Downtown Miami’s The Underdeck Looking For A New Name

The 33-acre public park known The Underdeck that is planned to be built underneath downtown Miami’s Signature Bridge is looking for a new name.

It’s unclear why a new name is being considered, but The Underdeck Committee helping to oversee the project has launched a survey to help steer the rebranding, according to the Herald and the project website.

Survey voters aren’t permitted to vote on any potential new names for the Underdeck. Instead, they are asked abstract questions, such as the tone, gender, feeling, and personality traits they would like to see in branding the space.

A March presentation listed potential names including Towners Place, Unity Place, and The Soul Way.

The presentation also showed that project designer Hargreaves Jones was planning a Signature Pedestrian Bridge at the center of The Underdeck.

Other amenities will include multiple play and green areas, a water feature, pedestrian path, multi-purpose court, and dog park.

To take part in the naming survey, click here.

 

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PPC
7 months ago

The survey asks what gender the bridge logo should have. WTF?

Anonymous
7 months ago

Yes this project has been hijacked by wokies for sure. It will be named BLM They/Them Park.

Drac
7 months ago

Yeah.. just like back in the day when a certain segment of the population hijacked Miami Beach and implemented laws for other certain people that said – “you all better be out of town by this certain time of day.”

Anonymous
7 months ago

You better be out of town if you’re comparing today’s woke mentality with segregation.

Drac
7 months ago

Apparently you don’t get with what that Anonymous is implying when he uses the word “hijacked” when he’s referring to “BLM They/Them.

Oh yea
7 months ago

😂😂

Market Urbanist
7 months ago

BLM They/Them Park lol. That’s funny.

Anonymous
7 months ago

The rightie Storm Troopers who’s leader had them in a hissy fit about the presidential election being stolen from them (when 45 was really taking about himself) think it’s now safe for them to stick their heads out their caves and whine about something.

Lol
7 months ago

It’s wasting tax payer dollars to gauge sentiment on something that already has a cool name and that already got the same treatment/input previously. Throwing money away until you get the answer you want from the public because you ask Bizarro questions is a sign of favoritism and ineptitude.

Anonymous
7 months ago

^ What’s the problem with wasting a few tax payer dollars on this when a certain president already convinced some tax payers in this country that they need to waste money on making another section of the military called “SPACE FORCE” when we already have an ‘”AIR FORCE” that’ll do the same shit?

Checo
7 months ago

With all due respect, Lol. Your premise is false.
No tax dollars are being spent on this survey.

Underdeck is what the Florida Department Of Transportation bureaucrats assigned to the area under the deck that they were building. Get it? They called the land under the deck, the underdeck!

FDOT bureaucrats are not really good at naming and branding, creating a sense of place in my opinion. The Department of Transportation does a good with those green signs that say EXIT 2A for instance, but their wayfinding signs in 33 acre parks wouldn’t be so great.

Nothing personal, Lol, but you can go ahead and embrace the Florida Department of Transportation’s marketing and branding efforts. Good for you.

Personally, I like what the Marketing & Branding Company is doing so far.

“Sign of favoritism and ineptitude”. How do you make that connection?

Checo
7 months ago

The park has NOT been hijacked by “wokies”. But ill informed people might get that impression.

The meetings are open to the public, and are very accessible. I’ve been to a few and there are a lot of thoughtful people there are representative of the community.

Anonymous
7 months ago

If they are asking about gendered spaces in their questionnaire then I’m sorry but it’s been woke-a-tized.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Im guessing its just like calling cars or ships ‘she’. For example, she’s running great, I just got her last week. Just apply this to the bridge.

:_)
7 months ago

But isn’t everything like that feminine? I can’t think of a example where you would use he or him.

zoomtrain
7 months ago

my car happens to be a male

Anonymous
7 months ago

It’s not “she” vs “he” that people find ridiculous. It’s “they, them, zim, zee, xee, tree, etc…..”

Anonymous
7 months ago

She’s a beaut! 😄

Virgin
7 months ago

I’m curious as to what race the bridge logo will be also.

Drac
7 months ago

Does it matter? Whatever race their referring to, you better believe they don’t own that bridge or had anything to do with the decision to build it.

Lenny
7 months ago

The Underdeck park is not the signature bridge.
The park underneath the bridge will be run by a not-for-profit organization.
The bridge is run by FDOT.

MM305
7 months ago

Brittany Griner park.

Anonymous
7 months ago

No.. “Freedom Park.”

Oh, I forgot, that moniker has already been “hijacked.”

Carebear
7 months ago

I got the new name, it’s called, “let’s push out the construction completion date from 2024 to 2026 then do nothing for two years!”.

Checo
7 months ago

Not precisely. Here is the wording of the survey, precisely.

Naming & Branding “The Underdeck”

For the following questions, select one from each of the contrasting characteristics you think could best describe the brand image of “The Underdeck.”

5. Masculine, Feminine or Gender-Neutral

___Masculine or ____Feminine or _____Gender-Neutral

6. Simple or Intricate

_____ Simple or _____Intricate

7. Black & White or Bright & Colorful

_____Black & White or _____ Bright & Colorful

8. Conservative or Edgy

_____ Conservative or _____Edgy

9. Fun or Serious

_____ Fun or _____ Serious

Now everyone chill out….
#1. The Marketers did NOT ASK about the Signature Bridge logo.
#2. The Marketers are asking basic questions about the look and feel that the community thinks best.

Asking about community feelings is a necessary evil, and I hope that the input has very little weight. Because, you can see from the PPC’s comment above, some people just don’t get what they are reading even when they are reading it.

Snerdly
7 months ago

Agreed. Enough is enough is enough.

Bob
7 months ago

Some of These comments are a riot

Anonymous
7 months ago

Let’s call it the underworld!

Concerned Resident
7 months ago

Parky McParkFace

Anonymous
7 months ago

So excited for this park! Why not call it Signature Park to go along with the name of the bridge?

Pickles
7 months ago

I got a great idea. How about The Underdeck?

Anonymous
7 months ago

I seriously don’t get what was wrong with the original name. How tf is “Unity place” any better?

Lenny
7 months ago

It’s not.

I like 1896.

The year Miami was incorporated by two woman from Cleveland, with votes from whites and blacks, and the community was working together to make Miami.

Checo
7 months ago

Because working title given by FDOT Bureaucrats does evoke any emotion or connection. I”m not a fan of Unity Place, Underdeck is better than that, but Underdeck sounds rather blah. Kind of like Exit Ramp, or Travel Lane.

Anon
7 months ago

That’s what I submitted on the last page in the “any more suggestions?” box

Pickles
7 months ago

“A March presentation listed potential names including Towners Place, Unity Place, and The Soul Way.”

….You have GOT to be kidding me.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Wow, the cringe. Please just hire a branding firm to handle the whole thing. “The Soul Way”….lol thats pretty bad.

Lenny
7 months ago

They have hired a branding firm….that who’s sending out the survey.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Cool what firm?

Checo
7 months ago
Anonymous
7 months ago

Yeah I’ve been to that website. It doesn’t list a branding firm.

Ana
7 months ago

YeH, that’s the group with these crazy nonsense questions, probably from California or the north east. And you the tax payers are hiring them with your tax dollars.

Anonymous
7 months ago

^ clearly a rightwinger.

Ana
7 months ago

Im a dem, not a right-winger. But spending like a fool is something I am not willing to do to appease groups attempt to obstruct and highjack every improvement and new construction project. Florida has its own vibe, and right now the NE and California think their culture is superior, despite the fact that they’re all moving to Florida and Texas. Midwestern people aren’t much better either. Brand that, cause that’s how people feel around here now!

Anonymous
7 months ago

^ Yeah.. all that money they want to spend on “NAMING” this park!

Almost a billion dollars for this project and they still wanna spend around a another trillion dollars just to call it something? What’s wrong with these people?!

Oh, wait…

Checo
7 months ago

No Ana….there are no taxpayer dollars used for the survey or the working groups who have volunteered their time, intellect and energy to this project.

Just a group of dedicated volunteers who love their community and take action to make it better. They have raised private money to provide input into this project so that the community does not have to suffer through another “Museum Park” fiasco.
The Branding & Marketing group is local, and has been responsible for many real estate, arts, and museum branding and makeovers.

I understand. It is easy sit at a computer, complain and whine, and think that the first person posting knows what they are talking about.

It takes a little bit of effort, but learning the real story, getting involved yourself, and using your energy to make things better, rather than whining about imaginative falshoods will serve you and your community better.

Ana
7 months ago

Yes there are taxpayers’ dollars going to this survey and the project. just look at the Underdeck website…

These are not falsehoods. Kivvit and Circle of One have been brought on board to support the marketing and PR process. Where do you think the Grant money comes from to pay these “public relations firms”, thin air? That’s Grant money that could go to other projects that have a better use than a survey for a name of a perfectly well-branded park. Again, Kivvit and Circle of One are the marketing groups that were hired with the Grant money to make this survey possible. At least Circle of One is more of a locally based Pr firm, but they’re not locals by any means. Kivvit is North Eastern based with an office in Miami. Nice try Checo, these are not locals coming together to voice their concerns.

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

Needs far more trees, and across the street museum park needs more too. The name the underdeck works find.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Please make sure Joe Carollo and The Bayfront Park Mgmt Trust have NO involvement in this project 🙏

rao
7 months ago

If so, it will become the Carollo Homeless Shelter.

Joe
7 months ago

Beautiful location and Park.. wonderful time to live downtown.

Anonymous
7 months ago

It should just be something simple and inclusive, almost bland. “Underline” “Highline” “Underdeck” etc. I have the feeling after this questionnaire that Overtown residents are pushing for something exclusive to their community.

Anonymous
7 months ago

You know what they say about assuming…

Anonymous
7 months ago

Well, you know how “Con-servatives” are.. they never miss an opportunity to display their racism.

“questionnaire that Overtown residents are pushing for?”

Haha.. I bet he believes the last presidential election was stolen.

Anonymous
7 months ago

I bet you believe that 2016 one was….

Azarius
7 months ago

It’s not the community it’s the Miami politicians trying to control narratives because a lot of Communities of color are becoming non existent in Miami. A lot hasn’t been done to protect these communities. So to show face a park name is the best they will do. I agree it should be bland and unbiased

Azarius
7 months ago

No body between Miami Ave and NW 7th Ave even care what they are doing because they worried about the day to day life stuff.

Bryan Riley
7 months ago

As a Overtown resident and landowner I care about this park and also my neighbors care. The interchange has been a blight for decades. This park and connection to Biscayne is welcome.

Anonymous
7 months ago

“The interchange has been a blight for decades”

That’s what the power that be back in the day intended when they decided where it would be built.

Checo
7 months ago

That is a myth.

Anonymous
7 months ago

^ Checo knows cause Checo was alive back then.

rao
7 months ago

You should have welcomed a tunnel with a real park in top of it at ground level

Anonymous
7 months ago

What do you want them to do to protect communities of color when said people moved out years ago? Yet when they move somewhere else and change the demographics, you would be first saber rattling about accepting divershitty.

Ana
7 months ago

You’re spot on!
The narrative they wanna push is white people moving in is gentrification, black people moving in is diversity. The reality is that people move around and neighborhoods change.

Anonymous
7 months ago

What community of color? This isn’t Overtown, it’s the Arts & Entertainment District, which was formerly one of Miami’s wealthiest neighborhoods before beings demolished for parking lots.

Lenny
7 months ago

Politicians are not involved with this exercise (yet).

Anonymous
7 months ago

Overdeck?

Anonymous
7 months ago

BLM deck

Anonymous
7 months ago

It’s by Miami Worldcenter so what about The Worldcenter Deck or Worldcenter Park?

Anonymous
7 months ago

Because nearby residents (on their way out) will call that gentrification and therefore racist.

Anonymous
7 months ago

It’s under the Signature Bridge so Signature Deck? Is that the name of the bridge though or will they call it something else?

BDub
7 months ago

Name it after that famous Russian ballerina Lotza Noizabov.

Anan
7 months ago

Maybe name it after an italian cheese: Formanda mybalz

Anonymous
7 months ago

Don’t worry, some commissioner is going to ignore public input, and name it after some “community figure” nobody heard of outside their circle and with two last names.

Pi Space
7 months ago

Call it the UnderWhere…. 😂😂😂

Anonymous
7 months ago

Wish it would like this nice. But the reality is that it’s under a highway viaduct, even if it’s 20 feet higher than right now. And instead of making the footprint smaller it’s much wider than before. Sad!

Pickles
7 months ago

Too bad this “underdeck” was not built over the existing I-395 stretch. Instead of building that stupid looking arch over the highway, they could have invested the funds to redo that stretch and make it a tunnel underneath the park.

Anonymous
7 months ago

There’s actually a number of successful under-highway parks all around the world. Some have playgrounds, waterways, gardens, etc. Do some research. There’s an amazing one in Seoul.

anonymous
7 months ago

Seoul demolished a highway that run through it’s urban core.

Anonymous
7 months ago

I remember when they built that freeway with all the reparations money Japan gave for so-called victims of over fifty years of colonial rule that already gave Korea running water and electricity.

Manny
7 months ago

The Japanese were BRUTAL to Koreans and Chinese. Running water and electricity hardly make that okay

Lenny
7 months ago

Lot 11 rocks!

Lenny
7 months ago

What about 60ft higher?

That’s the beauty of a suspension bridge. It will provide exceptional shading and coverage in a lot of the areas.
It will be activated and interesting. I can’t wait.

Realtalk Reilly
7 months ago

“A March presentation listed potential names including Towners Place, Unity Place, and The Soul Way.”

It’s not “The Soul Way,” it’s supposed to be…
The SOOOOOOOOOOUUULLL WAY, and everybody’s going to form two lines and then take turns dancing down the runway between them. Now that’s a park.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Yeah, they’ll be dancing down a runway while you and your boys are as usual “goose stepping” down some street with army assault rifles and saying “sieg heil” to your fuhrer while saluting.

lol…

anonymous
7 months ago

My girlfriend can’t even walk around the heat/perez park without being harassed and chased out by junkies….and that thing was designed to be beautiful too. This is just going to be another junkie camping ground

anonymous
7 months ago

Don’t get me wrong I want a beautiful park as much as the next person but what is the point if it smells like piss and is filled with people changing (going naked in public) and living there

Woke is lame
7 months ago

The UnderDick
✅ the stupid gender abstract question

Anonymous
7 months ago

I think we should push for The CisHetAbleBodied Park. I’m sure everyone could get on board with that.

Oh yea
7 months ago

Joe Carollo Park?

Oh yea
7 months ago

Correction* Joe Carollo Park They/Them

The underdeck homeless shelter
7 months ago

The underdeck homeless grounds

Anonymous
7 months ago

(1) A lot of people claim that the park will be packed with homeless people, and this is a valid claim. No one but the homeless wants to be in park filled with people smelling of pee, regardless of how empathetic you may be to their situation.
(2) A lot of people also say it’s a waste of money. I disagree, I think it will be transformative to the area, and will gentrify Overtown north and south of the highway. There is a lot of land there ready to be developed/redeveloped, very close to the city’s main amenities.
(3) Many also claim that the city is a joke, that we are not building the right infrastructure to support the myriad high rises being built. No comments there, politicians in this town are a joke.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Imagine how incredible this would be without a giant highway on top of it

Marcelo
7 months ago

MacFly

crocodileferrari
7 months ago

has anyone suggested ‘gender dysphoria park’ it dishonors the heritage of every living person masculine or feminine equally

McAllister Park
7 months ago

The widow Emma C McAllister literally took Miami skyward. She built the first high rise EVER at the intersection of Flagler and Biscayne. She is Miami’s forgotten hero. If we honor Julia Tuttle with a bridge, we should DEFINITELY honor McAllister.

StinkyPete
7 months ago

Homeless Park 🙂

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

People are going to get mad at this but its the truth. All those benches for a park that is 1/3 in overtown will be filled with junkies and juvenile delinquents doing wheelies on bikes with black air force ones.

Qtip
7 months ago

Ya the area is coming around but still needs more new development for a park that like to be safe.

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

Yeah, MWC and the melo area needs to be more developed to create enough foot traffic.

Joe
7 months ago

All the bigots will stay away.. LOL

Azarius
7 months ago

Well they are part of the community weather you like it or not and should have access to parks and benches weather it’s for 30 minutes or 8 hours to rest. Homeless doesn’t equal crime. They are human too. May not be the best site to see but life ain’t peaches and roses. STOP THE CLASSISM !

Melo is sigma and Chad
7 months ago

have them in your yard

Azarius
7 months ago

They are…. And I have interacted with them my whole life. I grew up on Miami Ave and 52 St. I’m fortunate, unlike a lot of ppl I grew up around. Again homeless people are human too and aren’t all committing crime. Please get out and do some real community work and maybe you’ll see!

Anonymous
7 months ago

Please. Walk down 14th street through Overtown at 10 pm. It’s dangerous.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Oh puhlease!! Spare me the fake speech. The park is made for everyone to use while respecting common decency. Defacating and peeing all around it is disgusting and unsanitary. Doing drugs in it is dangerous. But most of all, the benches are for people to sit on and enjoy the nature not to sleep on as a permanent housing situation. If you care so much, take them to your home.

Anon
7 months ago

I agree homeless people are people too and shouldn’t be mistreated just because they’re homeless. But you can’t deny that the moment an area gets filled up with homeless people, it loses quality and becomes very unpleasant to be in. It doesn’t help that a majority of homeless people have some drug/mental health issue and mess with people around them or at least threaten them. You can defend the homeless all you want, but when a rough-looking homeless man starts screaming or hitting the air out of nowhere you’ll most certainly leave the area or at least get away from them. Homelessness ruins every single public space and something should be done to address it. Make better shelters or place security guards in those parks, idk, but something must be done about homelessness in otherwise nice public areas.

Anonymous
7 months ago

Not if they put separators!!

anon
7 months ago

Maybe provide adequate public services and you won’t have any homeless to worry about, then you can build what you like without being an asshole

Lenny
7 months ago

Can you be specific?

Miami is a model for major cities.
Learn more about the Chapman Partnership, or the Homeless Trust.

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

go ahead and be in denial of reality and downvote.

Alcoholiotic
7 months ago

Nah.. they’ll be rounding up the homeless and shipping them to Virginia Key Beach before this is even completed.

You know the old saying, “out of sight, out of mind.”

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

key biscayne residents going hard against that and a Miami city commissioner. There is a huge empty lot on 7th ave that was suppose to be another UM research lab. They should build another shelter there.

Azarius
7 months ago

Instead of sheltering How about building a resource building to provide day labor and training for new jobs and access to affordable housing. Let’s start addressing these issues

Melo is sigma and chad
7 months ago

As someone who was actually homeless in their lives and actually talked to the homeless unlike you, most don’t want to work. No brownie points for you

Azarius
7 months ago

Bol I have worked very hard. Please don’t talk what you don’t know. And I’m from this community and I put time and efforts into my community lol haha

Anonymous
7 months ago

Obviously this doesn’t apply to all homeless people, but the majority of those I see on a regular basis around downtown are able-bodied, young males. Tell me there aren’t jobs they can take instead of panhandling for their next handle of vodka. They do not need assistance to find work. They need to be removed from the street.

Not Eric Reid
7 months ago

You know, not all disabilities are visible. A lot of them need mental health treatment.

Lenny
7 months ago

The Village of Key Biscayne voters don’t vote in City of Miami elections, right?

Anonymous
7 months ago

“No nice things should ever be built”

Marco
7 months ago

Beautiful

Brooklyn
7 months ago

need multiple basketball courts and sports fields

Anonymous
7 months ago

How about March of the 200 Ft Spider Park (the bridge looks like a spider)

DWNTWNR
7 months ago

Doc Ock Park

Miami Man
7 months ago

My guess on the name that will be chosen in the end: The Heritage Trail. Sounds woke enough.

Not Eric Reid
7 months ago

Imagine being bothered by potentially naming a park with its historic roots in mind.

J.M.
7 months ago

Imagine being bothered that the park is not named with historical roots in mind.

Not Eric Reid
7 months ago

JM, my point went over your head, although it’s not surprising. My point was there are way more pressing issues to actually care about. Deciding to care about naming a park something “too woke” shows how absurd our society is today. Multigenerational Miamians are being priced out, the state and county governments aren’t doing enough to protect our real estate from rising seas, and we have no solution to the ever increasing traffic from domestic migrants coming here daily. Our leadership, on both sides of the aisle, has failed us, yet instead of being bothered by real issues, everyone is up in arms over a potentially sentimental name of a park.

Anonymous
7 months ago

“we have no solution to the ever increasing traffic from domestic migrants coming here daily”

There are simple solutions… we just keep electing numbskull politicians in MiamiDade county that look at Dreamy Fix opportunities while we wait on their decision for years and years and years…

Checo
7 months ago

Smart “multi-generational” Miamians are not priced out, they have become millionaires. Some have turned their humble little fence installation business on an acre in Wynwood into 10’s of millions.
Some have sold tomato farms into millions of dollars from their land sales.

True, there are winners and losers. Buy real estate. Be smart.

The losers never realize how good they have it until they get “priced out” or “gentrified”, then they spend their time and energy looking for other losers to hang out with and upvote their pitiful “plight”.

The winners pay attention to trends, get involved, volunteer, learn, build wealth for their families and improve their community.

For those “victims” there is a Community Organizer applying for a Gov’t Grant to help you. Think.

Think for yourself. IF (big if) the Community Organizer solved the rent is too damn high problem….his/her/she/shim/ grant is gone.

Think. Buy real estate and control your life and control your destiny.

Not Eric Reid
7 months ago

I am specifically speaking to multigenerational Miamians who have OWNED since the 80s and 90s getting priced out by flood and wind insurance rates spiraling out of control. Not every person gets priced out by failure to own or foresee the future.