Miami's Longest Urban Linear Park and Trail, the Greenlink, to be renamed the Underline
(MIAMI, September 15, 2014) — Effective September 15th, the initiative to create Miami’s longest urban linear park and trail, the GreenLink, is being renamed and branded The Underline.
Friends of the Underline in cooperation with Miami-Dade County is leading The Underline initiative to transform the underutilized land beneath the Metrorail from the Miami River north of Brickell Station to Dadeland South into a 10-mile linear park and bicycle and pedestrian commuter/exercise trail.
The cities of Miami, Coral Gables, South Miami, and the Village of Pinecrest unanimously endorsed the project citing the potential positive economic impact to their communities and the health impact for the nearly 400,000 residents within a 10-minute walk of the park and trail.
“The Underline’s new name, logo and website are all ‘Wow’ reflecting the iconic nature of the vision and scale of the project,” said Meg Daly, Friends of the Underline founder.
The new name, logo and branding were inspired by the physicality of the space, a linear park that runs directly under Miami's Metrorail. The logo itself is a visual metaphor: the green lettering of the word The Underline represents the park space, the black bar above the word Underline represents the concrete and metal tracks above the park. Last, when you underline something, you're emphasizing or highlighting it. The Underline will highlight Miami's US1 corridor for 10-miles from Dadeland South station to Brickell Avenue Station.
“This innovative project will set Miami’s legacy of great linear parks to new heights. With The Underline, our community will join the ranks of leading cities that invested in a network of great parks. This project will transform nearly ten miles of underutilized Metrorail right of way into the world’s only great linear urban park that is fully integrated into transit while transforming the region through its economic, environmental and health benefits” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.
“The Underline is another testament to Miami’s growing appetite for breakthrough ideas and innovation,” said Matt Haggman Miami program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, one of the project’s funders. “We are hopeful about the tremendous impact that it could have on further building Miami’s urban core and attracting young talent to the city, who increasingly gravitate toward more walkable, transit-friendly communities.”
The Underline will be linked to multiple neighborhood parks that will create a system of superbly designed open spaces that offer recreational, educational, and other public amenities. Set along US1, one of the County’s busiest transportation corridors, it will serve as both an urban oasis and a new way to explore Miami for biking, running and strolling. It will be an iconic Miami linear park that brings together cutting-edge urban planning, park, landscape, and public space design and the arts.
Event:
To kick-off the new branding, HistoryMiami, a Smithsonian Affiliated museum and a premier local cultural institution, located at 101 W. Flagler Street in downtown Miami, will feature The Underline: Make It Yours exhibition in its Community Gallery from Tuesday, September 16, until Sunday, November 16. The exhibition showcases the key components of the initiative, a 20-foot wide trail, park spaces, and transit station development. Visitors are encouraged to post comments directly on the walls of the exhibition. This feedback will be collected and used in The Underline’s master planning process beginning in 2015. Visit historymiami.org for hours of operation and directions. The Underline: Make It Yours exhibition is free to the public.
Economic Impact Study:
This Fall 2014 semester, the University of Miami School of Business Administration, under the direction of Professor Andrea Heuson, and partnering with Urban4M’s Hillit Meidar Alfi, will study the potential economic impact on adjacent and neighboring properties along The Underline. The study will be completed and published by the end of December, 2014.
Miami-Dade County Resolution to Endorse The Underline:
October 7, 2014, sponsored by Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, the Miami-Dade County Commission votes on a resolution to endorse The Underline and provide an implementation and funding plan for the project.
About The Underline:
Friends of The Underline, with Miami-Dade County and Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces and Transit Departments are driving the initiative to transform the underutilized land underneath Miami’s MetroRail from the Miami River to Dadeland South into a 10-mile linear park and urban trail. For more information visit www.theunderline.org, or contact Friends of the Underline founder, Meg Daly at 305-439-1199.