Arsht Center solidifies its influence on Miami’s changing skyline with its own Office of Neighborhood Development

Google Maps can’t keep up with the changes happening around the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami.

Since the Center opened in 2006, vacant lots and warehouses have been rapidly replaced by restaurants, a grocery store, condo towers, a farmer’s market, offices, artists’ studios – and plans for multi-million-dollar condo-hotels and skyscrapers from developers hailing from Argentina, Spain and Malaysia.

With more than 60 acres of undeveloped property surrounding it, the Arsht Center has emerged as a leading force in the area’s artful development. A master plan commissioned by the Center envisions a vibrant, urban neighborhood with walkable streets, mixed-use development, public parks and connectivity to existing neighborhoods. Now, with ArtPlace America support, the Center is solidifying its role as an influencer by becoming one of the first performing arts centers in the country with its own Office of Neighborhood Development.

The Arsht Center’s OND will handle the day-to-day issues and challenges now surfacing in downtown Miami – from the reconstruction of a major interstate highway that runs through the neighborhood to the development of a walkable path that connects the Arsht Center to Biscayne Bay and the soon-to-open Museum Park – to ensure that the arts remain a focus of its warp-speed evolution.

At the same time, the OND will work with the Center’s programming staff to intensify cultural life in and around the Center’s campus, encouraging the greater Miami community to count on this neighborhood as its new Town Square – a place to discover fun, mix with each other and explore new possibilities.