Since Bayside Marketplace, an early "revitalizer" of downtown Miami, turned 25 earlier this year, the milestone has gotten a fair amount of press and has brought up questions of whether or not the mall has been a success, and whether or not it is good urbanism. It was built in 1987 in hopes of bringing back Downtown and nearby Flagler street as a pedestrian and shopping area, and doing something interesting with the waterfront. Now, in addition to having fairly impressive longevity for a mall anywhere, Bayside is largely ignored by locals and packed with tourists of the "bargain T-shirt shop" variety, and may be one of the busiest malls in Miami. Bayside's plan is dense and urban along the waterfront, wrapping around a marina that's consistently packed with large yachts and tacky tour boats, but almost suburban in its relationship to Downtown Miami. Set back from the street, the large lawn facing Biscayne Boulevard must be meant to coordinate with nearby Bayfront Park, but acts more like landscaping for the mall's front drive and parking garage.
· Bayside Turns 25 [Miami Herald]
Photos by curbed operative.