There is a trend growing within our cities where gritty, underpopulated areas are now more à la mode. Upper and middle income families, individuals and developers are buying and rehabilitating deteriorated neighborhoods in order to increase property value and create thriving centralized areas. Urban redevelopment has been successful in many places around the nation such as SoHo, The Downtown Project in Nevada, multiple projects in Dallas and in our own state, the up and coming Brooklyn Developments in Jacksonville. These city renovations provide opportunities to the surrounding community for employment, housing, new business and an increase in overall financial growth.
Wynwood, now one of Miami’s most popular areas seemed in the beginning to be a heaven for our community, local artist, musicians and tourists to come and have a taste of what Miami really has to offer, our diversity. However, in the process, somewhere, we lost sight of what was really important in successful redevelopment, giving back to the community. Developers saw the opportunity for profit and neglected to focus on more important issues. Many of our local artists and musicians have now been forced to relocate, some seeking new opportunities in other cities because Wynwood is simply becoming too expensive for them. Even worse, the residents of Wynwood are being forced to evacuate their homes when they have no where else to go. Small businesses are closing fast and being replaced by more bars and restaurants but at what cost? I get it, we all love to go out and eat at nice restaurants, enjoy a good drink (or two) and hang out, that’s what we do. However, gentrification is a real concept and is changing Wynwood at an alarming rate. Check out “Right to Wynwood” a documentary on the topic and let us know what you think!
[vimeo 110682099 w=425 h=350]
Link to “Right to Wynwood” Documentary https://vimeo.com/110682099
*Photo courtesy of public domain