Through this RFQ, Van Alen and the City of Miami seek to commission a multi-disciplinary design team for the project that offers the full range of professional urban design, landscape architecture, and engineering services and includes at least one Florida-licensed firm.  The design team will work with Van Alen Institute and the City to ensure that this treasured public space serves the present and future needs of the Little Havana community. Innovative and thoughtful design should allow the park to minimize flood impacts to the neighborhood, adapt to sea level rise over time, and enhance waterfront access for residents. Ideally this project results in a solution that can be replicated in other places experiencing similar conditions.

  • Jose Marti Park Brief:  Jose Marti Park is 13-acre riverfront open space in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The Park experiences flooding from both the Miami River during high tides and from rainstorms due to its topography and lack of drainage features. For these reasons, the Park is emblematic of the challenges that river conditions present to communities throughout the South Florida region and other low-lying coastal areas.
  • Keeping Current: Van Alen lnstitute's Keeping Current: A Sea Level Rise Challenge for Greater Miami is a series of initiatives inviting interdisciplinary teams to develop solutions and ideas using the lenses of economy, ecology, and equity to adapt to sea level rise. 
  • Van Alen Institute & The City of Miami Partnership: As part of the Keeping Current project Van Alen fundraised for resources to help the City of Miami embed climate adaptation into this redesign project, developed the framework for implementation, and identified the multiple project partners who have given input on this RFQ. Ultimately, this is a City of Miami project that is subject to city processes and regulations.