Big-city downtowns are under siege — except in Miami
The pre-COVID Central Business District (CBD) is dead. From Chicago to San Francisco, Baltimore to Seattle, once thriving downtowns are hollowing out, with spiraling commercial and retail vacancy rates, fleeing residents, rising crime and big, big problems.
Except in Miami. Why? As a New York-based architect working in cities across the country and around the world, Miami offers us clues for understanding why and how America’s CBDs must be urgently transformed to Central Social Districts (CSDs).
Rather than a neighborhood driven by a single program, CSDs prioritize community activity and offer a variety of programming, encouraging people to invest their most valuable commodity — their time.
Where other cities doubled down on conventional American development patterns — suburban commuters and single-purpose business districts — and are now suffering the consequences, Miami has naturally diversified its economy, connected its downtown to regional centers via public transportation, expanded its green networks and embraced high-density development and city life. The result is a vibrant, humming downtown mixed with residents, office workers and tourists — the quintessential CSD.
Politicians credit low taxes, business incentives and other macro-economic reasons for urban success, but the reality is that a dense, diversified downtown is the truest indicator of long-term growth. High-tax New York City continues to attract talent because it is a great place to live and play. Austin is a highdensity, economically diverse bubble in an otherwise low-density state. Vancouver’s downtown is teeming with high-rise residential towers.
Even with their success, cities like Miami must continue to evolve. Like most of the world’s global cities, it is under siege from technological, environmental and regional threats that, if left unaddressed, could unravel decades of smart, progressive growth.
Let’s start with technology. In the decade it took our company to design and construct Hudson Yards in New York City (America’s largest private development ever), the iPhone was not only invented, but also transformed the city (and world) entirely. The next decade will bring about even greater technological shifts driven by artificial intelligence that could profoundly affect the American white-collar economy, in particular. Miami should continue to diversify its economy in the face of these rapid changes.
The city is also facing an urgent and escalating environmental apocalypse. Rising temperatures and sea levels threaten the very idea of Miami. Without bold visions and sustained action, recent investment will slow and eventually stop. A public investment in smart environmental protection and a more sustainable built environment will enable a continued, widespread, private market reaction and build on the past decade of growth, not erase it.
Last, Miami should continue to strengthen both governmental and physical connections to other urban centers in the state. All research indicates that when cities are networked with other cities, they all benefit. Recent rail connections should be redoubled and expanded with public support.
By linking to Orlando’s tourist economy, luxury lifestyle centers in Palm Beach, as well as Tampa’s office and remote workforce, Miami can build on its success as a diverse and critically important epicenter for the state.
These opportunities not only are vital to Miami’s continued success, they also are time sensitive. Miami can capitalize on its recent growth, save its own future and provide a model for other metro areas around the world.
Now is not the time to be complacent. As with all sieges, time is ticking away.
Forth Bagley, AIA, is a managing principal of
KPF, the architects of Hudson Yards and One Vanderbilt in New York, as well as the new Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami located in Brickell Key and Tower 36, a Class-A office tower in Miami.