JOIN US!!
For more information, contact
us via email at miamiriver@bellsouth.net
MIAMI RIVER COMMISSION
c/o Rosenstiel School
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
Miami, Fl. 33149
305-361-4850
Fax: 305-361-4755
This site
prepared and designed by
Mark Sell Communications, Inc. Public Relations
Greenway project themes
Greenways goals & objectives
The
Miami River
is Our Home
The 69-square-mile Miami
River basin is home to an estimated 250,000 people. This multicultural
population interacts with the river landscape daily, and yet access to
the beneficial landscapes has been systematically limited by a
community-wide policy of fencing and under-programming of key public
landscapes. Few public gateways exist to encourage either visual or
physical interaction with the river. Local residents have become
increasingly isolated from this valuable resource. A Greenway system
would reconnect the diverse cultural and ethnic neighborhoods adjacent
to the river. The Greenway would link together neighborhoods with the
significant parks, public open spaces, historic sites and other
important destinations found along the river. This will enable people to
transport themselves by walking and cycling, to a multitude of
destinations along the 5-mile river.
The
Miami River is a
Working River
The Miami River is
equivalent of the 5th largest port in the State of Florida and the
source of most of the state's maritime trade with the Caribbean.Its
navigation and commercial shipping directly generates an estimated $4
billion in cargo annually. The Greenway will provide improved access to
the river to view the shipping industry at work and help to raise the
awareness of the importance of the river as a working river landscape.
The Miami River is a Destination Landscape
Destination landscapes attract people and activities. They generate a critical mass of people, are attractive landscapes, and usually result in economic activity. Although the Miami River has enough high-quality attractions to make it a destination landscape, these are not linked together to generate a critical mass of use. The proposed Miami River Trail and long-standing Miami Riverwalk are the key elements in creating a successful destination along the river. Connections to the river are also critical, such as the proposed Overtown Safewalk, the Flagler Streetscape improvements, and the linkages to East Little Havana and the Brickell Corridor. Making Miami River friendlier and more conducive for tourism and daily activity will require new investment in public and private spaces. Access needs to be improved with gateways, bicycle and pedestrian paths that flow from the downtown and adjacent residential neighborhoods to the river.
We are dedicated to these six propositions on the Greenways plan, devised in association with The Trust for Public Land and Greenways, Inc.
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The Miami River is an Important Environmental Resource at Risk
The
Miami River is an Important Environmental Resource at Risk
The word "Miami" means sweet water, and in the more than 2,000 years humans have occupied the landscape, the Miami River has been an important source of water, animal life, and plant life. Although it is polluted today and although it supports industrial marine use, its ecosystem requires urgent protection. Important species of plants and animals still inhabit the river, with the manatee a symbol of an ecosystem at risk. The Biscayne Bay is a direct recipient of the fresh water flowing into the Miami River. The Bay is a valuable resource for residents of South Florida, supplying recreation, tourism, and economic opportunities. Less than 15 percent of South Florida's rainwater reaches the Biscayne Bay Aquifer, the region's primary drinking water supply. The rest of evaporated by the sun or drained by canals to the sea. Between 1990 and 2010, the demand for public water supply is expected to increase by 69 percent. Greenways can instill a new stewardship ethic for this critically important resource.
The Miami River is an Economic Resource
For all its potential attractions, the river landscape has yet to realize major benefits from Miami-Dade County's $11 billion-a-year tourism industry. While Miami is one of the nation's great international financial centers, it is also the fourth poorest major city per capita. Yet, while properties along the Miami River have not kept pace with oceanfront and bayfront locations, property values in the downtown section of the river have risen dramatically. Proposed high-rise residences along the Brickell corridor will bring higher-income households to the river corridor, and transform the economics in the river's immediate vicinity. A Greenway will make the river landscape accessible, attractive, and connected, which in turn will continue to increase the value of property adjacent to the riverbanks.
The
Miami River is Part of Our Heritage
The mouth of the Miami
River has been a focal point for human settlement and activity for more
than 2,000 years. A 2.2-acre site at the mouth of the river, called
Miami Circle, at Brickell Point, is all that remains of a native
American civilization archeological record. Efforts are afoot to protect
and properly interpret this unique landscape and the artifacts that have
been found on the site. This is just one of many points of historical
significance along the river. It is no exaggeration to call the river
the cradle of South Florida's history.
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to the River
OBJECTIVES:
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Remove the system of fences that has restricted access to and along the river landscape
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Improve the visual identity and public awareness of the river
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Provide for improved access to marinas
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Construct a comprehensive system of greenway trails on publicly owned properties
