Episode 58: The Evolution of Broward County

When Henry Flagler’s railroad first reached south Florida in the early 20^th century, the area we know today as Broward County was primarily agricultural. Major development came with highways and growth took off in the 1980s, in the county’s three large cities –Fort Lauderdale, Pompano and Hollywood – and in smaller cities.

In recent years, as Greg Stuart describes on the podcast, many of these communities have been transformed, with more sidewalks and bicycle lanes, lighting and trees. Though it may not be immediately visible from the highway, South Florida is changing, with more neighborhoods where it’s possible (and safer) to walk or bike to the grocery, restaurants and other destinations. During the stay-at-home mandates of the pandemic, this bike/ped infrastructure found new users and new fans.

Now, thanks to a successful ballot measure to secure a 1% sales tax for transportation, Broward is poised to build out more robust transit options. Some of this already is visible , for example in the coordination of the streetscape with access to Broward County transit and Brightline passenger rail in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Plans also are moving forward for intercity rail on north-south and east-west corridors, as well as for intermodal stations and bus priority corridors.

Listen to the podcast to find out more about the history of land use planning in South Florida, from 1970s era models for suburban and urban growth to the vision for 2100. And hear details about the ways that Broward County is building more resilient infrastructure in response to sea level rise.

Before (top) and after (bottom) photos of downtown Fort Lauderdale Mobility Hub,
with Broward County Transit (BCT) Terminal on the left side of the images and Brightline platform at the rear.
Credit: Broward MPO