“Why don’t we turn this into something?” Meg Daly asked, looking at the underbelly of the metrorail. Driving down U.S. 1, you’ve seen pieces of it: the fenced-in dirt and patchy grass framed by graffitied walls or backlots of businesses. Miami’s urban design is precarious. The budding automotive industry of the 20th century permanently influenced the city’s infrastructure, and today’s population is stuck with a cityscape dominated by cars. With incomplete public transit systems and little room for bike lanes or public green spaces, the easiest way to traverse Miami’s sprawling neighborhoods is by private vehicle. But for today’s residents, its counterintuitive urban design is a limitation to a sustainable lifestyle.
Meg is the creative soul and brain behind The Underline, the 10 miles of metrorail underpass that’s being redesigned and reinvigorated as a linear park with bike lanes, walk lanes, green spaces, and so much more. After a cycling accident which left both of her arms broken, Meg had to reacquaint herself with the other means of transportation that were available to her disabled body. Once healed enough, she started taking the metrorail to her physical therapy appointments.
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