Client/Project Owner:

Miami Downtown Development Authority

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Status

Completed in 2017

 

A Sneak Peek into Downtown Miami's Future

Rooted in the 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan, Biscayne Green is a long term vision to redesign and repurpose Biscayne Boulevard to include a pedestrian promenade, enhancing pedestrian safety and connectivity in Downtown. This vision aims to minimize the barrier effect Biscayne Boulevard represents to the community and enhance the connections to Bayfront Park and the Biscayne Bay to make downtown a more walkable, accessible, and connected place, elevating the status of Downtown Miami as a walkable and pedestrian safe environment. Fabian led this project while employed with the Miami Downtown Development Authority.

 

For the month of January 2017, the Miami DDA led a one-month public space intervention as an attempt to re-imagine Biscayne Boulevard by showcasing context-sensitive design improvements while creating a new public space in the heart of Downtown Miami. The planned installation transformed three median parking lots in front of Bayfront Park – from SE 2nd Street to NE 1st Street – into active public space programmed with fun and interactive elements for the enjoyment of Downtown residents and visitors. As a 20-day public space ‘intervention,’ Biscayne Green re-imagined Miami as a city that prioritizes people over cars and congestion.

 

As part of the 2015 Knight Foundation's Knight Cities Challenge and the Miami Foundation’s Public Space Challenge, the Miami DDA's proposal for Biscayne Green – A demonstration project showcasing a re-imagined Biscayne Boulevard, was awarded grants to execute this idea. The winning projects were announced on 04/12/2016. Click HERE to see the announcement.

 

This installation was the first attempt to showcase possible improvements to this roadway through measures that emphasize place-making, walkability and connectivity. This project allowed over 20,000 people to experience how these spaces can be turned around into a local destination for green space, entertainment, and community. This project helped provide the community a sneak peek into the future of Downtown Miami and build the necessary support for the long term vision.

 

Following the success of the temporary public space intervention, we helped the City of Miami and the Miami DDA secure funding in the amount of $422,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) through a Transportation Alternatives Grant to conduct a lane elimination study to keep this project moving forward. Beyond the lane elimination analysis, future steps for these agencies include securing funding options to advance design development and finance future construction.