Miami DDA

This week's news that the AIA is relocating to the historic post office building in Downtown Miami serves as a good reminder that the Magic City is only about 116 years old. The "historic" label carries a much different meaning in these parts. Still, we may be guilty of not having preserved enough of our architectural gems.

Schwartz Media Strategies and Apollo Bank hosted a small luncheon at the bank's Brickell branch on May 30. We are convening these events quarterly with the goal of bringing together friends with similar interests to talk about some of the issues driving Miami.

All the talk of Miami’s rise to prominence as an international city came to a head last night as hundreds of Miami’s business and civic leaders gathered at 1450 Brickell Avenue for “Going Global,” a panel discussion exploring all that’s fueling the Magic City’s growth.

Traffic mayhem! A sudden uptick in neon bracelet sales! A disproportionate number of Dutch speakers overheard at Starbucks! It can only mean one thing: the Dade County Youth Fair has arrived. Not so fast.

Kudos to the City of Miami and some forward-thinking residents and stakeholders for converting a pedestrian-unfriendly median/parking lot in downtown Miami into a temporary park (read the Miami Herald's coverage of the park here). Don't blink or you'll miss it; the park will only be intact for five days (thru Sunday). But its very existence is sparking some very healthy discourse about how we use public spaces and how we can further evolve Miami into a more livable, walkable, sustainable city.

This past weekend's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure brought more than 25,000 passionate people to downtown Miami. It also brought a boatload of trash.

Finally, a stylish, mid-priced option for business and leisure travelers in downtown Miami!

Buzz builds in downtown Miami as region's international hot spot. Could it be the Arsht Center? Museum Park? New restaurants? Affordable condos? Lebron James and the Heat? Luxury hotels?