OUR CHANGEMAKERS: Tony Garcia and Dana Wall are urban planners at Street Plans Collaborative, a Miami-based design firm that is pushing for a new approach to planning the future of our city. It’s called “tactical urbanism.”

HOW THEY’RE DOING IT: They’re advocating for long-term changes to our city streets by setting up short-term “pop up” projects. On Biscayne Boulevard, they transformed two parking medians into an event space for three weeks. At Plaza 98 they converted a two-lane road into a pedestrian-friendly plaza. And with Taste of Avenue 3 they turned street parking into an outdoor cafe. They say it’s a way to fast-track community support for big ideas.

QUOTABLE: “You’re able to show people, this is what this space could be… People see what the reality could be, and they advocate for it.”

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED: Check out Street Plans’ website for upcoming lectures on better urban planning. And check out this “Your View” Dana wrote about how Miami should use “guerrilla tactics” to encourage these kinds of projects.

> Watch Tony and Dana talk about their work here.

> And ICYMI, watch this month’s other changemaker, Craig Aquart, talk about making architecture more inclusive.

Women made history in the 2018 midterm elections winning more seats in the U.S. Congress than ever before. And there’s a record number of women of color in the House. That’s all exciting news in terms of increasing representation and parity. But a lot of the decisions that affect our day-to-day lives happen on the state level, up the road in Tallahassee.

So how’s women’s representation shaped up in Florida?

While Florida Democrats saw significant gains in female leadership, adding nine women to their state legislative delegation, the news wasn’t so good for Republican women who lost seats. This impacts the legislative process in significant ways since the majority party is the one that gets to assign committee chairs who ultimately decide which bills see the light of day. In Florida, Republicans control both chambers of the legislature, so that means women will have less influence over bills that directly impact them.

And in this legislative session, which kicked off last week, those bills cover things like reproductive rights, the health and safety of incarcerated women, and unemployment benefits for domestic abuse survivors.

So to make sure women get heard, Elizabeth Fernandez from the Florida Immigrant Coalition went to the State Capitol for International Women’s Day with other activists to voice their concerns about the issues women in Florida are facing. Read more about her trip here and learn how to get involved.

The company we keep. Li Tang, the founder and former owner of a Jupiter spa that was part of a major federal sting on human trafficking, amassed a decent amount of wealth through her business and enough influence to be in the presence of major Republican leaders like President Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former Gov. Rick Scott. She even watched the Super Bowl at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort just weeks before New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged for allegedly soliciting the Jupiter spa she founded for sexual favors. (Miami Herald)

Miami’s Tiny Desk concert moment? That’s part of the inspiration for the creators of the web series “The Florida Room.” Miami musicians Nick County and Juan Ledesma recently launched the series, which combines live performances and artist interviews, and hopes the show can give a sleek showcase to the 305’s best bands and songwriters. (Miami New Times)

2020 is today. Get ready, folks. The candidates are coming. U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, who formally announced her run for the Democratic nomination, visited Miami and Miami Beach for fundraisers this past weekend. And former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is considering running as an independent, is dropping by Miami Dade College’s Downtown campus this week to deliver a speech. (Miami Herald)

A non-partisan party. Miami-Dade residents will head to the polls to decide whether the future contests to elect a county sheriff, tax collector, and election supervisor will be nonpartisan races. In Florida the races for those positions are usually split down party lines, but a recent state Supreme Court decision made Miami-Dade leaders shift the decision to voters. The election for those three positions won’t be held until 2024. (Miami Herald)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

Make it an awesome week, Miami!

– The New Tropic