The Underline has officially opened Phase 1 of its planned 10-mile project in the Brickell neighborhood of Miami.
Opening in phases through 2025, The Underline is transforming the land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail, and public art destination. Once completed, The Underline will span an estimated 120 acres from downtown to South Miami and will feature butterfly gardens, dog parks, exercise equipment, basketball courts, mini-soccer pitch, performance areas, bioswales, and temporary and permanent art. To serve visitors of all ages, The Underline will feature numerous health and wellness, cultural, educational, and environmental programs.
The opening for Phase 1, known as Brickell Backyard, marks a milestone for the fastest-moving project of its size in the country––as the project has now secured over $120 million of the total construction cost.
Background
In 2013, Friends of The Underline founder, Meg Daly, broke both of her arms when she was riding her bike with her daughter. Since she could not drive herself to physical therapy, Meg decided to take the Metrorail near her home, and then walk the rest of the way to her destination underneath the train tracks. As she walked each week, she noticed how wide the corridor was, how cool she felt beneath the shade of the tracks, even in July, and that she was the only person using the space.
With the support of the community’s input and world-class design by James Corner Field Operations, a vision developed to transform this unused land into a public park and gathering space. And so, The Underline was born.
Friends of The Underline’s mission is to create a safer, healthier, more connected, mobile, and engaged community by creating open-access public space that will:
- Physically connect communities through a mobility corridor that integrates public transit, car, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic
- Improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety
- Encourage healthy lifestyles by providing access to public exercise facilities
- Provide a 10-mile canvas for artistic expression
- Generate a significant economic impact for Miami-Dade County
- And more
Friends of The Underline Founder Meg Daly says: “I am inspired by our many supporters and believers who are committed to building a better community while improving connectivity and equitable access to parks and green spaces throughout Miami-Dade County.”
Notable funding sources include Miami-Dade County; US DOT, the State of Florida; FDOT; the cities of Miami, Coral Gables, and South Miami; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Swire Properties; Baptist Health South Florida; Florida Power and Light the Miami Foundation; and the Health Foundation of South Florida.
Friends of The Underline and The Underline Conservancy are 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. To make a donation of any amount or learn about corporate and individual sponsorships, click here. For more Underline information, visit their website here.
