The transformation of Miami's Design District, long an excitable topic of dinner table gossip for Miamians, is nationally significant for the future reinvigoration of downtown shopping areas, says urban theorist (and part time Miami Beach resident) Richard Florida, in his latest piece for The Atlantic Cities:
From where I sit, what’s happening in Miami is something of a bellwether, an unmistakable sign that the economic and commercial center of gravity is shifting away from the suburbs and back to the urban core. We are at a similar inflection point today to the one we experienced in the 1970s, when retail abruptly decamped to the suburbs. Only this time, the impetus is the other way around. There's been lots of talk about the Design District over the last day or so. Jordan Melnick has an interesting follow up to Florida's piece, and both Melnick's and Florida's pieces come on the heals of the big reveal of DACRA's plans for the Design District which happened in the last few days. Suntanned Mumford (your very Editor himself) reported details of the Design District expansion back in April, but yesterday we were able to get some pretty juicy imagery and plans, and Andres Viglucci reported from a press event with the latest Design District details.
· The Death and Life of Urban Shopping Districts [Atlantic Cities]
· Is the Design District leading an urban shopping revival? [Beached Miami]
· Finally, DACRA'S Plans for the Miami Design District [Suntanned Mumford]
· Developer Unveils Plans to Transform Design District [Miami Herald]
· Design District Plans Revealed [Curbed Miami]
Finally, check out Curbed Miami's complete coverage of the Design District's evolution.
Image: The new Design District, from DACRA's Master Plan Area Study.