Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1078587
88 BAL HARBOUR A PARK IN BLOOM A 10-mile stretch of parkland beneath the Metrorail is set to redefine the way space is shared in Miami. We check in with Meg Daly, who shares her vision for the ambitious Underline project with us. BY SIOBHAN MORRISSEY YEARS FROM NOW, THE HISTORY of the Miami Underline will read as a series of unlikely events. A proposed 10-mile ribbon of parkland beneath an elevated train system known as Metrorail, the Underline might never have broken ground this past fall if Meg Daly hadn't fallen off her bicycle and broken both arms. Daly got the idea for the park while walking to her physical therapist. Despite the heat of the day, it was cool in the shadow of the tracks, and she thought, "We need to turn this into a park." Where others saw only patchy grass and dirt, Daly envisioned «i`iÃÌÀ>>`LVÞVi«>ÌÃ]`}«>ÀÃ]LÕÌÌiÀyÞ}>À`iÃ>`iÝiÀVÃi âiðiÀi««>ÞV>iÓä£Î]>`ÕÃÌwÛiÞi>ÀÃ>ÌiÀiÀ«>ÜiÌ vÀºVÀ>âÞ`i>»ÌÃÛiÃÌi}ÀÕ`°/iwÀÃÌ«>ÃivÌi«ÀiVÌà slated for completion in June 2020. "People who know public infrastructure projects say this is breaking all ÌiÀiVÀ`Ã]»>ÞÃ>Þðº Ì}vÌÃiÛivV«iÝÌÞ>`vÕ`} gets done this quickly. But we have really good projects that came before us—the High Line, the Atlanta BeltLine, the 606 in Chicago." With no delusions about the challenges the Underline poses, Daly maintains, "It's really about overcoming the hurdles rather than focusing on how to make Ìi>ÃiÀ°Ì½Ã¼`ÌÀ}Ì]½>`w`ÕÌÜÌ}iÌÌ`i°» The entire project runs through three cities from downtown Miami southward. The continuous park spans roughly 100 feet in width and includes plenty of space for communal living as well as an impressive public arts platform that reaches from the ground some 20 feet skyward along Ìi«>ÀÃÌ>Ì`Õ«ÌiÌÀ>ÌÀ>Vð/iw>VÃÌ\>iÝ«iVÌi`f£Óä °>Þ]ÜvÕ`i`Ìi«ÀwÌÀi`Ãv/i1`iÀiÌi« «ÀÌi>`vÕ`iÀ`i>]>Ã>Ài>`ÞÃiVÕÀi`fä«ÕLV>` private funds to date. >ÞÃ>iÝ>«ivÜi«iÀÃV>>i>`vviÀiVi°/i vÀiÀ>`ÛiÀÌÃ}iÝiVÕÌÛiÜÌ> Ƃ}ÃvÀ6>`iÀLÌViÃvÀ >v>Þv«>ÌÀ«ÃÌÃ>`>VÌÛÃÌð-iÃiÀÛiÃ>à ">`*ÀiÃ`iÌ vÌiÀi`Ãv/i1`iÀi>Ã>vÕÌiÛÕÌiiÀ]>`iÀiÌÕÃ>à has brought legions of supporters to her cause, including legendary landscape architect James Corner, the visionary behind Manhattan's High Line. The 1.5-mile-long linear park built on a former elevated train track became a social hub that spurred a building renaissance in Chelsea and the i>Ì«>V}ÃÌÀVÌ° ÀiÀ½ÃwÀ`iÃ}i`Ìi>ÃÌiÀ«>vÀ>½Ã project, which is awakening similar dreams for residents and adjoining property owners. Today there is a groundswell of grassroots momentum from people who want to see more green space in the urban corridor. A true believer in that possibility, Daly sees the park as a unifying force for Miami. "I just think parks are amazing," Daly says. "They are the heart and soul of a community. Ài]ÌiÞ>Ài>}À>ÛÌ>Ì>«Õ°ƂL}VÌÞ«ÕÃiÌÌë>Àð» It's hard to believe, but at the start of her quest Daly was unsure her `i>ÜÕ`ÀiÃ>ÌiÜÌÌiÀðÀÃÌ]ÃiÀ>ÌLÞiÀÕÃL>`] Daly, a classical music composer and software developer who swam vÀ*ÕiÀÌ,VÌi£ÇÈ"Þ«Vð/iÃiÌ`iÀv>ÌiÀ]*>ÀiÀ /Ã]>VÕÌÞ>VÌÛÃÌ>`>ÌÌÀiÞÜ>À}Õi`ÀÃÌƂi`iÌ cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in addition to spending more than two decades helping to secure funding for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts—giving him an inkling of what his daughter was up >}>ÃÌ°i>`LÌÛi`Ìi`i>>`ÕÌÃ`i>ÌÓä£Ç]i worked by her side to make the Underline a reality. Daly remembers her father's words of encouragement. "If you're going Ì>Ûi>L}«ÀiVÌ]>iÃÕÀiÞÕ½ÀiwÝ}L}«ÀLiÃ]»ÃiÀiV>à him saying. "He felt that the Underline would do just that." ©2018 JAMES CORNER FIELD OPERATIONS, COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF THE UNDERLINE