Type: Tactical Urbanism Demonstration Projects
Size: 1 city block
Status: Complete
Street Plans implemented Taste of Avenue 3 in October 2018 as its fourth Miami-Dade Transportation Quick-Build Program project, with additional support from the Miami DDA and in partnership with nonprofit Avenue 3 Miami. For four days, the on-street parking lanes on NE 3rd Avenue between E. Flagler St. and NE 1st St. were transformed into painted curb extensions, demonstrating how much more pedestrian space could be provided on the street if the curbside space weren’t solely for cars. A parklet was installed in two parking spaces along the street by a local makerspace and partner, Moonlighter.
Over 50 volunteers came out to the street to help with the painting and the installation of a temporary parklet. On the final evening of the multi-day activation, 650 attendees came out to a full-closure block party for music, drinks, light bites, and games. Attendees included County Commissioner Eileen Higgins and City of Miami Commissioner Ken Russell.
Over the course of the four days, the project team received only positive feedback, especially pertaining to the experience on the street. The team conducted intercept surveys, and disseminated a link to an online survey. Passersby said the street felt safer, and like a place they’d spend more time if the street demonstration were to remain. Local businesses along the street reported an approximately 20% increase in sales during the activation!
Avenue 3 Miami used this activation as a springboard to align three primary objectives— homeless outreach, crime prevention, and streetscape transformation— to create a people-centric approach to neighborhood building. The following summer, Street Plans conducted a 12-week, on-street activation series as a consultant for Avenue 3, highlighting local musicians and the restaurants on the street. Shortly after, Street Plans and Avenue 3 were awarded a Miami Foundation Public Space Challenge grant for an overhead lighting project on the same block as Taste of Avenue 3, intended to create an interim lighting solution for a minimum of six months.
The nonprofit continues to seek grant opportunities to create positive physical change on the street.
