The new linear park will use land under the city’s elevated rail tracks. Worries, however, are emerging about the effects the project will have on surrounding communities, particularly related to affordable housing.
Adina Solomon reports on the Underline, a new 10-mile linear park project under the Miami Metrorail tracks, which broke ground in November last year and will provide bike and walking trails, open spaces, and other public and art spaces. The first phase of construction, a half-mile stretch in downtown Miami, is underway.
The Underline is facing concerns about gentrification and housing affordability — issues that have challenged similar projects such as the High Line in New York and the Atlanta BeltLine. "Friends of the Underline is about to embark on a study looking at neighborhood connectivity, accessibility and equitable growth, which will also explore a component for workforce and affordable housing," says Solomon.
The Underline’s leadership also plans to hold community meetings as the project continues. In addition, the organization is working with the High Line Network, a group of infrastructure reuse projects using an equitable impact framework.
FULL STORY: Who Will Benefit from Miami’s New Rails-to-Trails Park?
Climate Gentrification in Miami
With the threat of sea level rise, homes on higher ground in Miami are becoming increasingly desirable. But they are located in low-income communities of color, and residents are facing rising housing costs and displacement.
'Climate Gentrification' Is Exacerbating Economic Inequality in Miami
A new study shows that over the last several decades the price of real estate has been heavily influenced by the actual and anticipated effects of climate change.
Sustainable for Whom? Large-Scale Urban Development Projects and 'Environmental Gentrification'
Large, adaptive-reuse projects are all the rage in urban planning today, but absent a fundamentally new approach—with affordability at the center of the process—they are likely to become engines of what's been termed "environmental gentrification."
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Nevada Legislature Unanimously Passes Regional Rail Bill
If signed by the governor, the bill will create a task force aimed at developing a regional passenger rail system.
How Infrastructure Shapes Public Trust
A city engineer argues that planners must go beyond code compliance to ensure public infrastructure is truly accessible to all users.
Photos: In Over a Dozen Cities, Housing Activists Connect HUD Cuts and Local Issues
We share images from six of the cities around the country where members of three national organizing networks took action on May 20 to protest cuts to federal housing funding and lift up local solutions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada