FIU Discovery

The Florida International University Metropolitan Center is an applied research and training institute that provides policy solutions to public, private and non-profit organizations in South Florida. The Metropolitan Center is a part of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. Our Background The Metropolitan Center is the leading urban think tank in South Florida and an applied research unit in the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Florida International University. Since 1997 the Center has accumulated an impressive track record of local, regional and statewide public opinion and other types of survey research. Statewide public opinion polls and business surveys include the 2006-2010 Women-led Businesses Leadership Study, 2008 legislative issues poll, and the Hurricane Mitigation Study. The Metropolitan Center has also conducted regional and local surveys and focus groups for various organizations including Miami-Dade County, Univision, Miami Dade Expressway Authority, Broward County Department of Elections, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Department of Transportation. The Centers approach to providing consulting services is to take into account the unique needs of individual communities and/or clients and offer customized services and studies while adhering to recognized methodologies for applied research, survey design and data analysis. The Center houses the ongoing South Florida Regional Database Project which includes asset mapping, best-practice research, and full in-house Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) capabilities. Moreover, the Metropolitan Center is a Census Information Center (CIC), which allows for early access to release data and data with restricted use. The Metropolitan Center frequently partners with government agencies, private firms, and non-profit organizations to build avenues for positive growth. Clients of the Metropolitan Center include local government entities, non-profit organizations and private sector firms in South Florida. The FIU Metropolitan Center brings an established applied research capacity to local government planning efforts utilizing cutting-edge research and quantitative data analysis tools and techniques. Our highly qualified staff ensures the timely and reliable delivery of the proposed services. The Metropolitan Center provides on-going support to its municipal clients above and beyond the negotiated scope of services. Our research has served as catalyst for major policy changes and projects in the area of housing, transportation, social and health services, quality improvement and organizational development. Following is the description of our core areas of expertise. Our core areas are: Economic and Housing Market Analysis The Metropolitan Center employs a holistic approach to economic development that integrates traditional concerns for economic base expansion with an eye to affordable housing, human capital and organizational capacity. Training and Organizational Development Our training institute is focused on the preparation of training programs for public and private institutions in topics as diverse as customer service to creating organizational performance measures. Training programs are customized to the specific needs of the client. Survey and Opinion Research The Metropolitan Center conducts quantitative and qualitative public opinion research, including surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews and mystery shops. These services aimed to provide a better understanding of general public policy issues and to assist our partners in efforts to improve customer service and satisfaction