miami herald article on downtown miami (West Palm Beach, Palm Beach: apartments, condos, place to live)

[CiXeL]

Downtown Miami a mess? Tell us your experience
In her speech to business leaders Wednesday, the CEO of Macy's Florida described a dilapidated downtown Miami marred by boarded-up buildings and rodents where her employees don't feel safe to walk around their Flagler Street headquarters. The historic Flagler area west of Biscayne Bay to the Government Center has so far largely missed out on the redevelopment along Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard.

Downtown Miami a mess? Tell us your experience - 06/08/2007 - MiamiHerald.com (broken link)

[doggiebus]

Finally someone stands up and says it publicly. I am surprised Burdines/Macy's stayed so long. I have said it before, downtown is not a place to live yet. It is dirty, ugly, and not really safe IMO. Developers are selling downtown Miami and the Design District like other city downtowns (NYC, Seattle, San Fran) but you can't compare.

I can't wait to see this article, and hope that it spurs the City Commisioners to clean up Downtown Miami so that people want to go to. With great restaurants, shopping and entertainment, parks, etc..

[jroede01]

I work in Downtown miami, I have emailed the Comms specially Joe Sanchez, and they don't seem too care.

City is run pretty much like any South Am city a few have the power and money the rest of us must fight for scraps.

Downtown Miami will remain the same as long as Corp business keeps away. Brickell is doing better since it has alway had the expensive condo, mostly as investment, since few folk live in those condo, but it is cleaner.

I just returned from a trip to charlotte NC and was supriseD how clean that place is.

[tallrick]

Originally Posted by jroede01

I work in Downtown miami, I have emailed the Comms specially Joe Sanchez, and they don't seem too care.

City is run pretty much like any South Am city a few have the power and money the rest of us must fight for scraps.

Downtown Miami will remain the same as long as Corp business keeps away. Brickell is doing better since it has alway had the expensive condo, mostly as investment, since few folk live in those condo, but it is cleaner.

I just returned from a trip to charlotte NC and was supriseD how clean that place is.

Truer words have not been written here!

[INeedAChange]

Do they have a lot of expensive "loft" condos and apts in downtown or is it mostly commercial stuff?

[Chelito23]

And to think that the new arenas and sports complexes are suppoed to fix downtown?

Bayside is nice...but it is isolated and really a toursit place...not many locals go there.

The rest of the area is a barren wasteland except for the inner core, which as described, is a homeless magnet. After dark it is scary with all of the stores having their hurricane shutters up due to crime.

The stench of urine permeates the atmophere in the daytime heat...and the sidewalks are litrally strewn with trash.

It does have potential, but I think downtown Miami's problems and lack of a true downtown atmosphere are because the lack of true economic activity. It is true, the people there are South American tourists looking for cheap electronics (knock off usually) and office workers.

Hopefully they will build some apartments or condos that are affordable by Miami standards so some real people can actualy live there and make it a better place.

But then again, downtown Miami has never been a great place. It has been like this forever, so there is no real push to "bring it back to it's glory" so to speak.

[CiXeL]

"The stench of urine permeates the atmophere in the daytime heat...and the sidewalks are litrally strewn with trash."

beautifully written. you should write a book. ive never heard urine used in a sentence so elegant.

[PBCboy]

Even though most of West Palm Beach is filthy and disgusting the Downtown Area is great.