According to this recent press release, the Miami City Commission has approved the Miami World Center, an ambitious nine block, 25-acre redevelopment project slated for the Park West neighborhood, just north of Downtown. The glitzy pictures streaming on the project’s website promise a very sleek, but pedestrian-oriented district that, if nothing else, will transform this part of the city.
I am quite familiar with this area as I bicycle through it on my way to work, and again on the way home. At present, the underutilized surface parking lots and vacant buildings only seem to add to the area’s blighted image. And given that the project is being built using the principles of Miami 21, it seems that its mixture of uses, pedestrian orientation, and public spaces will become a living example of how large scale development should be undertaken. That being said, the architecture looks like more of the same, but I guess in that way it is in keeping with Miami’s current aesthetic.
Adjacent to the Metromover, and within walking distance of the Metrorail the project’s transit friendliness is evident and will give residents and visitors opportunities to move without driving.
I don’t know how liquid the development team is at this point, but given current market conditions, they will have to overcome much to get this mega-project built and occupied with residents, tenants and businesses.
Stay tuned.
While I think this is a good idea over all, what this part of the city does not need is more over-priced apartments and condos that are unattainable for most locals. North of Park West, in Edgewater and Midtown, almost all of the buildings are priced out of control.
The press release says nothing about affordable housing and much like the monstrous blight that is Midtown, you can bet that this place will price itself out of relevancy.
Good job Miami. I’m getting the h.ell out of Minneapolis and moving to a real city (Miami) this summer. This is really making good use of public space, which will deter crime at the same time. You see so many California cities (L.A.) that has crappy architecture and a dull downtown which feeds criminal activity. Miami is the new L.A. On second thought, Miami cannot be compared to anywhere else.
This certainly looks like it would give Miami the missing ingredient in its recipe (Beaches, Night life) and now “Business”, But I not quite sure if it wil help it become a true financial center, and not just a fashion hub. The other item that I think is missing on this project is the little - to almost none - consideration to green areas, there is not a single planned effort in downtown for recreational green areas. It would be wise to include a 5 acre mini-Central Park in this design, as this city of concrete will be sufferable in the summer.