MAS and Architizer have teamed up once again to bring you Pitching the City 2015, a signature anchoring event of the New Museum’s IDEAS CITY Festival. Offering a platform for fresh urban ideas, five innovative projects, diverse in scope and scale, will be pitched to both an esteemed panel of experts, who will offer advice on how these ideas may move on to become realities, and a live audience, who will vote to determine the winner. In anticipation of the event at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Friday, May 29, we are pleased to present a closer look at the five finalists.
Pitch: The Miami Underline
Name: Meg Daly, Founder, Friends of the Underline; and Hamish Smyth, Designer, Pentagram
Much like New York’s High Line, the Miami Underline will transform the underutilized land below Miami’s MetroRail, from the Miami River to Dadeland South Station, into a linear park, world-class urban trail, and art destination. It will connect surrounding communities, creating over 100 acres of open space with restored natural habitats that encourage exercise, attract development along US1, and act as a 10-mile canvas for artistic expression. The Underline will be Miami-Dade County’s first mobility corridor integrating all modes of transit and is also expected to be the spine of a future network of 250 miles of trails. New York High Line co-designer James Corner Field Operations has been selected to create the master plan.
What was the initial inspiration for your project?
Three years ago, I had a bike accident and broke both of my arms. Since I couldn’t drive to physical therapy, I took our above-ground train to the closest stop and walked under the train tracks to get to therapy. It was when I slowed down, didn’t drive, and walked that I “saw” the potential of this 10-mile × 100-foot-wide, county-owned land for what it could be: a 10-mile linear park and urban trail, just begging for transformation.
Pitching the City brings together people from a range of professions and disciplines. What is your background and how has it informed your involvement with this project?
My background is advertising and marketing. We always took on projects that had unrealistic deadlines and were delivered on tight budgets. My team met every day to ensure we had the best possible plan for delivering on our schedule that day, week, month. This constant communication and pivoting until delivery has helped me with this project.
What steps have you taken toward realizing your project, and what do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge you’ll face?
We have activated and gotten endorsements from the four municipalities and the county that we will build on and interface with. We have also gotten endorsements from numerous organizations. We have funded our master plan and now are working on funding the first phase of construction (there will be many phases). Our biggest challenge will be funding, both from the public and private sector.
Where do you hope your project will be in 10 years?
Completed — and programing amazing activities in numerous neighborhoods.
What do you think of your fellow Pitching the City finalists?
We feel very honored to share the stage with such exciting, innovative projects. I am thrilled to see so much civic engagement and activism throughout the world.
Stay tuned for all of the Pitching the City 2015 Finalist Q&As and don’t forget to RSVP to the free event in New York City on Friday, May 29!