When in 2013 Meg Daly broke both her arms and began going to rehab by train because she couldn't drive, she discovered something unheard of: in Greater Miami there was still a huge area to be exploited, yes. it was 'hidden' under the Metrorail tracks. She then imagined a space for public recreation, a place to go for a run or walk and where to meet to share artistic and human concerns. She associated with the multidisciplinary team James Corner Field Operations (in charge of the New York Highline project) and thus was born TheUnderline, a path and urban park of almost 50 hectares, which runs under the layout of the tracks, along about 16 kilometers.
is the foundation Friends of The Underline which deals with the recovery of this abandoned and underused urban space until 2021, when the first phase of this project was inaugurated comprising bicycle and pedestrian paths, crosswalks, recreational and exercise facilities, gathering areas, and native gardens with hundreds of thousands of plants and trees and butterfly gardens (devised together with the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Master).
Oolite Room.
BRICKELL BACKYARD
It is expected that it will be in 2025 when phases two and three of the project will be completed, which will connect downtown Miami with the Dadeland South Metrorail, in Kendall, south of the city. But in the meantime you can enjoy the first that stretches under the Brickell, from the Miami River to Southwest 13th Street, goes by the name Brickell Backyard and is divided into four differentiated but perfectly integrated areas: River Room, Urban Gym, Paseo and Oolite Room.
River Room has separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians, a dog walk with drinker and cleaning bags and a pollinating green space with native plants, trees and flowers which also serves to mitigate flooding by rainwater.
The Urban Gym has exercise equipment for working out, a mini basketball (and soccer) court and a running track.
The Walk is divided into a Sound stage, "ideal for health and wellness and cultural programming and community events" and with Calle 8 as a dynamic backdrop, as described on the website, and an open-air dining room, with a 15-meter table that seats up to 50 people.
For its part, Oolite Room boasts of four butterfly gardens, the first of a total of 20, nestled in a natural stone canyon which houses a long list of plant species to attract and feed pollinating species in danger of extinction.
Future Simpson Playground Plaza.
WITH A LOT OF ART
A local, national and international public art destination is also The Underline, which is intended to be an outdoor gallery that serves to engage and connect the public with the creative community.
Some of the works that can be seen are already the mural TheAllegories, by Edny Jean Joseph, alluding to the myth of Plato's Cave using Matisse's 'cutout' aesthetic; disappearing treasures, a painting created in Tiffany blue by Jennifer Basile which focuses on endangered species and disappearing coral reefs; Y Water/Tables, a couple of concrete ping pong tables designed by the artist Cara Despain.