Currently in the construction, procurement and design phases, The Underline will serve as a gateway to adjacent communities by tapping into the unique identities of each adjoining neighborhood and by providing distinctive landscaping, amenities, art and programs relevant to each community. The project will also offer improved access north, south, east, and west, as well as an off-road safe haven to improve walking and biking safety. Inspired by South Florida and the Miami region, The Underline will become a significant social and civic spine for the area that will foster community, enhance value, and encourage recreation and healthy living. It will facilitate connectivity and social exchange, connecting people to their surroundings and each other.
| Infrastructure Type | Railway |
| Status | In Construction |
| Opening | To be determined |
| Size | 120 acres, 10 miles |
| Design Team | James Corner Field Operations |
| Management | Managed by Friends of The Underline in partnership with Miami-Dade County, FDOT, Federal Transit Authority, and three municipalities |
Miami’s downtown has become home to nearly 100,000 residents and more than 100 residential towers. As more buildings go up and more people decide to live in the dense, vibrant neighborhoods of downtown and Brickell, residents’ call for more parks and open spaces could become all the more acute.
Parks, libraries, universities, museums, and concert halls have long relied on generous philanthropic underwriters to benefit a public seeking education, entertainment, and recreation. But in the past few years, wealthy donors have homed in on urban public parks and other “placemaking” projects with greater zeal—perhaps responding to cities struggling with shrinking parks, recreation, and infrastructure budgets, as well as growing inequality.
Ambitious plans for construction of the Underline, a 10-mile-long “linear park” for people on foot and on bikes that would run beneath the elevated Metrorail tracks, got a significant lift with the announcement Wednesday of a $22.3 million federal grant for the project.
