Better Block Beginnings

On June 16, 2012 FAT Village Arts District saw Florida's first Better Block installation.  Build a Better Block, a tactical urban installation started in Texas, has seen numerous iterations throughout the country and in Canada.  Community led urban revitalization is the basic premise behind Better Block -  the installations are led by community members who volunteer their time and elbow grease to temporarily transform an underused, run down block (or series of blocks) into lively, pedestrian friendly urban places.  They leave behind a lasting impression of what could be as well as some basic repairs and beautification treatments.  



The Better Block Fort Lauderdale event was a collaborative effort between FAU School of Urban and Regional Planning, Cadence Living, UrbanMatters CoLAB, FAT Village Arts District and numerous others organizations and individuals.  The event took a warehouse-filled urban block near downtown Fort Lauderdale and turned into a walkable, vibrant place to spend the day.  Better Block's impact, however, did not end there; the "event day" was not at all the largest contribution made to the surrounding area.  The process of creating 'A Better Block' yielded new collaborations and connections where skills were shared and gained, new business ideas were generated and common visions found common ground.  In this way, the Better Block project created an invaluable, long-term assets for this community.   Having learned from this process, those of us who had the opportunity to participate in the Fort Lauderdale's Better Block bring that perspective and intention to the Purple Line project.

Better Block Fort Lauderdale - Before

Better Block Fort Lauderdale - Event Day