Curbed Cup 1st Round: (6) Downtown Miami vs. (11) Sunset Harbour

The 2016 Curbed Cup, our annual award for the South Florida’s neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 areas vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and the full tournament bracket will be reviewed on Friday. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!

Note: The full bracket will be unveiled on Friday. Keep track of everything Curbed Cup here.

(6) Downtown Miami

While its development cycle isn’t quite as nutty as Brickell, downtown Miami is a changing, with the late Zaha Hadid’s One Thousand Museum rising along with Paramount Miami Worldcenter, and another luxury condo (Aston Martin Residences) in the pipeline.

Miami’s core wasn’t without its share of drama in 2016, however, with Miami-Dade College slamming the brakes on a drama-infused project that would’ve transformed Miami’s skyline.

It was also announced Bayside would undergo a much-needed facelift.

(11) Sunset Harbour

Sunset Harbour, despite its constant construction and flooding (improving), has become one of Miami Beach’s most coveted enclaves.

It’s like an island within an island, encompassing just a couple of blocks along Biscayne Bay while proffering a striking number of quality restaurants (Lucali, Pubbelly, etc), coffee shops (Panther), and fitness options (Green Monkey, Barry’s, Flywheel) per capita. A hotel has also been announced for the area.

It’s one of the most walkable neighborhoods in South Florida, and appears to be seeded a bit low considering it came in second last year and won the whole tournament in 2013. Take up your qualms with the Curbed Cup Selection Committee.

The garden at Palau in Sunset Harbour