, as biking to school becomes a big plus in preference for busy families that live in Pinecrest.
Our older residents, some of them once isolated, now report a dramatic decrease in loneliness. They feel safe walking or riding their electric bikes anywhere in the village, free from the fear of falling or injury. Our streets, revitalized by our biking initiative, have become vibrant community spaces where people meet and connect—or simply enjoy people-watching from their porches.
Even our Chief of Police has remarked, “We’re experiencing the lowest crime rate of any city in Florida, thanks in large part to our Neighborhood Crime Watch program. Pinecrest neighbors know each other and look out for one another. They’re out there, riding, walking, making our job of keeping them safe much easier.”
Local businesses along US1 are booming, as residents now prefer to stay within Pinecrest, enjoying family bike rides to dine at our local restaurants. This choice allows them to avoid the hassle of driving to Coconut Grove or Coral Gables, sitting in traffic, and dealing with reckless or aggressive drivers that can ruin the experience.
The 25,000 trees planted since Pinecrest’s incorporation, the seven parks that the Village runs, and the beautifully manicured acre-lot estates have long defined our village’s character, driving property values up, especially in the 2020s. But it’s the interconnected bike lane network and the new heights in quality of life that have now propelled our property values to unprecedented levels.
Borrowing the term from a good friend, in only 10 years Pinecrest has become known as Bikecrest and everyone is asking: How did we do it?
The Case for Biking
Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I started biking to school at the age of 11. My school was three miles from home, and I vividly remember the daily adventures of crossing a section of a city of 14 million people with a middle school friend to get to our 7th-grade class. It was a time when I felt free, proud, and genuinely happy.
Growing up in Pinecrest during the 70s and early 80s wasn’t much different. National averages suggest that about 50% of children walked or biked to school 40 years ago. Many long-time residents I've spoken with, who either raised children here or were children themselves at that time, confirm this.
Today, my family is fortunate to live within walking or biking distance of the schools our four children attend or have attended. However, it saddens me deeply that my children are among the very few who bike to school. At Pinecrest Elementary, out of a student population of 1,000, only three bikes are typically seen at the bike rack.
Biking to school isn't the only thing our children have lost. They've also lost the chance to engage in unstructured playtime after school. The streets in front of people’s homes, once massive playgrounds and gathering spots for neighbors who knew each other well, now often feel deserted. Cars and SUVs have become their only occupants.
Many factors contribute to the loss of independence children have experienced since the mid-80s. Overprotective parenting, safety concerns, urban sprawl, and increased traffic are just a few. But the fact that children no longer bike to school doesn’t have to be a reality we accept, especially not here in Pinecrest.
Biking isn’t just for children. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, 50-60% of people are interested in biking but are concerned about safety, lack of protected bike paths, and the perceived dangers of cycling in mixed traffic. Many of these concerns can be addressed right here in Pinecrest, where we have significant control over the outcome.
Other communities in America are already embracing this transformation, and we can too. The Netherlands, a nation of 18 million with 190 rainy days per year and a real winter, has been on this journey for the past 50 years. Today, 50% of trips shorter than 5 miles in the country are made by active mobility modes, that is walking and biking. The number goes up to 65%-80% for children under 17 years old.
Learning From The Dutch
I’ve invited the Dutch Cycling Embassy to present to the Council on why designing for bikes (and pedestrians) matters, and how to do it. While our model will need to be tailored to our specific needs, we don’t need to repeat the mistakes the Dutch have made. We’ll hear about the lessons they’ve learned and the positive impact that building for bikes has had on daily life in the Netherlands.
(Click on image to open the presentation)
