By Adam Schachner

Those of us who frequent Miami’s M-Path can start to dream big, thanks to plans now in the works. The relatively contiguous off-road pedestrian and bicycle path linking Brickell to the Dadeland South Metrorail station has been the underdog of Miami-Dade Transit’s overall vision, giving way to grander, sexier initiatives. Now, with the collaboration of strong-willed activists and a globally renowned landscape design firm, the M-Path is heading for a makeover of monumental significance under a new name: the Underline.

The Underline will be a ten-mile linear park created alongside the existing M-Path, transforming the quaint and beloved niche route into a cosmopolitan urban landscape. With the help of Field Operations, the New York-based landscape architecture and “public realm” practice selected in March to develop a master plan for the park (the firm is responsible for Manhattan’s High Line rail park, Miami’s Knight Plaza, and numerous high-profile projects across the country), the corridor could become a melding of transit facilities and verdant public space.

The Biscayne Times attended an April 18 public meeting (the final of three held last month) hosted by Friends of the Underline. Bike riders cycled through stations taking input and charting those comments on maps of the M-Path, and the primary organizers for the Underline offered interviews. Meg Daly is founder and president of Friends of the Underline, and Maria Nardi is the chief of planning for the Miami-Dade Parks Department. Click here for the interview.