Meet Ken Gardner, President of GSLA Design, who is part of The Underline’s Phase 2 design/build construction team with Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation & Public Works (DTPW). Ken shares all the wonderful amenities and features that will be included in the 2-mile segment.

Video Script: Hello, my name is Ken Gardner from GSLA Design, the local landscape architecture and design team for the second phase of The Underline. ⁠ I want to tell you about some of the great features that are included in the design of phase 2. This section of The Underline is over 2 miles long and we will have three separate plazas each with their own themes. ⁠ “Play” is the theme at the northernmost amenity area at Simpson Park. We will have two separated playgrounds each geared toward children of differing ages. There will be plenty of seating and lighting to create a safe and friendly environment. ⁠ The second plaza at Vizcaya Station is all about “gathering” as it is a rendezvous point for the neighborhood, patrons of the historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens and for users of The Underline. It is a blending of the physical and historic elements of South Florida. ⁠ The “natural ecological systems” of the environment are on display at the southernmost amenity area. Here we are recreating the everyday treatment and storage of our abundant rainfall. Water run-off will collect in a lower area replete with native, hydric plantings that will treat the water before it descends into our aquifer. Natural stone seating is arranged in a manner amenable to holding classes or lectures in this process. ⁠ All of these wonderful amenities are tied together with practically 100% native plantings to recreate the Pine Rockland and Hammock planting communities. These natural plantings not only mimic untouched nature visually but also will provide a habitat for birds and butterflies. The biking, pedestrian, and mulch paths allow you to explore these wonderful plantings at different speeds for three distinct experiences. When this is complete, I look forward to seeing you out there enjoying this world-class facility.🌳 ✅✨ #TheUnderline #UnderlinePhase2⁠

If you have any questions, check out our FAQ page in our BIO LINK. For additional information, please contact @gomiamidade by email at: TheUnderline@miamidade.gov