The Underline park: A public-private canvas for the Miami community | Opinion

Great public spaces are platforms where a city’s culture and creativity come to life. They are canvases where neighbors meet, opportunities grow and the spirit of a community is expressed and empowered.

That’s what The Underline has become for Miami.

Once an overlooked stretch beneath Metrorail, it is now transforming into a 10-mile civic space where health, culture and opportunity intersect. Every day, people walk, ride, perform, work and play here. But what excites me most is not only the daily activity but the programs that are redefining what a park can do for its community.

Through our Park Stewards program launched with Chapman Partnership and powered by the Lennar Foundation, individuals who were once unhoused are now employed in park operations. They are gaining job skills, building résumés, opening bank accounts and saving for permanent housing.

For some, this is the first step toward stability and independence. A park is not just a place to pass through; it is now a bridge to a better future.

At the same time, our Green Leaders program supported by Bank of America and the Daly Family Fund is equipping high school students with hands-on lessons in sustainability, civic engagement and environmental stewardship. These young people return to their schools and neighborhoods as advocates and leaders, showing that the lessons learned on The Underline ripple outward into the broader community.

Health and wellness are also at the heart of our mission. Thanks to our partnership with Baptist Health, The Underline offers more than 200 free fitness classes each year including yoga, dance, strength training and more. These classes not only keep Miami active but also provide income for local instructors, reinforcing the idea that health can be community-driven and economically supportive at the same time.

Looking ahead, The Underline has the chance to become an even larger cultural stage. As a finalist for the Levitt Foundation music grant, we could host 10 free concerts in 2026. That means paid opportunities for local artists from across South Florida and open access to world-class performances for everyone in our community regardless of income or background.

All of this is possible because The Underline is built on a public-private partnership model. Miami-Dade, the state of Florida, USDOT, FDOT and the cities of Miami, Coral Gables and South Miami have all contributed to construction.

Private philanthropy matches these public dollars to ensure our 10 miles remain safe, green and welcoming 24 hours a day. Programs and operations, too, are sustained by the public private partnership with both public and private dollars leveraged to keep The Underline pristine and activated.

The bottom line is simple: We are better together.

When the public and private sectors unite, they create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The Underline is proof of what happens when we stop asking whether a park should be recreational or cultural or economic and start recognizing that it can be all of these things at once.

This is why The Underline is more than a park. It is a living, breathing canvas for Miami’s diverse community. It is shaped not just by the vision of its planners but by the footsteps of its people, impacting not just those living and working along its corridor but with ripple effects to communities in greater Miami with positive lasting impacts for generations to come.

When we invest in public-private partnerships, we invest in the community’s ability to write its own story. The Underline is one chapter in that story — and together, we are showing that public spaces can transform not only landscapes but lives.

Eulois Cleckley is the CEO of Friends of The Underline, which is leading efforts to transform the 10-mile corridor beneath Miami’s Metrorail into a linear park and urban trail. He previously served as director of the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works and executive director of the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.