J. Albert Diaz, The Miami Herald
Posted 3/29/2002 12:00:00 AM

2001 ASNE Award for CommunityPhotojournalism

J. Albert Diaz of TheMiami Herald

If there is one idea thatdefines the American way of life, it is the ownership of a home. The homesteadis the guarantee, in our minds, that when all else goes wrong, at least we haveour base, something we can build and paint and make very much our own, a reflectionof ourselves. Suburbia is the most basic building block of America.

From the land rush of theOld West to modern-day suburbia, Americans have searched for paradise. In southflorida, that paradise has been found in the former swamplands of Broward County,once ranked third in the nation for population growth. The problem that withthe dream come people and with people come the growing pains of traffic jams,overcrowded schools and a shortage of patience.

Now the rapid growth hassubsided as the county nears buildout. The boom has hit a wall: the ever-fragileline between encroaching development and the federally protected EvergladesNational Park. Still people want to move to Broward. They come to buy whateverlittle plots of land are left. And if it looks like cookie-cutter on the outside,it is anything but that inside.

Broward is a place wherecommunities are born and lifestyles flourish, a true glimpse of American lifeand the product of a nation built by different cultures working to a harmoniouscoexistence. While people seem to have similar goals, they enjoy the right tobe different. That was the original American dream, to find a peaceful placewhere one could live by one's wits, and that theme has been played out repeatedlythrough history and across the nation. The challenge facing us now if to keepparadise found from becoming paradise lost.

These photographs by J.Albert Diaz eloquently address all these issues and raise many questions aboutthe future of Broward County and the whole country as urban sprawl becomes amajor challenge to many of our ways of life. The photographs in this projectare really a product of the photographers' own life. A member of the communitieshe photographed, Diaz is living, eating, breathing the American dream. Earlyon he recognized the impending challenges in his community and for two years,he photographed everything he could find from yard sales to environmental protests.The people in these pictures are his neighbors and friends. They share the sameschools, parks, roads and bike paths. His kids play with their kids and theywave at each other when their paths cross. As Diaz says, "We did not justbuy a house, we bought a community, a lifestyle."

— adapted from The Miami Herald ASNE contest entry.

A Portrait of Broward: J. Albert Diaz, Miami Herald staff photographer with his family in their Silver Lakes community. From left, Emily, 13, Jason, 11, Nury and Grace, 18.

Baby Boom: More young families are attracted to the new communities of west Broward and Memorial West Hospital has seen its maternity ward expand. Here, Pam Eskalyo, right, feeds her newborn baby girl Jayci while taking part in a Mommy and Me class at the hospital.

Out for a stroll: Bikepaths and walkways are one of the many desired aspects of the new communities being built in Broward. Here, Gonzales Johnson walks his four poodles down a Silver Lakes community path along with walkers and bike riders. The dogs are Lady Bear, Baby Bear, Mimi Bear and Tiger Bear. Only he can tell which is which.

Encorachment Looms in the Distance: An alligator sits in water in Everglades National Park along side Interstate 75 as the horizon glows from rest area lights and lights from the east.

First Family Meal: Don and Elaine Hawkins, with daughter Melanie, 10, enjoy their first family meal, Pollo Tropical takeout, in their new Laguna Isles home in Pembroke Pines as they take a break from unpacking. They moved from Anderson, S.C., when Elaine transferred her job to Broward. The family has taken a liking to Pollo Tropical, an ethnic food which they could not find back in Anderson.

Growing Minorities and Private Schools: The Nur-Ul-Islam Academy, in Cooper City, has been filling the growing demands of Islamic schools in Broward County for 6 years. The school has grown as the county experiences a growing diversity in its residents. Here, teen girls play volleyball during PE with the backdrop of the mosque.

More Homes to Come: A lot displays a sold sign in the community of Sunset Lakes in Miramar. The owners could be moving in less than a year.