When you can move through a community, it’s more likely that you’ll plug into cool happenings and connect with folks. This year’s Public Space Challenge winners make it easier to do that.
FROM OPA-LOCKA TO SOUTH DADE, THIS YEAR’S PUBLIC SPACE CHALLENGE WINNERS IMPROVE HOW MIAMIANS NAVIGATE THE CITY
From South Grove to Opa-locka, mobility will get a South Florida-style boost, complements of the 2019 Public Space Challenge winners. The 12 top concepts from The Miami Foundation’s annual crowd-sourcing ideas contest will share $250,000 in funding to implement projects that make getting around Greater Miami easier. Target continues to be a long-running Challenge partner, helping to fund and support … Read More
“A LIBRARY IN THE PARK? THE CHALLENGE HELPED ME MAKE IT HAPPEN.”
I had a vision for a pop-library in the park. The Public Space Challenge and my Miami Fellows experience helped make it a reality.
CHALLENGE FINALISTS AIM TO GET MIAMI-DADE MOVING
It’s no secret that Miami-Dade is not the easiest place to navigate without a set of wheels. However, it is possible to get around Miami without a car. That’s why we designed this year’s Public Space Challenge to get Miamians thinking about ways to create, activate or improve the way we move around Greater Miami.
CARLESS IN MIAMI? IT’S POSSIBLE, AND THE CHALLENGE CAN HELP
As a Miamian without a car, I’ve become accustomed to the transit challenges we face here. I chose to sell my car three years ago as part of my commitment to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. I quickly realized that I would need to become more strategic in choosing where to live and plan different ways to get around the … Read More
THE CHALLENGE IS BACK! HELP IMPROVE THE WAY MIAMI MOVES
A couple of weeks ago, I took a virtual kayak tour of Biscayne Bay using the MB Rising Above App. The city of Miami Beach has been doing a lot to adapt for climate change and was looking for ways to help people better-understand their neighborhood and the work being done. So, they applied for a Public Space Challenge grant … Read More
2019 PUBLIC SPACE CHALLENGE WELCOMES IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE WAY MIAMIANS MOVE THROUGH THEIR CITY
2019 Public Space Challenge Welcomes Ideas to Improve the Way Miamians Move Through Their City Thanks to widespread community support, The Underline is moving forward to transform land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park and urban trail. It’s an idea that, early on, picked up momentum by activating the space with pop-up lighting demonstrations, funded by a 2014 … Read More
CHALLENGE WINNER CREATES AN ALLEYWAY YOU’LL WANT TO WALK DOWN
A few months ago, I walked around North Miami with my oldest brother and his family. He and his wife and two daughters had just moved back to South Florida after living in California for the last eight years. While we got reacquainted with their neighborhood, we noticed there really weren’t too many places outdoors for all of us to sit down and catch up. So, I’m looking forward to when a Public Space Challenge idea to transform an alleyway in downtown North Miami into a safe, pedestrian-friendly gathering spot away from the busy street comes online.
CHALLENGE WINNERS TEAM UP ON COOL HAPPENINGS IN WEST KENDALL
In the bedroom community of West Kendall, residents Juan David Rey and Wendy Caraballo, are on a mission to make neighbors want to stay and play. They’re behind a series of events aimed at bringing more arts, culture and outdoor entertainment options to their southwest corner of Greater Miami, with support from The Miami Foundation’s Public Space Challenge.
West Kendall is home to many working- and middle-class families. According to a study by the FIU School of Architecture, 78 percent of West Kendall residents leave the area every day to go to work and similarly leave on the weekends for entertainment in other areas of Miami with active community gathering spaces. They’re forced to go long distances for community activities, as suburban sprawl and single-use zoning have led to few activated gathering spaces for West Kendall residents in their own backyards.
Juan, Wendy and the Friends of West Kendall are looking to change that. “Our goal is to engage the West Kendall community through cultural events in our own neighborhood. We seek to create opportunities for people to enjoy an event or outing within a few miles from where they live through activating public spaces,” Juan said.
The idea for the Friends of West Kendall began when Juan won the Public Space Challenge in 2016. His winning idea was an annual concert that people could easily access by walking or biking, taking advantage of the large number of parks spread out in the area. The first concert was a roaring success with more than 500 people turning out to jam to popular local bands Locos Por Juana and Spam All-Stars. Juan added, “The feedback from the community was unanimous; they wanted more.”
CHALLENGE FINALISTS WILL CONNECT MIAMIANS, ONE PUBLIC SPACE AT A TIME
Adam Old was tired of seeing the plastic bags, water bottles and other garbage clogging up his neighborhood’s waterways – not only creating a major eyesore, but also endangering the animals that call it home. So when The Miami Foundation launched the 2018 Public Space Challenge, he applied with a simple, but an impactful idea: to place a trash boom in his local canal to collect all the debris.
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