Heard on the C bus from the Beach to Downtown this afternoon, 5 o’clock:
English tourist: “I am trying to get to downtown Miami, will this bus take me there.”
Bus Driver: “Oh honey, there ain’t no reason for you to go there after 5pm. There isn’t anything to see!”
While I slightly disagree with the well-intentioned driver, is this the kind of downtown we want, the one where the bus driver discourages anyone from going?
Brickell has made great improvements in nightlife of late, however downtown still lags behind. What type of nightlife would you like to see in downtown Miami?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
11 Responses to Heard On The Bus
Leave a Reply
Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network- U.S. Military's Next Mission: A Livability Offensive June 19, 2013In the first entry in a series exploring the U.S. military's embrace of smart growth planning for its bases, Tanya Snyder looks at the United Facilities Criteria (UFC) for Installation Master Planning - the military's mixed-use marching orders. […]
- A New Federalism Needed to Support America's Modern Metropolitan-Oriented Economy June 18, 2013In an essay adapted from their new book, Jennifer Bradley and Bruce Katz examine America's traditional 'dual sovereignty' federalism. They argue that metropolitan areas should play a greater role in governance through a collaborative federalism. […]
- 'Rest Stop for the Urban Age' to Hit NYC Streets June 18, 2013How many times have you hunted in vain for a place to charge your phone for a few minutes while running between errands? Hunt no more. An experimental, and elegant, solar-powered cell phone charging station is set to hit the streets of New York. […]
- German Development Debacles Give Architecture a Bad Name June 18, 2013Architects Christoph Ingenhoven, Meinhard von Gerkan and Pierre de Meuron, designers of three of Germany's most disastrous developments speak about their troubled projects and the damage inflicted on the status of architecture in the country. […]
- Momentous Climate Plan Being Development by Obama June 18, 2013An historic plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions is being covertly developed by the Obama administration, reports Neela Banerjee. The plan could for the first time set limits on the country's biggest emitters: power plants. […]
- London’s Lived-In Look June 18, 2013London calling! PlaceMaker Hazel Borys fuses her passions for great cities, efficient transit, civic art and form-based coding into one lavishly documented examination of the English capital. Cheers, mates! […]
- Commuter Rail Lines Multiply, But Where Are the Riders? June 18, 2013Despite a flurry of new commuter rail lines in operation, ridership increased a mere .5% during a record year for transit. Worse yet, some of the newer lines saw the greatest decreases. The answer: increase service to attract riders. […]
- 'Best Square' in Paris Returned to the People June 18, 2013Over the weekend, the $30 million revamp of Paris's iconic Place de la République opened to the public. By transforming the square from a place for cars into a place for people, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has earned a distinguished "anti-car" label. […]
- Who Deserves Blame for New York's Parks Disparity? June 18, 2013Many assume that the affluence of the surrounding neighborhood determines the health of New York City's parks. According to Lisa W. Foderaro, elected leadership, rather than location, determines which parks in the city are better maintained. […]
- America's Most Urban President Should Embrace Its Cities June 18, 2013While he cannot do much to rewrite the Constitution, which favors rural America, or reverse a century of history, which gave rise to the suburbs, Obama, the most urban president, can do more to embrace the city as an innovation incubator. […]
- U.S. Military's Next Mission: A Livability Offensive June 19, 2013
I would like to see street vendors downtown at night – live bands Friday and Saturdays (at night) etc. Like a street party – are we working on the park downtown – or was that cut?
I want a few bars with good dj’s or live bands. I want the metro-mover to continue after 12am especially on weekends. I want a late night taco place, like san loco.
I want independent coffee places, and a good non-chain book store. I want a really nice public square and a few more mini-parks. I want more bike racks, and downtown bike lanes.
I want more public art, and I want to see joggers. I want easily accessible museums and historic sites.
But really most important are the tacos.
I’d like to see Flagler Street closed to pedestrians only like Lincoln Road, and to have it filled with independent bookstores, cafes, coffee shops, and down-to-earth bars/restaurants. Bars that are for everyone, bars that can make Flagler Street into the next Lincoln Road.
I’d like to see the Brickell CitiCentre site turned into a public park. I’d like to see a streetcar that connects Downtown and Brickell to Midtown and the Design District.
I also forgot to add that I’d like to see a movie theatre open up in Downtown, as well as other theatres. Oh and a supermarket or two in Downtown. Jeez, this is quite a wishlist I’ve created lol.
Where to start:
-Retail Shops that actually stay open after 6
-All options listed within walking distances of each others or on the metro-mover
-Areas similar to Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay that change to pedestrian only areas after 5pm
-Pubs meant more for meeting and talking in (you don’t always have to have a band or dj’s playing)
-Second the Supermarket and maybe a farmers market too
-Second the street cars (this makes parking lots/garages that farther away more accessible)
-Less vacant lots with fences
-Less litter
-More connected green areas/paths (the mythical river walk)
-More tax incentives for companies to move into downtown
-Second the Lincoln Road idea (its worked for 50 years there)
-Pedestrian friendly intersections or elevated walk ways
-No more right on red at heavy pedestrian crossings or just have complete pedestrian crossing (easier for turning drivers and crossing pedestrians when its just one going at one time)
These are all fine ideas, how might the city/county effectuate these proposals? I like the ideas of tax incentives, how can you get businesses to stay open later? Get people to come out! It is the shopping public’s responsibility to develop these areas as safe, etc.
In my experience many of these things are not necessarily things that make communities more desirable – think whether Lincoln road would be desirable without the people that go there. There must be a public, private, and government actions to effectuate these changes.
Great recommendations and points all. This is a good discussion. Indeed, these improvements come from all sectors. What is needed is leadership to effectuate change at all levels. I think, and hope many of the above can take place.
All great ideas. I would only say instead of adding a street car why not upgrade metromover cars and extend its coverage from design district to brickell.
There was a proposal a while back to turn NE 11th St into Lincoln Road-esque promenade with shops, bars, restaurants, and clubs. Right now, there’s only one nightclub on 11th St, like it has been for the past nine years. Businesses have come and gone, but the City hasn’t held up their end of the bargain.
But here’s the kicker, the area is designated as a nightlife district with unrestricted licensing, so if “nicer” businesses move in, well, there’s going to be restrictions put in place.
To be honest, that specific area should be left as a strict nightclub-only zone. There’s plenty of other streets Downtown that could serve as a bar/restaurant sort of area.
I would like to see something like a “Las Olas” type of setup.
Actually, the club district NEEDS something.
I’m tired of going clubbing in downtown and not having at least a pizza place within walking distance where I can eat or even a simple CVS if I want to buy some cigarettes or some water.