New York High Line park designer to build Miamis Underline
For those of you that have not experienced the marvel of modern architecture and engineering that is the New York High Line, have no fear!…
University of Miami park after the makeover. (Courtesy of Anna Baez)
For those of you that have not experienced the marvel of modern architecture and engineering that is the New York High Line, have no fear! Miami will soon have its own Under Line, situated beneath it’s Metrorail public transit train system.
The High Line is a 1.45-mile linear park built on top of an abandoned elevated railway and was originally inspired by the Promenade plantée, a 2.9-mile elevated park in Paris.
SEE ALSO: Eva Longoria to fundraise in conjunction with Obamas Miami visit
It runs through high-rise New York buildings you know — the most urban setting you could imagine. Yet the entire park is a walkway, a path for pedestrians to surround themselves with plants and nature while still being immersed in the great city of New York.
The New York High Line is famous, and a visit to the city isn’t complete without a stroll through this linear park. (Beyond My Ken/Wiki Commons)
Since 2010 when the High Line was opened, Miami natives wanted to build their own linear park, but this one would be 10 miles and underneath an active railway.
Miamians all know the place. A long trail that runs parallel to US 1, prime real estate, but the scenery and noise from the nearby busy highway leaves something to be desired.
The Metro near Vizcaya before the makeover. (Courtesy of Underline’s official website)
The Metro near Vizcaya after the makeover. (Courtesy of UM School of Architecture)
So when it came time to decide who would design this marvelous and necessary addition to the city, the designer of the High Line was picked out of 19 firms.
James Corner Field Operations, a New York-based landscape architecture firm, was officially announced as the winner of the contract by Miami-Dade County. Corner is also working on the new Lincoln Road masterplan and also did work for the PAMM and Frost museums.
Brickell Metro station today. (Courtesy of Underline’s official website)
Brickell Metro station after the makeover. (Courtesy of LandscapeDE)
Preliminary plans for the park had been designed by University of Miami architecture students with assistance from Arquitectonica’s Raymond Fort.
Soon, joggers, pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to enjoy 10 miles of uninterrupted and peaceful paths from the Miami River to Dadeland South.
A timeline has not yet been set and unfortunately, the park’s website notes that similar parks have taken more than a decade to complete.
University of Miami park before the makeover. (Courtesy of Underline’s official website)
University of Miami park after the makeover. (Courtesy of Anna Baez)
SEE ALSO: Eduardo Marturet & the Miami Symphony Orchestra make sonic & visual waves
Funding comes from the cities of Miami, Coral Gables, and South Miami and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Miami Foundation, the Health Foundation of South Florida, and the Mitchell Wolfson Foundation.
But theres good news! The parks also soliciting private donors, hoping that private donations will catapult the financing of the park to a desirable level. So if you want that park to happen, donate!
