On Wednesday, October 17th, Street Plans started installing temporary painted curb extensions on NE 3rd Avenue in Downtown Miami as part of a multi-day activation called Taste of Avenue 3. This activation is the first of many in support of a long-term initiative called Avenue 3 Miami, catalyzed by Downtown resident Steve Dutton. Steve is fighting for a number of improvements to this corridor, including a new homeless initiative, better lighting, and parklets that will reallocate space in better support of pedestrians.
From the 17th to the 18th, Street Plans had over 25 volunteers help paint the street, plant planters, and prepare two parklets created by Moonlighter Makerspace for installation. The demonstration was activated on Friday, the 19th with seating, shade, and games, encouraging passersby to engage and provide feedback. To culminate the activation, the project team put on a community dinner in the street on Saturday evening complete with small bites from the NE 3rd Avenue restaurants, music, and dancing. With 452 tickets sold, the evening event raised over $6,500 to support Avenue 3 Miami’s future initiatives.
The event was attended by County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, and City of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell joined volunteers in painting on Wednesday.
Keep following the long-term project at avenue3miami.org, and at @avenue3miami, and check the @mdtquickbuild Instagram platforms for updates on the next project you can be involved in! The above video was filmed by our friends at Streetfilms.