José Martí Park is a well-loved and beautiful community space in Little Havana. Due to its location along the Miami River and its low elevation, the park is also very vulnerable to flooding. This is most clearly seen during King Tide, when the park’s riverwalk becomes completely submerged in river water. This will likely become more frequent in the future due to sea level rise.
Van Alen Institute and the City of Miami joined forces to find a design team who could create a new vision for José Martí Park—one that will reduce flooding in the park while meeting the community’s needs for a treasured public space.
Curtis + Rogers Design Studio was selected by the City of Miami for their expertise in urban design, landscape architecture, and engineering, and extensive local experience in Miami-Dade County.
Their team—composed of architects, ecologists, engineers, planners, scientists, and community engagement experts—are creating a dynamic vision for the park that will support a resilient Miami for generations to come.
In 2018, the City of Miami nominated local residents for a Project Outreach Team, all of whom are especially knowledgeable about the communities surrounding José Martí Park: With this team, we distributed a community survey to learn how residents wanted to improve the park. We also hosted two community events in February and November to keep the neighborhood informed about the project’s progress, hear from residents about their ideas for the park, and introduce them to the winning design team.
The community’s top needs for a new José Martí Park are a safer, more spacious, and more inviting space.
Ian Zink
Post-Doctoral Fellow, University of Miami
Madelyn Rodriguez-Llanes
Director, Centro Mater
Avra Jain
Owner, Miami River Inn
Carlos Dulzaides
Corporate Trainer, Hertz
Barby Rodriguez
Public Outreach Specialist, EV Services, Inc.
Peer Review
These interdisciplinary experts are supporting the design team to make sure they have the right resources to complete their vision:
Sonia Chao, University of Miami; Nancy Clark, University of Florida; Jane Gilbert, City of Miami; Katherine Hagemann, Miami-Dade County; Ken Jeffries, Florida Department of Transportation; Jessica Lax, Van Alen Institute; James Murley, Miami-Dade County; Sonia Succar, The Nature Conservancy; Marta Viciedo, Urban Impact Lab
Stay Updated
We look forward to following the journey of Jose Marti Park. Check in with the City of Miami for updates!
Keeping Current: A Sea Level Rise Challenge for Greater Miami is a series of open design competitions inviting interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions and ideas using the lenses of economy, ecology, and equity to adapt to sea level rise.
Van Alen Institute is working with local municipalities in the greater Miami area, along with elected officials, academics, business leaders, community advocates, and residents.
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